Baron-Cohen Flashcards
What is theory of mind?
The ability to attribute mental states to oneself and other people
Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
group of complex disorders of brain development. These disorders are characterised, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviours.
High Functioning Autism
type of autism where the person has a higher IQ (above 70), so can function at a higher level than others with autism. The only difference between those with HFA and Aspergers is just slightly more delayed speech in HFA
Compensatory Strategies
a strategy a person with autism uses to compensate for their lack of Theory of Mind so that their behaviour is normal
Asperger’s Syndrome
an ASD. Similar problems with social interaction, and obsessively repetitive patterns of behaviour. BUT differs from other ASDs because it involves relatively normal linguistic and cognitive development.
Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test
an advanced theory of mind test that is sensitive to subtle dysfunction due to compensatory strategies learnt by adults with HFA and AS.
What was the ceiling effect found in the 1997 Eyes Test?
PPs achieved scores that were too high, as the test was too easy, resulting in difficulties in seeing individual differences in Autistic tendencies.
What was the aim of the study?
- To see if the new (“revised”) eyes test works to assess social impairment
- To see if AQ (autism quotient) score has an inverse correlation with the Eyes Test score
- To test if females have better Theory of Mind than males (scored better on eyes test)
What were the flaws within the previous research?
- Did not reveal huge different between those diagnosed with autism and those who were not
- Mostly female faces
- Some too easy (lead to ceiling effect)
What is the background of the study?
- To develop an advanced ToM test
- To improve on the previous 1997 Eyes Test
- there are few tests that can measure if adult with normal intelligence may have a mild deficit in social understanding
- has been some tests for face perception for brain damage patient, but their dysfunctions are gross rather than subtle
What are the hypotheses?
- The AS/HFA group would score significantly lower on the Eyes Test, but be unimpaired on the gender control judgements.
- The AS/HFA group would score significantly higher in the AQ
- Females in the “normal” groups (2 and 3) would score higher than males on the Eyes Test
- Males in the “normal” group (3) would score higher than females on the AQ
- Scores on the AQ and the Eyes Test would be inversely correlated
What is the method? What questionnaires are used?
- Self reports & questionnaire
2 questionnaires to measure autism and ‘theory of mind’
Revised eyes test
Autistic Quotient
How was the correct target word for each set of eyes decided? (pilot study)
225 ppl pick target and foil words
8 judges, 4 males, 4 females
5 of them had to agree on the words that was the most suitable description for each stimulus (eyes)
If no more than 2 judges picked, the word is not used
What was the experimental design?
Independent group & matched pairs
What was the IV?
- whether participants had autism or not
- ‘Normal’ participants were male or female
What was the DV?
- Eyes test
- AQ
What was the sampling technique?
Opportunity sample
Group 1 - AS/HFA adults x 15 (all males) - recruited via adverts in the UK National Autistic Society magazine
Group 2 - General population controls (normal adults) x 122 - adult community and education classes in Exeter / public library users in Cambridge
Group 3 - normal adults undergraduates at Cambridge x 103
Group 4 - IQ-matched controls x 14
What was the procedure? (5 steps)
Pilot study Glossary Setting for the eyes test Revised eyes test AQ test
Describe the revised eyes test
36 sets of eyes, equal male/female, each with four choices of emotion. No time limit for completion. Standardised for all PPs (all saw the same eyes)
Describe the setting
All PPs did Eyes Test individually in a quiet room in either Cambridge or Exeter.
Describe the glossary
before the Eyes Test, PPs were asked to read through the glossary and indicate any words they were unsure of, and to read their meanings in the glossary. They were told they could refer to this glossary at any point.
What are the controls?
Matched pps in G1 and G4 in terms of IQ
Ask pps in G1 to identify gender - to ensure the difference in score is not due to gender identification
Glossary
What are the results?
same as their hypotheses
Give 2 strengths of the study
- carried out in a lab, standardised procedure, high reliability
- improved from the 1997 version, more difficult, reduced ceiling effect, high internal validity
Give 2 weaknesses of the study
- self report, pps might be embarrassed, low internal validity
- static picture of eyes, low ecological validity
Describe the sample in group 2
- normal adults drawn from adult community and education classes in Exeter, or public library users in Cambridge
- unemployment - professional
- no education - college degree
social cognition
how people process, store and apply information about other people and social situations
