3.2 Baron Cohen et al (Eyes test)

Question 1

Psychology being investigated

Answer 1

theory of mind in people with ASD
social sensitivity
empathy

two stages- determining the mental state, determining the reason/ content of the mental state

Question 2

What is the theory of mind?

Answer 2

Cognitive ability that enables one person to comprehend that other people have separate feelings, beliefs, knowledge and desires that can be different from their own. It enables one person to detect the emotional state of another person.

two stages- determining the mental state, determining the reason/ content of the mental state

Question 3

What is the reading the mind in the eyes test?

Answer 3

Used to test for the cognitive ability of the theory of mind
the revised version has one target word and 3 foils
tests for the ability to identify emotional states

Question 4

Problems with the original Reading the Mind in the Eyes test

Answer 4

1. Only two options to choose from (always in opposite meaning)
2. Only 25 sets of eyes (high ceiling effect)
3. Basic and complex emotions showed in the eyes (Basic ones were too easy)
4. Emotions could be solved by checking the direction of the eye
5. Imbalance of male and female faces
6. Participants might not have understood the words in the task

Question 5

Solutions in the revised Reading the Mind in the Eyes test

Answer 5

1. 4 options which were not opposites
2. 36 sets of eyes
3. Only complex emotions included
4. Sets of eyes where the emotion could be detected by seeing the direction of the eye were not included
5. Equal number of male and female faces
6. Glossary given

Question 6

What is the ceiling effect?

Answer 6

occurs when a test is too easy and all participants in a condition achieve a very high score. Does not allow researchers to differentiate between results

Question 7

What are complex emotions?

Answer 7

require an understanding of someone else’s cognitive state, that is the attribution of a belief or intention to the person. They are therefore harder to identify.

Question 8

Aim

Answer 8

To test whether there was an association between performance on the revised eyes test and measures of traits of ASD

To investigate if there were sex differences on RET in those without ASD on this task

Question 9

Hypothesis of this study

Answer 9

1. Participants with ASD will score significantly lower scores in the RET than the control group.
2. Participants with ASD will score significantly higher on the AQ measure than the control group.
3. Females in the ‘normal’ group (grp 2 & 3) will score higher on the RET than males in those groups.
4. Males in the ‘normal’ group (grp.3) will score higher on the AQ measure than females.
5. Scores on the AQ and RET will be negatively correlated.

Question 10

What is the Autism Quotient Spectrum Test (AQ)?

Answer 10

self-report questionnaire with scores ranging from 0 to 50. A high score suggests that the person has more autistic traits.

Question 11

Research Method And Design

Answer 11

Laboratory experiment
(experiments and correlations were both used as research methods)
quasi-experiment (participants were assigned to a condition, not randomly assigned)
Independent measures design

Question 12

IV, DV, and Co-variable

Answer 12

IV-
the group the participant was in
the sex

DV-
scores on RET and AQ

Co-variable-
AQ score and RET score
looked for a correlation between IQ and RET scores as well

Question 13

Sample and sampling technique
Describe the 4 groups- mention the number of people, average age and IQ

Answer 13

G1- AS/ HFA
15 people
age- 29.7 IQ- 115
diagnosed using the DSM or ICD criteria
all males
volunteer sample through advertisement in the Autistic Society magazine
Socio-economic status and education matched group 2

G2- Adult comparison group
122 people
age- 46.5
Opportunity sample- selected from adult community and education classes in Exeter (UK) and public library users in Cambridge (UK)

G3- Student comparison group
103 people
age- 20.8
University of Cambridge (UK)

G4- IQ matched group
14 people
age- 28 IQ-116
IQ matched with G1
randomly selected from the general population

Question 14

Procedure for how the original RET was revised.
How new images and words were selected

Answer 14

One target word and three foils were generated using groups of eight judges.

At least 5 judges had to agree that the target word was appropriate
If more than two judges selected a foil word instead of a target word, a new target word, new foils or both were generated

Item retested until it met its criteria

Question 15

Procedure when conducting the test

Answer 15

each participant read through the glossary
shown a practice item followed by sets of eyes
each set of eyes had one target word and three foils, four possibilities

quiet room in Exeter or Cambridge

Question 16

Results

Answer 16

pg.79 Hodder

Question 17

Methodological strengths

Answer 17

standardised: quiet room, all participants read through the glossary, black and white images - control over confounding variables, reliability, internal validity

quantitative data from the MCQ- objective

Question 18

Methodological weaknesses

Answer 18

quasi-experiment design- participant variables between groups, all from volunteer sample in G1 reduce the validity

low ecological validity and mundane realism

small sample with only males- low generalizability

only tests the first stage of the theory of mind

Question 19

Ethical issues

Answer 19

All participants gave their informed consent
Data kept confidential
participants in the HFA/AS group may feel distressed or embarrassed when not able to understand the emotions

Question 20

Real-life application

Answer 20

RET can help aid initial diagnosis for ASD

used in clinical groups, after brain damage to check if there is impairment in social intelligence

in schools to determine social intelligence, a low score on RET means that student will need extra lessons to help improve their theory of mind skills

develop a program to help teach individuals with ASD to help them develop skills for interpreting emotions