Empathy Quotient

What it measures

Measures empathising ability in adults, originally developed in the context of autism spectrum conditions research. The EQ is particularly sensitive for detecting reduced empathy in ASD and related conditions while also capturing normal variation in the general population. Complementary to the Systemising Quotient (SQ).

Representative items

• I can easily tell if someone else wants to enter a conversation.
• I find it easy to put myself in somebody else's shoes.
• I find it difficult to judge if something is rude or polite. (R)
• I find it hard to know what to do in a social situation. (R)
• I can tune in to how someone else feels rapidly and intuitively.

Citation

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(2), 163–175.