Psychometric Properties of the Children's Empathy Quotient and Systemizing Quotient
Date Issued
2015
Date
2015
Author(s)
Huang, Hui-Yi
Abstract
The present study examined cross-cultural difference and similarity regarding predictions from the empathizing-systemizing theory (E-S theory) and the extreme male brain theory (EMB theory), using the Traditional Chinese version of the Child Empathy/Systemizing Quotient (E/SQ-C) on a Taiwan sample (TW) and the original English version on a United Kingdom sample (UK). The sample in study 1 consisted of two typically development groups (TD) from Taiwan and UK, used to create a revised, cross-culturally compatible E/SQ-C. We then conducted a psychometric study through item analysis, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The result showed that the best model of latent factor structure of the revised E/SQ-C was a six-factor model from a revised 32-item E/SQ-C. The six factors were affective empathy, cognitive empathy, disruptive behavior, collectible system, organizable system, and abstract system. This revised 32-item E/SQ-C achieved measurement invariance (MI) in terms of metric and scalar invariance across sex/gender and country. In study 2, we subsequently applied this revised E/SQ-C to examine whether predictions from the E-S theory and EMB theory are found across the TW and UK samples. The sample in study 2 was grouped into several groups by country, sex/gender and diagnoses (i.e., with or without an autism spectrum condition, ASC). The results showed that both of female groups in UK and Taiwan had higher scores on empathizing. The TD groups scored higher than ASC groups on both affective and cognitive empathy, but not on disruptive behavior. The proportions of ’cognitive brain types’ were not significant different between the TW and UK samples. Most participants with ASC were categorized in the type of systemizing (S) and extreme type S. More than half of the male participants without ASC were categorized in the type balance (B) and type S. More than half of the female participants without ASC were categorized in the type empathizing (E) and extreme type E. The results of brain type described above were consistent across countries. The results confirmed predictions from the E-S theory and EMB theory across UK and TW.
Subjects
empathizing-systemizing theory
extreme male brain theory
autism spectrum condition
measurement invariance
cross-cultural studies
Type
thesis
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