Research Article

More than maths and mindreading: Sex differences in empathizing/systemizing covariance

  1. Jeffrey M. Valla*,
  2. Barbara L. Ganzel,
  3. Keith J. Yoder,
  4. Grace M. Chen,
  5. Laura T. Lyman,
  6. Anthony P. Sidari,
  7. Alex E. Keller,
  8. Jeffrey W. Maendel,
  9. Jordan E. Perlman,
  10. Stephanie K.L. Wong,
  11. Matthew K. Belmonte

Article first published online: 29 JUN 2010

DOI: 10.1002/aur.143

Issue

Autism Research

Autism Research

Volume 3, Issue 4, pages 174–184, August 2010

Additional Information

How to Cite

Valla, J. M., Ganzel, B. L., Yoder, K. J., Chen, G. M., Lyman, L. T., Sidari, A. P., Keller, A. E., Maendel, J. W., Perlman, J. E., Wong, S. K.L. and Belmonte, M. K. (2010), More than maths and mindreading: Sex differences in empathizing/systemizing covariance. Autism Res, 3: 174–184. doi: 10.1002/aur.143

Author Information

  1. Department of Human Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

*Department of Human Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-4401

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 23 AUG 2010
  2. Article first published online: 29 JUN 2010
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 6 MAY 2010
  4. Manuscript Revised: 26 APR 2010
  5. Manuscript Received: 14 JUL 2009

Funded by

  • Autism Speaks Pilot Research. Grant Number: 2597
  • US National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Award. Grant Number: BCS-0846892

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Keywords:

  • empathizing;
  • systemizing;
  • extreme male brain;
  • mindreading;
  • cognitive style;
  • normal cognitive variation

Abstract

Empathizing–Systemizing theory posits a continuum of cognitive traits extending from autism into normal cognitive variation. Covariance data on empathizing and systemizing traits have alternately suggested inversely dependent, independent, and sex-dependent (one sex dependent, the other independent) structures. A total of 144 normal undergraduates (65 men, 79 women) completed the Reading the Mind in the Eyes, Embedded Figures, and Benton face recognition tests, the Autism Spectrum Quotient, and measures of digit length ratio and field of study; some also completed tests of motion coherence threshold (64) and go/no-go motor inhibition (128). Empathizing and systemizing traits were independent in women, but largely dependent in men. In men, level of systemizing skill required by field of study was directly related to social interactive and mindreading deficits; men's social impairments correlated with prolonged go/no-go response times, and men tended to apply systemizing strategies to solve problems of empathizing or global processing: rapid perceptual disembedding predicted heightened sensitivity to facial emotion. In women, level of systemizing in field was related to male-typical digit ratios and autistic superiorities in detail orientation, but not to autistic social and communicative impairments; and perceptual disembedding was related to social interactive skills but independent of facial emotion and visual motion perception.

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