Skip to main content
Search
Search
    Quick Search anywhere
    Quick search in Citations
Advanced Search
Skip main navigationClose Drawer MenuOpen Drawer Menu
Previous article
Next article
Diagnostik

Dissoziation von kognitiver und affektiver Empathie bei Jugendlichen mit Autismus-Spektrum-Störungen

Published Online:June 25, 2010https://doi.org/10.1026/0942-5403/a000022

Abstract

Bei Autismus-Spektrum-Störungen (ASD) wird von einem generellen Defizit der Empathie ausgegangen. Der Multidimensionale Empathietest (MET) von Dziobek und Mitarbeitern (2008) bietet die Möglichkeit einer fotobasierten, naturalistischen, simultanen und dennoch getrennten Erfassung beider Empathiekomponenten. Die vorliegende Studie überprüft das Vorhandensein einer Dissoziation der beiden Empathiekomponenten bei Jugendlichen mit ASD und einer Gruppe gesunder, nach Alter und IQ parallelisierter Kontrollprobanden ab 12 Jahren anhand einer jugendgerechten Überarbeitung des MET (MET-J). Die Ergebnisse zeigten, dass Jugendliche mit ASD in ihrer kognitiven Empathiefähigkeit (Erkennen eines Gefühlszustands) eingeschränkt waren, sich hinsichtlich ihrer affektiven Empathiefähigkeit (angemessene emotionale Antwort eines Beobachters auf den affektiven Zustand eines Gegenübers) jedoch nicht von den Kontrollprobanden unterschieden. Auf der Grundlage der vorliegenden Untersuchung ist bei ASD nicht von einem globalen Empathiedefizit auszugehen.


Dissociation of cognitive and emotional empathy in adolescents with autism spectrum disorders

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have often been called empathy disorders. The Multifaceted Empathy Test (MET; Dziobek et al., 2008) is a new, photo-based measure to assess both components simultaneously. In the current study, we tested whether cognitive and emotional empathy can be dissociated in a group of adolescents with ASD between 12 and 15 years compared to an age- and IQ-matched control group using a modified and age-adapted version of the Multifaceted Empathy Test (MET-J). Results suggested that adolescents with ASD differed significantly from controls in cognitive empathy, but did not have impairments in their abilities of emotional empathy. Thus, the concept of ASD as a disorder of empathy awaits revision.

Literatur

  • Adolphs, R. (1999). Social cognition and the human brain. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 3, 469 – 479. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Baron-Cohen, S. , 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, 163 – 175. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Baron-Cohen, S. , Jolliffe, T. , Mortimore, C. , Robertson, M. (1997). Another advanced test of theory of mind: Evidence from very high functioning adults with autism or Asperger Syndrome. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 38, 813 – 822. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Berthoz, S. , Hill, E. L. (2005). The validity of using self-reports to assess emotion regulation abilities in adults with autism spectrum disorder. European Psychiatry, 20, 291 – 298. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Blair, R. J. (1999). Psychophysiological responsiveness to the distress of others in children with autism. Personality and Individual Differences, 26, 477 – 485. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Blair, R. J. (2005). Responding to the emotions of others: Dissociating form of empathy through the study of typical and psychiatric populations. Consciousness and Cognition, 14, 698 – 718. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Boddaert, N. , Chabane, N. , Gervais, H. , Good, C. D. , Bourgeois, M. , Plumet, M. H. , Barthélémy, C. , Mouren, M. C. , Artiges, E. , Samson, Y. , Brunelle, F. , Frackowiak, R. S. , Zilbovicius, M. (2004). Superior temporal sulcus anatomical abnormalities in childhood autism: A voxel-based morphometry MRI study. Neuroimage, 23, 364 – 369. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Bölte, S. , Poustka, F. (2006). Fragebogen zur Sozialen Kommunikation–Autismus Screening (FSK). Bern: Huber. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Bölte, S. , Rühl, D. , Schmötzer, G. , Poustka, F. (2006). Diagnostisches Interview für Autismus–Revidiert (ADI-R). Bern: Huber. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Bölte, S. , Feineis-Matthew, S. , Leber, S. , Dierks, T. , Hubl, D. , Poustka, F. (2002). The development and evaluation of a computer-based program to test and to teach the recognition of facial affect. International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 61, 61 – 68. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Castelli F., Frith C. , Happe, F. , Frith, U. (2002). Autism, Asperger syndrome and brain mechanisms for the attribution of mental states to animated shapes. Brain, 125, 1839 – 1849. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Corbett, B A. , Constantine, L. J. , Hendren, R. , Rocke, D. , Ozonoff, S. (2009). Examining executive functioning in children with autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and typical development. Psychiatry Research, 166, 210 – 222. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Davis, M. H. (1980). A multidimensional approach to individual differences in empathy. JSAS Catalog of Selected Documents in Psychology, 10, 85. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Davis, M. H. (1996). Empathy: A social psychological approach. Social Psychology Series. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Decety, J. , Jackson, P. L. (2004). The functional architecture of human empathy. Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience Reviews, 3, 71 – 100. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Dunn, L. M. , Dunn, L. M. (1997). Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test–Third Edition. American Guidance Service. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Dziobek, I. , Rogers, K. , Fleck, S. , Bahnemann, M. , Heekeren, H. R. , Wolf, O. T. , Convit, A. (2008). Dissociation of cognitive and emotional empathy in adults with Asperger syndrome using the Multifaceted Empathy Test (MET). Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 38, 464 – 473. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Eisenberg, N. , Morris, A. S. (2001) The origins and social significance of empathy-related responding. A review of empathy and moral development: Implications for caring and justice by M.L. Hoffman. Social Justice Research, 14, 95 – 120 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Giedd, J. N. , Blumenthal, J. , Jeffries, N. O. , Castellanos, F. X. , Liu, H. , Zijdenbos, A. , Paus, T. , Evans, A. C. , Rapoport, J. L. (1999). Brain development during childhood and adolescence: A longitudinal MRI study. Nature Neuroscience, 2, 861 – 863 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Golan, O. , Ashwin, E. , Granader, Y. , McClintock, S. , Day, K. , Leggett, V. , Baron-Cohen, S. (2010). Enhancing emotion recognition in children with autism spectrum conditions: An intervention using animated vehicles with real emotional faces. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 40, 269 – 279. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Golan, O. , Baron-Cohen, S. , Hill, J. (2006). The Cambridge Mindreading (CAM) Face-Voice Battery: Testing complex emotion recognition in adults with and without Asperger syndrom. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 36, 169 – 183. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Grelotti, D. J. , Gauthier I., Schultz , R. T., (2002). Social interest and the development of cortical face specialization: What autism teaches us about face processing. Developmental Psychobiology, 40, 213 – 225. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Hoffman, M. L. (2000). Empathy and moral development: Implications for caring and justice. New York: Cambridge University Press. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Happé, F. (1994). An advanced test of theory of mind: Understanding of story characters‘ thoughts and feelings by able autistic, mentally handicapped, and normal children and adults. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 24, 129 – 154. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Happé, F. (2003). Theory of mind and the self. Annals of the New York Academy of Science, 1001, 134 – 144. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Hepburn, S. L. , Stone, W. L. (2006). Brief report: Using Carey Temperament Scales to assess behavioral style in children with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 36, 637 – 642. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Kanner, L. (1943). Autistic disturbances of affective contact. Nervous Child, 2, 217 – 250. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Klin, A. (2000). Attributing Social Meaning to Ambiguous Visual Stimuli in High-functioning Autism and Asperger-Syndrome: The Social Attribution Task. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 41, 831 – 846. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Konstantareas, M. M. , Stewart, K. (2006). Affect regulation and temperament in children with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 36, 143 – 154. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Lang, P. J. , Bradley, M. M. , Cuthbert, B. N. (1999). International Affective Picture System (IAPS): Technical manual and affective ratings. Gainsville, FL: University of Florida. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Leslie, A. M. (1987). Pretense and representation: The origins of theory of mind. Psychological Review, 94, 412 – 426. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Mehrabian, A. , Epstein, N. (1972). A measure of emotional empathy. Journal of Personality, 40, 525 – 543. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Minshew, N. J. , Meyer, J. , Goldstein, G. (2002). Abstract reasoning in autism: A dissociation between concept formation and concept identification. Neuropsychology, 16, 327 – 334. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Poustka, F. , Bölte, S. , Feineis-Matthews, S. , Schmötzer, G. (2004). Autistische Störungen. Göttingen: Hogrefe. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Poustka, L. (2006). Der Empathie-Quotient für Kinder und Jugendliche. Modifizierte, deutsche Fassung des EQ nach Baron-Cohen & Wheelwright (2004). Mannheim: Unveröffentlichtes Manuskript. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Redcay, E. (2008). The superior temporal sulcus performs a common function for social and speech perception: Implications for the emergence of autism. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 32, 123 – 42. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Rogers, K. , Dziobek, I. , Hassenstab, J. , Wolf, O. T. , Convit, A. (2007). Who cares? Revisiting empathy in Asperger syndrome. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 37, 709 – 715. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Rogers, S. J. , Pennington, B. F. (1991). A theoretical approach to the deficits in infantile autism. Developmental Psychopathology, 3, 137 – 162. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Rühl, D. , Bölte, S. , Feineis-Matthews, S. , Poustka, F. (2004). Diagnostische Beobachtungsskala für Autistische Störungen (ADOS). Bern: Huber. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Singer, T. (2006). The neuronal basis and ontogeny of empathy and mind reading: Review of literature and implications for future research. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 30, 855 – 863. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Simonoff, E. , Pickles, A. , Charman, T. , Chandler, S. , Loucas, T. , Baird, G. (2008). Psychiatric disorders in children with autism spectrum disorders: Prevalence, comorbidity and associated factors in a population-derived sample. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 47, 921 – 929. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Weiß, R. (2006). Grundintelligenztest (CFT 20-R). Göttingen: Hogrefe. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Wieczerkowski, W. , Nickel, H. , Janowski, A. , Fittkau, B. , Rauer, W. (1981). Angstfragebogen für Schüler (AFS) (6. Aufl.). Braunschweig: Westermann. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Wundt, W. (1874). Grundriss der Psychologie. Leipzig: Engelmann. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar