Reviews of Current Research

< Back to Reviews of Current Research

Baron-Cohen, S. and Wheelwright, S. (2004). The empathy quotient: An investigation of adults with Asperger syndrome or high functioning autism, and normal sex differences. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 34 (2): 163-75.

The authors present the Empathy Quotient (EQ), their paper-and-pencil, self-scoring test for measuring empathy. It consists of sixty multiple-choice questions, all of which have possible answers of “strongly agree,” “slightly agree,” “slightly disagree,” and “strongly disagree.” They have tested it out in two main studies, the first of which compares results on the EQ among high-functioning people on the Autistic spectrum with those in a neurotypical control group, and the second of which compares the scores of men and women who have not been diagnosed with any Autism-related condition.

Those on the Autistic spectrum scored substantially lower than their neurotypical counterparts (20.4 vs. 42.1, out of a highest possible score of 80) and neurotypical women scored slightly but significantly higher than neurotypical men (47.2 vs.41.8). This goes along with prior research and theory suggesting that Asperger syndrome is a condition affecting “theory of mind,” or the ability to predict and understand what others are thinking, and that women tend to have more empathy than men. Most interesting, perhaps, is that even among the neurotypical control group, the average score was just barely over fifty percent.

This article is most relevant for someone looking to expand their knowledge of Asperger syndrome and high-functioning autism. The instrument seems to have been quite meticulously tested, and clearly much effort has gone into confirming its reliability and eliminating many potential biases in the methodology. Of course, there are inherent limits to a multiple-choice test with only four possible answers for each question, and the EQ is not a substitute for clinical assessment. There is also no immediate application for this research, because the test itself is not meant to tell anyone, on or off the Autistic spectrum, how they can increase their empathy and/or learn to better cope in the world with their current level of empathy. Nor can the test be used alone as a diagnostic criteria for Asperger syndrome – the authors themselves caution that lack of empathy in and of itself can stem from any number of psychiatric, neurological, and/or psychological factors. But this instrument certainly has the potential to generate much new insight about Asperger syndrome and high-functioning autism.

- John Cavanagh

< Back to Reviews of Current Research