Baron-Cohen

Question 1

Advantage of lab experiment

Answer 1

Ability to identify cause and effect ie..

Use of control therefore ease of replicability

Question 2

Disadvantage of lab experiment

Answer 2

Artificial environment, demand characteristics influence results

Question 3

Sample

Answer 3

16 Autistic adults 
   High functioning
   12 with Aspergers
    13M 3F
50 normal adults
   Matched by age with Autistic group
   25,25
   Cambridge 
10 adults with Tourette's syndrome
   Matched by age with autistic group
   8 M, 2 F
   Clinical sample

ALL normal intelligence range.

Question 4

Sample recruited

Answer 4

Advert in National Autistic Society
Clinical Tourette’s syndrome sample from a centre in London
Normal = general population of Cambridge

Question 5

Aim

Answer 5

To provide support for a cognitive explanation of autism, specifically that autistic adults lack theory of mind skills. Eg. Predict thoughts or behaviours of another person.

Question 6

Sample type

Answer 6

Volunteer (article)

Question 7

Research method

Answer 7

Independent measured design

Question 8

Research design

Answer 8

Quasi-experiment

Question 9

IV

Answer 9

Natural

Normal adult, Tourette’s syndrome, autistic adult

Question 10

DV

Answer 10

Eyes task

Question 11

4 tasks

Answer 11

Eyes
Strange stories
Control task 1: gender recognition
Control task 2: basic emotion

Question 12

Quantitative data

Answer 12

Eyes task obtained score

Question 13

Controls

Answer 13

• age matched
• all normal IQ
• random presentation of 4 tasks
• control tasks used to assess gender and basic emotion recognition
• eyes task pre tested using people blind to aim/hypothesis
• pic shown for 3 seconds

Question 14

Results eyes task

Answer 14

1:
Autistic 16.3
Normal 20.3
Tourette's 20.4
/25
2:
In normal group, females performed better than males
Males 18.8
Females 21.8

Question 15

Results strange stories

Answer 15

TS no errors

A some some errors and impaired relative to controls

Question 16

Results control tasks

Answer 16

No difference between groups on controls task

Question 17

Conclusion

Answer 17

High functioning autistic adults impaired on theory of mind test, despite having normal IQ. Evidence of mind reading deficits.

Females significantly better than males on this ToM test.

Significance of results p=

Question 18

Changes

Answer 18

Film of face (whole face indicating chosen emotion rather than just photo)
Experiment in lab (rather than varying location)
Sample (proportionate number and range of autistic adults on spectrum)

Question 19

Strange stories

Answer 19

Advanced theory of mind test. If difficulties with eyes then difficulties with this.
Happe strange stories.

Comprises contextually embedded and realistic theory of mind tasks. Included simple accounts of events related to various motivations underlying everyday utterances that are not literally meant eg. Joke, lie, sarcasm.

Question 20

Eyes task

Answer 20

25 B&W photos 
3 seconds
Magazine photos, eye region.
Same size
Male and female
Forced choice between two mental states TARGET & FOIL - printed underneath
Tested individually

Question 21

Emotion and direct opposite

Answer 21

4 judges generated target words
Photos shown to 8 adults who did not know answer
100% agreement, therefore good validity.

Question 22

Target / Foil

Answer 22

Relaxed/worried

Calm/anxious

Friendly/hostile

Question 23

Control task 2: basic emotion

Answer 23

Identify emotion of full face photos.
Everyone should pass these as checking validity of experiment.
Six faces used eg. Happy, sad - based on Ekman categories

Question 24

Control task 1: gender indentification

Answer 24

Identify gender of 25 eye photos

Same as eyes task but asked for gender as well.

Question 25

Ecological validity

Answer 25

• simpler than real demands of a live social situation eg. Forced choice and gender recognition have more cues than just the eye region
• lab experiment is a strange environment esp. Subjects with autism easily feel disorientated, therefore effect way performed. Autistic characteristic = need for routine and familiarity.
• eyes task unusual, simpler than the demands of real life even though a ‘very advanced’ test. Static photos never like real world and would have been more realistic with films

Question 26

Previous research stimulus

Answer 26

Baron-Cohen’s research in children using the Sally-Anne Test

Question 27

Advantage of sample

Answer 27

Adult autistics had difficulty with eyes task, BC able to show that adult autistics as well as autistic children have mind reading deficits.