Self-referential memory in autism spectrum disorder and typical development: Exploring the ownership effect.

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Background:

• Owned objects are often processed as extensions of the self.
• The 'ownership effect' demonstrates that self-owned items are better remembered than others, linked to the self-reference effect.
• Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with atypical self-concept development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether individuals with ASD exhibit the ownership effect.
• To explore the relationship between self-concept and memory for owned objects in ASD.
• To replicate and extend previous findings on the ownership effect.

Main Methods:

• Two experiments were conducted involving neurotypical adults and adults with ASD.
• Participants completed a card sorting task involving self- and other-owned items.
• Recall of owned items was assessed in both groups.

Main Results:

• Neurotypical adults showed the ownership effect, remembering self-owned cards better than other-owned cards (Experiment 1).
• Adults with ASD did not demonstrate the ownership effect, recalling self- and other-owned items equally well (Experiment 2).

Conclusions:

• The findings suggest that an atypical self-concept in ASD may alter the ownership effect.
• This research provides insights into the self-concept in ASD and its influence on cognitive processing of owned objects.
• The study highlights the link between self-perception and memory for personal possessions.