Empathy, Autistic Tendencies, and Systemizing Tendencies-Relationships Between Standard Self-Report Measures.

Cornelia Sindermann,Christian Montag,Andrew Cooper

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00307

Cornelia Sindermann, Christian Montag + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00307

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Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate associations between four highly used self-report measures assessing empathy (measured as both a unidimensional and multidimensional construct), autistic tendencies, and systemizing tendencies. Participants in this study completed the following self-report measures: The Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) and the Empathy Quotient (EQ) to measure empathy, and the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) and the Systemizing Quotient–Revised (SQ-R) to assess autistic and systemizing tendencies, respectively. The final sample consisted of N = 1,098 participants (304 males) without a diagnosed autism spectrum disorder, most of whom were university students. The IRI scale “Perspective Taking” and the EQ were negatively related to the AQ in male and female participants, while the IRI scale “Empathic Concern” was negatively related to the AQ in females only. Moreover, the AQ was positively related to the SQ-R in females only. Lastly, the SQ-R and a number of the empathy scales were significantly associated: For example and surprisingly, the EQ correlated weakly and positively with the SQ-R in both male and female participants. The results from this study illustrate how standard self-report measures of empathy, autistic tendencies, and systemizing tendencies are associated with each other in a large sample not diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. Additionally, some potential gender-specific effects are revealed.

Highlights

Empathy can be understood as an important concept contributing greatly toward successful human social interaction [1,2,3]
It is claimed that the Perspective Taking” (PeT) and Fan scales measure cognitive aspects of empathy, whereas the Empathic Concern” (EmC) and Personal Distress” (PeD) scales assess affective aspects of empathy
The present study sought to investigate the relationships between standard self-report measures assessing empathy, autistic tendencies, and systemizing tendencies in a large sample of participants not diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

Summary

Introduction

Empathy can be understood as an important concept contributing greatly toward successful human social interaction [1,2,3]. The IRI assesses empathy using four distinct scales/dimensions of empathy labeled “Perspective Taking” (PeT), “Empathic Concern” (EmC), “Personal Distress” (PeD), and “Fantasy” (Fan). It is claimed that the PeT and Fan scales measure cognitive aspects of empathy, whereas the EmC and PeD scales assess affective aspects of empathy. In contrast to the IRI, the EQ was originally developed to measure empathy as a unidimensional construct The authors justify this decision by arguing that cognitive and affective components of empathy cannot be separated [6]. Studies across various countries that have examined the associations between the scores of both self-report measures show that the EQ has the strongest and most consistent positive associations with the PeT and EmC scales of the IRI [2, 14, 16, 17]

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