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Empathy in autism spectrum conditions
 Simon Baron-Cohen, Sally Wheelwright, John Lawson, Ofer Golan, Chris Ashwin, Emma Chapman, Bonnie Auyeung, Mike Lombardo, Jorrit de Kieviet, Jennifer Barnes, Bhismadev Chakrabarti
The ARC began work in this area by studying 'theory of mind' (ToM) deficits in autism and Asperger Syndrome. ToM is the ability to attribute mental states to others, to infer what someone else is thinking or feeling. It is one of the two major components of empathy, sometimes known as 'cognitive empathy'. The other major component is known as 'affective empathy', or the drive to respond with an appropriate emotion to someone else's mental states. Our work is showing that both components of empathy may be impaired in autism and Asperger Syndrome. We study the cognitive component using tests of emotion recognition and mental state inference. We study the affective component using measures of arousal (heart rate, galvanic skin response) and using questionnaires such as the Empathy Quotient (EQ). We have developed different versions of the EQ for different age groups. Although a psychological construct, we are also relating measures of empathy to brain activity using fMRI and TMS, genetic polymorphisms, lesion location, and prenatal hormone levels. We have also developed novel teaching methods for helping cognitive empathy to develop, using educational software and children's animation. Finally, we are testing the relationship between empathy, alexythymia, and self-awareness, using methods from experimental psychology.
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References:
385
M. Lombardo, J. Barnes, S. Wheelwright and S. Baron-Cohen, (2007)
Self-Referential Cognition and Empathy in Autism
PLoS ONE 2(9):e883
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358
B. Chakrabarti, E. Bullmore and S. Baron-Cohen, (2006)
Empathizing with basic emotions: Common and discrete neural substrates
Social Neuroscience 1:364-384
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316
O. Golan, S. Baron-Cohen, S. Wheelwright and J. J. Hill, (2006)
Systemizing empathy: Teaching adults with Asperger Syndrome and High Functioning Autism to recognize complex emotions using interactive multimedia.
Development and Psychopathology 18:589-615
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217
J. Lawson, S. Baron-Cohen and S. Wheelwright, (2004)
Empathising and systemising in adults with and without Asperger Syndrome
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 34:301-310
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166
S. Baron-Cohen, S. Wheelwright, J. Hill, Y. Raste and I. Plumb, (2001)
The 'Reading the Mind in the eyes' test revised version: A study with normal adults, and adults with Asperger Syndrome or High-Functioning autism
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 42:241-252
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132
S. Baron-Cohen, M. O'Riordan, R. Jones, V. Stone and K. Plaisted, (1999)
A new test of social sensitivity: Detection of faux pas in normal children and children with Asperger syndrome
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 29:407-418
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1
S. Baron-Cohen, A. M. Leslie and U. Frith, (1985)
Does the autistic child have a 'theory of mind'?
Cognition 21:37-46
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