He described two brain “types”: an empathizing, female brain (which, on average, more women would have) and a systemizing, male brain (which, on average, more men would have). In 2002, Simon Baron-Cohen expanded on his mindblindness theory by weaving in another concept: empathy. In addition, he is Director of the nearby Autism Research Centre. *Simon Baron-Cohen is a Professor of Developmental Psychopathology at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow at Trinity College, also in Cambridge. To lack this ability, to be blind to others’ intentions or beliefs, is to be at a terrible disadvantage. Is the person approaching with that bat going to ask me to play ball or smash my skull in with it? Instant judgments must be made, and action taken. The ability to discern whether another human is friend or foe is necessary to survival. This is essential for beings who are not only social creatures, but who have the potential to be each other’s predators. They are not psychic they are simply wired from birth to quickly acquire the ability to make a good guess at what others are thinking or planning. Typical humans “mind read” easily and naturally. They become “blind” to others’ mental states. Already hampered by the inability to achieve joint attention with others, they become unable to build on that fundamental step to intuit what others are thinking, perceiving, intending, or believing. In his 1995 book, "Mindblindness: An Essay on Autism and Theory of Mind," 1 Simon Baron-Cohen* explored what has become one of the central theoretical concepts of autism: theory of mind.īaron-Cohen proposed that children with autism suffer from mindblindness.
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