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Alexithymic But Not Autistic Traits Impair Prosocial Behavior
Alexander Lischke1,2, Harald J Freyberger3, Hans J Grabe3
1Department of Psychology, Medical School Hamburg, Am Kaiserkai 1, 20457, Hamburg, Germany. alexander.lischke@medicalschool-hamburg.de.
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
|June 29, 2021
Summary
Alexithymia, not autism traits, impairs prosocial behavior. This study in healthy individuals suggests alexithymia is key to understanding social functioning differences across the autism spectrum.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Social Science
Background:
- Social impairments are a core feature of autism-spectrum disorders (ASD), but their severity varies significantly.
- This variability in social functioning within the autism spectrum has been linked to the presence or absence of alexithymia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the distinct effects of alexithymic and autistic traits on social functioning.
- To explore the relationship between these traits and prosocial behavior in a general population sample.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a population-based approach by examining broadly distributed alexithymic and autistic traits in healthy individuals.
- Assessed social functioning using a resource-allocation task.
Main Results:
- Healthy individuals exhibited social functioning impairments on the resource-allocation task.
- These impairments were specifically associated with alexithymic traits, not autistic traits.
Conclusions:
- Alexithymic traits, rather than autistic traits, appear to be the primary driver of impaired prosocial behavior.
- Findings suggest alexithymia plays a crucial role in social functioning deficits observed across the autism spectrum.
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