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Conscious and Non-conscious Representations of Emotional Faces in Asperger's Syndrome

Conscious and Non-conscious Representations of Emotional Faces in Asperger's Syndrome

Published on: July 31, 2016

Face composite effects reveal abnormal face processing in Autism spectrum disorders.

Isabel Gauthier¹, Cheryl Klaiman, Robert T Schultz

¹Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37203, United States. isabel.gauthier@vanderbilt.edu

Vision Research

|January 13, 2009

Summary

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) show comparable interference from irrelevant facial parts, unlike controls. This suggests that perceptual or attentional differences in ASD may lead to less holistic face processing.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Developmental Psychology
Cognitive Science

Background:

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is often associated with atypical face processing.
Previous studies suggest individuals with ASD may process faces less holistically than neurotypical individuals.
Prior research using the composite paradigm indicated reduced holistic processing in adolescents with ASD.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate face processing in adolescents with ASD using a refined composite paradigm.
To differentiate between part-based and holistic processing in individuals with ASD.
To explore the impact of perceptual and attentional abnormalities on face expertise in ASD.

Main Methods:

A more complete version of the composite paradigm was employed.
Adolescents with ASD were compared to age-, sex-, and IQ-matched controls.
Participants were assessed on their sensitivity to misalignment of facial parts while ignoring irrelevant features.

Main Results:

Individuals with ASD, similar to controls, experienced interference from ignored facial features.
Unlike controls, whose interference decreased with misaligned parts, ASD individuals showed consistent interference regardless of alignment.
This indicates a potential difference in how irrelevant facial information impacts processing in ASD.

Conclusions:

Individuals with ASD may not benefit from feature misalignment to the same extent as controls in reducing interference.
Findings support the hypothesis that perceptual and/or attentional abnormalities in ASD contribute to diminished face expertise.
Further research is needed to fully understand the mechanisms underlying face processing differences in ASD.