The children's Empathy Quotient and Systemizing Quotient: sex differences in typical development and in autism spectrum conditions.
Children's versions of the Empathy Quotient (EQ-C) and Systemizing Quotient (SQ-C) were developed and administered to n = 1,256 parents of typically developing children, aged 4-11 years. Both measures showed good test-retest reliability and high internal consistency. As predicted, girls scored significantly higher on the EQ-C, and boys scored significantly higher on the SQ-C. A further sample of n = 265 children with Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) scored significantly lower on the EQ-C, and significantly higher on the SQ-C, compared to typical boys. Empathy and systemizing in children show similar patterns of sex differences to those observed in adults. Children with ASC tend towards a 'hyper-masculinized' profile, irrespective of sex.
Auyeung
Bonnie
B
Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Douglas House, Cambridge CB2 8AH, UK. ba251@cam.ac.uk
Wheelwright
Sally
S
Allison
Carrie
C
Atkinson
Matthew
M
Samarawickrema
Nelum
N
Baron-Cohen
Simon
S
D002648:Child; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011581:Psychological Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012737:Sex Factors