Baren Cohen et al Flashcards
Background
To perform the eyes test a second time while fixing the weaknesses that arose from the old time- they created a new revised eyes test.
Autism spectrum disorder
Difficulty in social, communicative and imaginative areas.
Also repetitive and physical behaviours
Autism Spectrum Quotient Test
a self- report questionnaire with scores ranging from 0 to 50. A high score means the person has more autistic traits
Social cognition
the ability to understand the interrelations in the environment
Characteristics of autism in children (3)
- difficulty with social interaction
- difficulty with verbal and non-verbal communication
- lack of imaginative play
Random characteristics of autism (4)
- little/ no eye contact
- lack theory of mind
- problems identifying facial expressions
- lack of social skills
What is a psychometric test?
A pencil and paper test that measures psychological aspects that are individual such as IQ
First stage of the theory of mind
assigning an appropriate mental state to another
Second stage of the theory of mind
to infer the content of the mental state
IV
the revised eyes test
What is the revised eyes test?
test with photos presented to the participants showing various emotions to calculate the tester’s autistic traits
IV operationalised by
specific details of the test
DV
the participants’ scores on the revised eyes test
Aim 1( test a group with autism…)
To test a group of adults with autism on the RET
Aim 2 (relationship…)
To test if there’s an inverse relationship between RET and the autism spectrum quotient
Aim 3 (gender)
To test if females scored better on the RET than males
Where did the study take place
Exter and Cambridge
How was ‘reading the mind in the eyes’ proved to be testable
by testing whether the general population can judge mental state from minimal cues such as expressions around the eyes.
Why was the first eyes test not very valid
because it did not differentiate between people who had autism and people who did not
Problem with eyes test 1 (forced choice)
only had two response options meaning there were a narrow range of correct responses.
How was forced choice problem solved?
Forced choice remained but there were four options instead of two
Problem with eyes test 2 (basic and complex)
The basic options were too easy to identify
How was basic and complex options solved
only the complex options were used
Problem with eyes test 3 (sem..)
The two options are semantic opposites which made chosing between them too easy
How to solve semantic opposites probelms
Semantic opposites were removed and foil choices were included which were more similar to the answers.
Problem with eyes test 4 (unders..)
There were comprehension problems with the options
How to solve understanding problems
A glossary was given
What are ceiling effects
too many scores at the top end of the mark range making it difficult to differentiate between people who have autism and people who don’t
How was the ceiling effects problem solved?
They added more options from 25 to 36
Which stages do the RET test?
The first stage only
Controls (3)
- all subjects given the same RET
- tested individually in a quiet room
- normal adults had to do the gender recognition test
Group 1 details (3)
- 15 males
- diagnosed with APA and WHO with autism
- scored normal on WAIS-R intelligence test
Group 2 details (3)
- 122 normal adults
- Drawn from Exeter and Cambridge
- Broad range of occupations
Group 3 details (3)
- 103, almost equal gender, adults
- studying for undergrad in Cambridge
- Got 3 As in A levels
Group 4 details (3)
- 14 adults
- randomly selected
- IQ matched with group 1
Group 1 sample recruited how (4)
- via ads
- via the National autistic society magazine
- all diagnosed in special centres
- all given the WAIS-R
Group 1 sample
volunteer sample
Group 2 sample
Opportunity sample
Group 3 sample
Opportunity
Group 4 sample
Random, IQ matched
matched pairs design
Experimental design
Independant for all except group 4- matched
Why were normal adults not tested on gender recognition?
Because the normal adults were found to be on the ceiling in the pilot test so it was not repeated to save time
Why was group 1 tested on gender recognition?
Given anticipated impairments on mental state recognition
Why was the test modified
To render the test as a more sensitive test for adult social intelligence
Describe the procedure used to select target words and foils (4)
- piloted on eight judges
- at least five from the eight had to agree that the target word was the most suitable
- no more than two judges had to pick a single foil
- items that failed had new target words generated then was repiloted to the judges
Prediction 1 and result (group 1 score and RET)
Group 1 will score lower on the RET
Mean eyes test score was significantly lower than all the other groups, was the lowest at 2.19
Prediction 2 and result (group 1 score and AQ)
Group 1 will score higher in the AQ
Group 1 scored significantly higher, with a mean of 34.4, than groups 3 and 4.
Prediction 3 and result (gender and RET)
Females in the normal groups (2 and 3) would score higher than males on the RET
When sex differences were examined, females scored significantly higher
Prediction 4 and result (gender and AQ)
Males in the normal group (3) would score higher than females in the AQ
When sex differences were examined on the AQ, males (19.5) scored higher than females (16.6)
Conclusions (2)
- the RET overcame the problems of the original version making it a valid test of social intelligence in adults
- People with autism have difficulties with Theory of Mind as they cannot see the perspectives of other people
Prediction 5 and result (AQ and RET)
Scores on the AQ and RET would be inversely correlated
there was a significant inverse correlation between the AQ and RET.
How was the study useful
the study helped to develop a tool to identify whether a person has autism
Valid? Yes
Modifications on the eyes test ensured that the results were valid with significant differences between the groups.
Plus the same test was used in all groups so the results can be compared on the same scale
Explain the problem of having a narrow range of scores
This caused ceiling effects which were bad because it’s difficult to detect individual differences
Why were basic options removed
Because they can be recognised purely as emotions without the need to attribute it to a person. Furthermore, they are recognised even by very young normally developing children
What does removing basic options do
Make it easier to obtain a greater range of performance in a random sample of adults
Why was gaze direction removed
Because it would be too easy a clue for someone with subtle mind-reading difficulty
How was the study applicable
The AS/HFA group scored significantly lower on the Eyes test indicating that they lack a Theory of Mind,
educators can help out these students by giving them extra support (e.g. Through extra classes) to help them improve their Theory of Mind skills in a safe environment
Describe the theory of Mind (4)
- refers to our ability to attribute mental states to ourselves and others
- these can be emotions, desires…
- it is also how we use this knowledge to explain predict the actions of others
- we use this knowledge to understand that people may have different ideas and hold different emotions to us.
Why the test may not accurately measure attribution of mental state? (2)
- the pictures were of static eyes.
- When we are attributing mental states, we see moving eyes/ facial expression
How was the RET useful?
It is a useful test with which to identify subtle impairments in social intelligence in otherwise normally intelligent adults.
It also distinguishes very high functioning adults with autism from controls
Which results validates the RET as a test for impairments in social intelligence?
Group 1 performed worse on the RET
Real word application
Educators can help out students who score low on the RET by giving them extra support (e.g. through extra classes) to improve their theory of mind skills in a safe environment
Validity (evaluation point)
P- The study may lack validity due to the nature of the RET.
E- Getting people to judge emotion purely based on eyes only does not reflect on how humans process emotions in everyday settings. People process the entire face plus other non-verbal cues to understand the emotions of another person.
