Simon Baron-Cohen || How Autism Drives Human Invention

<p><strong>Today it’s great to chat with Simon Baron-Cohen. Simon is professor of psychology and psychiatry and director of the Autism Research Centre at Cambridge University. He is the author of six hundred scientific articles and four books, including </strong><em><strong>The Science of Evil </strong></em><strong>and </strong><em><strong>The Essential Difference</strong></em><strong>.</strong></p> <p><strong>[2:47] Simon’s evolution of thought on autism</strong></p> <p><strong>[5:19] How the social realm of autism has evolved</strong></p> <p><strong>[8:12] The difference between autism and psychopathy</strong></p> <p><strong>[10:26] The role of affective vs cognitive empathy</strong></p> <p><strong>[12:37] How to navigate autism amidst cancel culture</strong></p> <p><strong>[14:18] Having autistic traits vs being on the autism spectrum</strong></p> <p><strong>[17:52] How autism drives human invention</strong></p> <p><strong>[22:11] The “systemizing mechanism” of the brain</strong></p> <p><strong>[24:03] The role of “if-and-then patterns” in autistic individuals</strong></p> <p><strong>[26:41] Simon’s thoughts on language acquisition</strong></p> <p><strong>[27:48] “The empathy circuit”</strong></p> <p><strong>[37:28] The role of creativity in autism</strong></p> <p><strong>[41:19] The Brain Types Study</strong></p> <p><strong>[42:43] The biological basis of creativity and autism</strong></p> <p><strong>[45:24] Why monkeys don’t skateboard</strong></p> <p><strong>[48:12] Why language isn’t a necessary precursor to invention</strong></p> <p><strong>[55:12] How Scott measured implicit learning and pattern-seeking</strong></p> <p><strong>[59:28] Why Simon’s work has sparked some pushback</strong></p> <p><strong>[1:01:04] How to support autistic people</strong></p> <p><strong>[1:05:45] How we can nurture the inventors of the future</strong></p> <p><strong>[1:07:18] Sex differences in autism</strong></p> --- Support this podcast: <a href="https://anchor.fm/the-psychology-podcast/support" rel="payment">https://anch