
Empirical Failures of the Claim that Autistic People Lack a Theory of Mind
Gernsbacher and Yergeau (2019)
This article challenges the idea that autistic people lack a theory of mind—the ability to understand others' thoughts and feelings. It shows that research doesn't consistently support this claim, many studies have failed to replicate, and the tasks used to measure theory of mind don’t reliably relate to real-life traits or social behavior. The authors argue that this stereotype is not only scientifically weak but also harmful to autistic people.
Empirical Failures of the Claim that Autistic People Lack a Theory of Mind
Gernsbacher and Yergeau (2019)
This article challenges the idea that autistic people lack a theory of mind—the ability to understand others' thoughts and feelings. It shows that research doesn't consistently support this claim, many studies have failed to replicate, and the tasks used to measure theory of mind don’t reliably relate to real-life traits or social behavior. The authors argue that this stereotype is not only scientifically weak but also harmful to autistic people.