Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30420503›Full record

ArticleProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America2018

Testing the Empathizing-Systemizing theory of sex differences and the Extreme Male Brain theory of autism in half a million people.

David M Greenberg, Varun Warrier, Carrie Allison, Simon Baron-Cohen

Registry-linked trialAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07768332 (Exploring the Feasibility of Social Prescription in People on the Autism Spectrum), which is not on this map. Cited by 125 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
125citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT07768332 narecruitingnot on this mapstarted 2024, after this paper: background citation

Exploring the Feasibility of Social Prescription in People on the Autism Spectrum

TypeinterventionalSponsorNational Taiwan University HospitalRan2024 to 2027Enrolled90ConditionsAutism Spectrum Disorder (ASD, Autism, Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD)ArmsIndependent museum visit, Guided museum visits and group discussions, Museum visit with a friend
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

125 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Does the Extreme Male Brain Hypothesis of Autism Apply More to Females Than Males? A Systematic and Meta-Analytic Approach.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research · 2026
    Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Steroid hormone pathways, vitamin D and autism: a systematic review.Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996) · 2023
    Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Trial
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  11. Sex Differences in Psychopathology and Neurocognition in Community Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorder.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research · 2026
    Article
  12. Article
  13. Review
  14. Article
  15. Article
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  18. Observational
  19. Article
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65 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

David M GreenbergAutism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 8AH, United Kingdom dmg39@cam.ac.uk sb205@cam.ac.uk.
Varun WarrierAutism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 8AH, United Kingdom.
Carrie AllisonAutism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 8AH, United Kingdom.
Simon Baron-CohenAutism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 8AH, United Kingdom dmg39@cam.ac.uk sb205@cam.ac.uk.

Funding

Medical Research Council G0600977Wellcome Trust
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The Empathizing-Systemizing (E-S) theory of typical sex differences suggests that individuals may be classified based on empathy and systemizing. An extension of the E-S theory, the Extreme Male Brain (EMB) theory suggests that autistic people on average have a shift towards a more masculinized brain along the E-S dimensions. Both theories have been investigated in small sample sizes, limiting their generalizability. Here we leverage two large datasets (discovery

Indexed as

AdolescentAdultAutistic DisorderBrainEmpathyFemaleHumansMalePsychological TestsSex FactorsSystems TheoryYoung Adultautismbig dataempathysex differencessystemizing

Identifiers

PMID30420503
PMCPMC6275492

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.