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Language and sociability: insights from Williams syndrome
Inna Fishman1, Anna Yam, Ursula Bellugi
1Laboratory for Cognitive Neuroscience, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 10010 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA, 92037-1099, USA, ifishman@mail.usf.edu.
Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders
|June 15, 2011
Summary
Individuals with Williams syndrome (WS) show excessive sociability and language skills. This study found a link between brain language processing and social approachability in WS, suggesting language may drive their social behavior.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Genetics
Background:
- Williams syndrome (WS) is characterized by excessive sociability and relative language strengths despite intellectual disabilities.
- The link between language proficiency and the strong social drive in WS remains empirically unexamined.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between brain-based language processing and social approachability in individuals with WS.
- To compare this relationship in WS participants versus typical controls.
Main Methods:
- Assessed brain activity related to language processing.
- Measured face approachability judgments as a proxy for sociability.
- Included participants with WS and neurotypical controls.
Main Results:
- A significant association was found between language processing and face approachability in the WS group.
- This association was not observed in the control group.
Conclusions:
- Language processing in Williams syndrome may be uniquely linked to their heightened social drive.
- Findings support the hypothesis that language skills contribute to the characteristic sociability in WS.
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