兒童同理心與系統化量表心理計量學研究

Abstract

本研究以來自台灣與英國的不同性別以及有無自閉症臨床診斷的國中、小學學齡兒童樣本，針對台灣繁體中文版與原始英文版的兒童同理心與系統化心理機制量表(E/SQ-C)的心理計量特性進行檢驗，並探討同理心與系統化理論與極端男性化大腦理論，在不同語言文化中的表現是否具共同性及相異之處。研究一包含台、英兩國典型發展組受試者，藉以建立一個適用於兩國文化的E/SQ-C修訂版。研究者同時檢驗中文及英文版E/SQ-C量表心理計量表現，透過一連串的項目分析、探索性因素分析，並以四種不同的競爭模型進行驗證性因素分析，結果確立E/SQ-C的潛在因素結構最佳模型為6因素32題，6個因素為情感同理、認知同理、破壞性行為、收藏系統、組織系統與抽象系統。32題修訂版E/SQ-C量表的性別與跨文化樣本間測量恆等性檢驗結果顯示其具因素構造恆等性與量尺恆等性。研究二以32題修訂版E/SQ-C，於台灣及英國全體樣本檢驗同理心與系統化理論與極端男性化大腦理論，研究二將受試者以國家、性別、以及自閉症診斷有無進行分組。結果顯示兩國女生的同理心總分都較高於男生。兩國的典型發展組在情感同理與認知同理得分高於自閉症組，但在破壞性行為的分數不同診斷組間差異較小。兩國樣本所屬之認知傾向類型比例分組無顯著差異，自閉症組多屬於偏系統與極端系統化類型，半數以上的典型發展組男生落在平衡類型與偏系統化類型，大部份的典型發展組女生則屬於偏同理與極端同理心類型，以上兩國樣本認知傾向類型結果一致支持同理心與系統化理論與極端男性化大腦理論。

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.