Gender and autistic personality traits predict perspective-taking ability in typical adults

Brunyé, T.T., Ditman, T., Giles, G.E., Mahoney, C.R., Kessler, K. and Taylor, H.A. (2012) Gender and autistic personality traits predict perspective-taking ability in typical adults. Personality and Individual Differences, 52(1), pp. 84-88. (doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2011.09.004)

Abstract

Adopting another's visual perspective is exceedingly common and may underlie successful social interaction and empathizing with others. The individual differences responsible for success in perspective-taking, however, remain relatively undiscovered. We assessed whether gender and autistic personality traits in normal college student adults predict the ability to adopt another's visual perspective. In a task differentially recruiting VPT-1 which involves following another's line of sight, and VPT-2 which involves determining how another may perceive an object differently given their unique perspective (VPT-2), we found effects of both gender and autistic personality traits. Specifically, we demonstrate slowed VPT-2 but not VPT-1 performance in males and females with relatively high ASD-characteristic personality traits; this effect, however was markedly stronger in males than females. Results contribute to knowledge regarding ASD-related personality traits in the general population and the individual differences modulating perspective-taking abilities.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Kessler, Dr Klaus
• Authors: Brunyé, T.T., Ditman, T., Giles, G.E., Mahoney, C.R., Kessler, K., and Taylor, H.A.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Psychology & Neuroscience
• Journal Name: Personality and Individual Differences
• ISSN: 0191-8869
• Published Online: 04 October 2011