The Relationship Between Systemising and Mental Rotation and the Implications for the Extreme Male Brain Theory of Autism

Abstract

Within the Extreme Male Brain theory, Autism Spectrum Disorder is characterised as a deficit in empathising in conjunction with preserved or enhanced systemising. A male advantage in systemising is argued to underpin the traditional male advantage in mental rotation tasks. Mental rotation tasks can be separated into rotational and non-rotational components, and circulating testosterone has been found to consistently relate to the latter component. Systemising was found to correlate with mental rotation, specifically the non-rotational component(s) of the mental rotation task but not the rotational component of the task. Systemising also correlated with a proxy for circulating testosterone but not a proxy for prenatal testosterone. A sex difference was identified in systemising and the non-rotational aspect of the mental rotation task.