scholarly journals Comparison of Autistic Traits Between Iranian Students With Different Ethnic Backgrounds: A Cross-Cultural Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mojtaba Elhami Athar ◽  
Ali Ebrahimi ◽  
Sirvan Karimi ◽  
Roya Esmailzadeh ◽  
Esmaeil Mousavi Asl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Differences ◽  
Autistic Traits ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Autism Spectrum Conditions ◽  
Autism Spectrum Quotient ◽  
Medical Sciences ◽  
Cross Cultural Differences ◽  
Number Pattern ◽  
Iranian Students

Autistic traits (ATs) include symptoms associated with autism spectrum conditions (ASCs), which are assumed to be continuously distributed across the general population. Studies have indicated the cultural differences in the expression of ATs. Notwithstanding, our literature review indicated that studies on cross-cultural differences in the expression of ATs included samples from different countries. This is the first study designed to compare the expression of ATs between different ethnicities from the same country. Using the Autism-spectrum Quotient (AQ-28), we examined the possible cultural differences in the expression of autistic traits from four groups of students with different ethnic backgrounds, including Turkish (n = 262), Persian (n = 290), Kurdish (n = 300), and Luri (n = 307) students. Behaviors associated with autistic traits were reported overall higher for males than females. Also, significant cultural differences in autistic traits were found that were different for males and females. Furthermore, while the medical sciences student group scored significantly higher than the humanities group in the Imagination dimension, the humanities group had significantly higher scores in Number/Pattern dimensions than the engineering and medical sciences groups. Altogether, our results provide further support for the idea that the expression of ATs is significantly influenced by culture. A significant limitation of the current study was that groups were not matched with respect to age, percentage of male participants, and fields of studies and that these variables may influence the AQ scores.

scholarly journals Comparison of Autistic Traits between Iranian Students with Different Ethnical Background: A Cross-Cultural Study ​

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mojtaba Elhami Athar ◽  
Ali Ebrahimi ◽  
Sirvan Karimi ◽  
Roya Esmaeili ◽  
Esmaeil Mousavi Asl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Differences ◽  
Autistic Traits ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Autism Spectrum Conditions ◽  
Clinical Samples ◽  
Autism Spectrum Quotient ◽  
Medical Sciences ◽  
Student Sample ◽  
Number Pattern

Abstract Background: Autistic traits (ATs) include symptoms associated with autism spectrum conditions (ASCs), which are assumed to be continuously distributed across the general population. Studies had indicated the cultural differences in the expression ATs. To our knowledge, this is the first study designed to compare the expression of autistic traits between different ethnicities from the same country. Methods: Using the Autism-spectrum Quotient (AQ-28), we examined the possible cultural differences in the expression of autistic traits from four groups of students with different ethnicities backgrounds, including Turkish (n = 262), Persian (n = 290), Kurdish (n = 300), and Luri (n = 307) students. Results: Behaviors associated with autistic traits were reported overall higher for males than females. Also, significant cultural differences in autistic traits were found that were different for males and females. Furthermore, while the medical sciences student group scored significantly than the humanities group in the Imagination dimension, the humanities group had significantly high scores in Number/Pattern dimensions than the engineering and medical sciences groups. Limitations: First, other ethnicities (e.g., Arabs, Baloch) were not studied because of the lack of access. Second, for data gathering, we used only the self-report method. Third, our study included only a student sample but not the community and clinical samples from different ethnicities. Finally, our study sample included only students who are not representative of their entire ethnicity.Conclusions: Altogether, our results provide further support for the idea that the expression of ATs is significantly influenced by culture.

Empathic disequilibrium in two different measures of empathy predicts autistic traits in neurotypical population

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ido Shalev ◽  
Florina Uzefovsky
Keyword(s):  
Developmental Trajectories ◽  
Autistic Traits ◽  
Cognitive Empathy ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Reactivity Index ◽  
Autism Spectrum Conditions ◽  
Autism Spectrum Quotient ◽  
Empathy Score ◽  
Empathy Quotient ◽  
Social Difficulties

Background. Features of autism spectrum conditions (ASC) are normally distributed within the population, giving rise to the notion of the autistic spectrum. One of the hallmark features of ASC is difficulties in social communication, which relies heavily on our ability to empathize with others. Empathy comprises of both cognitive (CE) and emotional (EE) components that, together, allow us to understand another's emotions and be affected by them appropriately, while maintaining a self-other distinction. Although CE and EE depend on distinct neural and developmental trajectories, it was suggested that the two empathic capacities can influence, balance, and regulate each other. Previous findings regarding the role of emotional and cognitive empathy in ASC have been mixed. Therefore, our study aimed to investigate whether the intra-personal empathy imbalance between the cognitive and emotional components, a measure we termed empathic disequilibrium (ED), can be associated with autistic traits at the neurotypical range.Methods. Participants were 671 neurotypical young-adults who self-reported their empathy, assessed using two highly validated questionnaires - the Interpersonal Reactivity Index and the Empathy Quotient, autistic traits using the Autism spectrum quotient, and the related traits, alexithymia, and systemizing.Results. Controlling for the total empathy score, greater ED was found to be positively correlated with autistic traits. Specifically, autistic traits were found to be elevated in groups of individuals with relatively higher EE than CE, underscoring their imbalance.Conclusions. Our study offers a novel perspective on the understanding of the social difficulties associated with autistic tendencies in the general population, and has potentially important clinical implications for understanding of ASC. We also propose a novel characterization of ASC based on the imbalance between EE and CE, which we term ED, as opposed to examining EE and CE separately.

scholarly journals Exploring sex differences in autistic traits: A factor analytic study of adults with autism

Autism ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 760-768 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Grove ◽  
Rosa A Hoekstra ◽  
Marlies Wierda ◽  
Sander Begeer
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Factor Structure ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Autistic Traits ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Autism Spectrum Conditions ◽  
Autism Spectrum Quotient ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Autism Phenotype

Research has highlighted potential differences in the phenotypic and clinical presentation of autism spectrum conditions across sex. Furthermore, the measures utilised to evaluate autism spectrum conditions may be biased towards the male autism phenotype. It is important to determine whether these instruments measure the autism phenotype consistently in autistic men and women. This study evaluated the factor structure of the Autism Spectrum Quotient Short Form in a large sample of autistic adults. It also systematically explored specific sex differences at the item level, to determine whether the scale assesses the autism phenotype equivalently across males and females. Factor analyses were conducted among 265 males and 285 females. A two-factor structure consisting of a social behaviour and numbers and patterns factor was consistent across groups, indicating that the latent autism phenotype is similar among both autistic men and women. Subtle differences were observed on two social behaviour item thresholds of the Autism Spectrum Quotient Short Form, with women reporting scores more in line with the scores expected in autism on these items than men. However, these differences were not substantial. This study showed that the Autism Spectrum Quotient Short Form detects autistic traits equivalently in males and females and is not biased towards the male autism phenotype.

Cognitive gadgets: A provocative but flawed manifesto

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Del Giudice
Keyword(s):  
Theory Of Mind ◽  
Cultural Differences ◽  
Twin Studies ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Evolutionary Approach ◽  
Genetic Inheritance ◽  
Double Standards ◽  
Cross Cultural Differences ◽  
Cherry Picking ◽  
Dichotomous Thinking

Abstract The argument against innatism at the heart of Cognitive Gadgets is provocative but premature, and is vitiated by dichotomous thinking, interpretive double standards, and evidence cherry-picking. I illustrate my criticism by addressing the heritability of imitation and mindreading, the relevance of twin studies, and the meaning of cross-cultural differences in theory of mind development. Reaching an integrative understanding of genetic inheritance, plasticity, and learning is a formidable task that demands a more nuanced evolutionary approach.

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