ORIGINAL PAPER Empathizing and Systemizing in Adults with and without Autism Spectrum Conditions: Cross-Cultural Stability Akio Wakabayashi Æ Simon Baron-Cohen Æ Tokio Uchiyama Æ Yuko Yoshida Æ Miho Kuroda Æ Sally Wheelwright Published online: 16 December 2006 Ó Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2006 Abstract This study tests the empathizing-systemizing (E-S) theory of sex differences and the extreme male brain (EMB) theory of autism. Three groups of participants took part: n = 48 people with autism spectrum, n = 137 general population controls, and n = 1,250 university student controls. Each participant completed the Empathy Quotient (EQ) and the Systemizing Quotient (SQ). Results: The autism spec- trum condition (ASC) group scored significantly lower than controls on the EQ, and significantly higher on the SQ. Among both control groups, females scored significantly higher than males on the EQ, whilst males scored significantly higher than females on the SQ. The distribution of ‘brain types’, based on the difference between EQ and SQ scores, showed distinct profiles for people with ASC, control males and control females. Keywords Empathizing Á Systemizing Á Autism Á Asperger syndrome Á Autism spectrum conditions Á Cognitive style Á Sex differences Introduction Developmental psychologists have found that two primary domains of cognition emerge in infancy: understanding social-psychological (intentional) agency, and understanding physical (causal) events (Cosmides & Tooby, 1994; Wellman & Inagaki, 1997). These two cognitive abilities are sometimes referred to as folk (or intuitive) psychology, used to deduce the cause of an agent’s actions, and folk (or intuitive) physics, used to deduce the cause of a non-agent’s movement (Dennett, 1987). They are core domains of cognition because they are found universally in typical cognitive development. Most research into causal cognition has been carried out with children and reveals differences between children with and without autism spectrum condition (ASC). Regarding their understanding of social cau- sality, children with ASC show significant deficits (Baron-Cohen, 1995; Baron-Cohen, Leslie, & Frith, 1985), whilst they show no impairment in their under- standing of physical causality, and may even be superior relative to mental-age matched controls (Baron-Cohen, 1997; Baron-Cohen, Leslie, & Frith, 1986; Charman & Baron-Cohen, 1995; Leekam & Perner, 1991; Leslie & Thaiss, 1992). This result also suggests the independence of these two causal domains of cognition, perhaps underpinned by independent neurocognitive processes. A. Wakabayashi (&) Department of Psychology, Chiba University, Yayoi-cho, Inage, Chiba 263-8522, Japan e-mail: akiowcam@mac.com A. Wakabayashi Á S. Baron-Cohen Á S. Wheelwright Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge , Douglas House, 18b Trumpington Road, Cambridge CB2 2AH, UK T. Uchiyama Department of Human Relations, Faculty of Human Welfare, Otsuma Women’s University, Karakida, Tama, Tokyo 206–8540 Yokohama, Japan T. Uchiyama Á Y. Yoshida Á M. Kuroda Psycho-Developmental Clinic, Chigasaki-chuo, Tsuzuki, Yokohama 224–0032, Japan J Autism Dev Disord (2007) 37:1823–1832 DOI 10.1007/s10803-006-0316-6 123