Simon Baron-Cohen

Simon Baron-Cohen is a British clinical psychologist and professor of developmental psychopathology at the University of Cambridge. He is best known for his work on autism, including his early theory that autism involves degrees of mindblindness (or delays in the development of theory of mind), and his later theory that autism is an extreme form of the male brain, which involved a reinterpretation of psychological sex differences in terms of empathizing–systemizing theory.

Early life and education

Baron-Cohen was born in London, England, into a Jewish family. He completed his BSc in Human Sciences at New College, Oxford, and his PhD in Psychology at the University College London.

Career

Baron-Cohen's career has focused on the study of autism. He has developed several theories that aim to explain specific aspects of autism. His mindblindness theory proposes that children with autism have specific difficulties understanding others' mental states. His empathizing–systemizing theory suggests that people with autism have a high capacity for systemizing but a low capacity for empathizing, which he argues is a characteristic of the male brain.

Research

Baron-Cohen's research has been influential in the field of autism. He has published numerous articles and books on the subject, and his work has been cited thousands of times. His research has also been controversial, with some critics arguing that his theories oversimplify the complexities of autism and gender.

Personal life

Baron-Cohen is married and has three children. He is the cousin of actor and comedian Sacha Baron Cohen.

See also

• Autism
• Psychology
• Empathizing–systemizing theory
• Theory of mind