Autism: The Empathizing–Systemizing (E‐S) Theory
Abstract
The mind‐blindness theory of autism spectrum conditions has been successful in explaining the social and communication difficulties that characterize these conditions but cannot explain the nonsocial features (the narrow interests, need for sameness, and attention to detail). A new theory, the empathizing–systemizing (E‐S) theory, is summarized, which argues two factors are needed to explain the social and nonsocial features of the condition. This is related to other cognitive theories such as the weak central coherence theory and the executive dysfunction theory. The E‐S theory is also extended to the extreme male brain theory as a way of understanding the biased sex ratio in autism. Etiological predictions are discussed, as are the clinical applications arising from the E‐S theory.
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Communication difficulties in autism spectrum conditions have been linked to difficulties with theory of mind, also known as mentalising.
“These communication difficulties have been linked to difficulties with ‘theory of mind’, also known as mentalising [25, 26], which is very important for effective communication.”
From A 'choice', an 'addiction', a way 'out of the lost': Exploring self-injury in autistic people without intellectual disability (2019) · cites this paper as [25]
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Reintegrating the Study of Accuracy Into Social Cognition Research
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Enhanced memory ability: Insights from synaesthesia
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Peñuelas‐Calvo, I., Sareen, A., Sevilla‐Llewellyn‐Jones, J., & Fernández‐Berrocal, P. (2018) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-018-3814-4 · Cited by 121 · see citing works
Intact and impaired mechanisms of action understanding in autism.
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Altered reward system reactivity for personalized circumscribed interests in autism
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The Empathy Quotient: A cross-cultural comparison of the Italian version
Preti, A., Vellante, M., Baron‐Cohen, S., Zucca, G., Петретто, Д. Р., & Masala, C. (2010) · Cognitive Neuropsychiatry · doi:10.1080/13546801003790982 · Cited by 116 · see citing works
Self-citationBeacher, F. D. C. C., Minati, L., Baron‐Cohen, S., Lombardo, M. V., Lai, M., Gray, M. A., Harrison, N. A., & Critchley, H. (2011) · American Journal of Neuroradiology · doi:10.3174/ajnr.a2880 · Cited by 111 · see citing works
Self-citationThe overlap between autistic spectrum conditions and borderline personality disorder
Dudas, R. B., Lovejoy, C. A., Cassidy, S., Allison, C. L., Smith, P. L., & Baron‐Cohen, S. (2017) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0184447 · Cited by 111 · see citing works
Self-citationAtypical sensory sensitivity as a shared feature between synaesthesia and autism
Ward, J., Hoadley, C., Hughes, J. E., Smith, P. L., Allison, C. L., Baron‐Cohen, S., & Simner, J. (2017) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/srep41155 · Cited by 106 · see citing works
Self-citationHow Moral Foundations Theory Succeeded in Building on Sand: A Response to Suhler and Churchland
Haidt, J., & Joseph, C. (2011) · Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1162/jocn.2011.21638 · Cited by 104 · see citing works
Brosnan, M., Chapman, E., & Ashwin, C. (2013) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-013-1897-5 · Cited by 100 · see citing works
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Moseley, R. L., Gregory, N. J., Smith, P., Allison, C., & Baron-Cohen, S. (2019) · Molecular Autism · doi:10.1186/s13229-019-0267-3 · Cited by 97 · see citing works
Self-citationNoise from the periphery in autism
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White matter pathways and social cognition
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Social Attention in the Two Species of Pan: Bonobos Make More Eye Contact than Chimpanzees
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Cognitive Science: An Introduction to the Science of the Mind
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Mirror, mirror on the wall, which form of narcissist knows self and others best of all?
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Friedrich, E. V. C., Suttie, N., Sivanathan, A., Lim, T., Louchart, S., & Pineda, J. A. (2014) · Frontiers in Neuroengineering · doi:10.3389/fneng.2014.00021 · Cited by 99 · see citing works
Anderson, S., & Meints, K. (2016) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-016-2869-3 · Cited by 94 · see citing works
Motor noise is rich signal in autism research and pharmacological treatments
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Lysaker, P. H., Ringer, J. M., Buck, K. D., Grant, M. L. A., Olesek, K. L., Leudtke, B. L., & Dimaggio, G. (2012) · The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease · doi:10.1097/nmd.0b013e3182439533 · Cited by 87 · see citing works
Jaliaawala, M. S., & Khan, R. A. (2019) · Artificial Intelligence Review · doi:10.1007/s10462-019-09686-8 · Cited by 88 · see citing works
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Are there sex differences in ERPs related to processing empathy-evoking pictures?
Groen, Y., Wijers, A. A., Tucha, O. M., & Althaus, M. (2012) · Neuropsychologia · doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2012.11.012 · Cited by 86 · see citing works
Default Mode Hypoconnectivity Underlies a Sex-Related Autism Spectrum
Ypma, R. J. F., Moseley, R. L., Holt, R., Rughooputh, N., Floris, D. L., Chura, L. R., Spencer, M. D., Baron‐Cohen, S., Suckling, J., Bullmore, E. T., et al. (2016) · Biological Psychiatry Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging · doi:10.1016/j.bpsc.2016.04.006 · Cited by 82 · see citing works
Self-citationSocial neuroscience: undoing the schism between neurology and psychiatry
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Students’ Stereotypes of Autism
Wood, C., & Freeth, M. (2016) · Journal of Educational Issues · doi:10.5296/jei.v2i2.9975 · Cited by 83 · see citing works
Autism spectrum disorders: Toward a gendered embodiment model
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Basic functional trade-offs in cognition: An integrative framework
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Religious Cognition and Behaviour in Autism: The Role of Mentalizing
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Enhanced rationality in autism spectrum disorder
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Imagination in human social cognition, autism, and psychotic-affective conditions
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Sex Differences and Autism: Brain Function during Verbal Fluency and Mental Rotation
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Self-citationThe effects of reading material on social and non-social cognition
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Seeing More Than Human: Autism and Anthropomorphic Theory of Mind
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Coordinating bodies and minds: Behavioral synchrony fosters mentalizing
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Functions of Astrocytes under Normal Conditions and after a Brain Disease
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Testosterone, Cortisol and Empathy: Evidence for the Dual-Hormone Hypothesis
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The endocrinology of human caregiving and its intergenerational transmission
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- Authors
- Baron‐Cohen, S.
- Affiliations
- University of Cambridge (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Baron‐Cohen, Simon
- ORCID
- Baron‐Cohen, Simon
- Venue
- Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2009-03
- Volume
- 1156
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 68-80
- ISSN
- 0077-8923 (ISSN-L)
- 1749-6632
- OpenAlex
- W2028758511
- Cited by
- 830
- References
- 79
- Citations by year
- 2026: 43 · 2025: 53 · 2024: 58 · 2023: 48 · 2022: 41 · 2021: 73 · 2020: 42 · 2019: 76 · 2018: 65 · 2017: 51 · 2016: 55 · 2015: 43 · 2014: 51 · 2013: 37 · 2012: 37
- FWCI
- 2.26
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Nancy Lurie Marks Family Foundation
- Research Councils UK
- Medical Research Council
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Child and Animal Learning Development
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Action Observation and Synchronization
- Keywords
- autism spectrum disorder, empathizing-systemizing theory, social cognition, weak central coherence, executive dysfunction, extreme male brain theory, sex ratio bias, autism etiology, clinical application
- MeSH terms
- Autistic Disorder, Empathy, Humans, Models, Biological, Models, Theoretical, Psychological Tests
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