Baron-Cohen et. al Flashcards
AIM (3)
- to test a group of people with AS/HFA on the revised version of the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test;
- to test whether the sex difference in autistic traits (in neurotypical individuals) observed in the previous test replicated;
- to check for a correlation between the scores on the Eyes Test and the AQ.
AQ
definition
a self-report questionnaire with scores ranging from 0 to 50, designed to measure the expression of Autism-Spectrum traits in an individual. A higher score indicates that the person has more autistic traits.
ceiling effect
occurs when a test is too easy and many participants score the top score, thus making it difficult for researchers to differentiate between participants.
DSM
full form
Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders
DSM
definition
a classification & diagnostic tool used by doctors, psychiatrists and psychologists internationally, published by the American Psychiatrist Association.
ICD
full form
International Classification of Diseases
ICD
compare to DSM
has a wider scope and covers all health-related diseases, not just those related to the mind. published by WHO.
AQ
full form
Autistic-Spectrum Quotient Test
how was the revised version of the Eyes Test developed? (2 steps)
- authors chose a target word and three foils pertaining to a picture of the eyes
- the picture, word and foils were presented to eight judges.
what were the conditions needed for a target word to be finalised for the Eyes Test?
- 5 out of 8 judges should pick the target word out of the four options
- 2/less than 2 should pick any one foil.
SAMPLE: AS/HFA (group 1)
sampling method
voluntary; an advert was placed in the UK National Autistic Society Magazine
SAMPLE: AS/HFA (group 1)
no. of participants
15 males
SAMPLE: AS/HFA (group 1)
average participant age
29.7
SAMPLE: adults (group 2)
sampling method
opportunity; drawn from adult community and education classes in Exeter, or from the public library at Cambridge.
SAMPLE: adults (group 2)
no. of participants
122
SAMPLE: adults (group 2)
age
46.5 (data only available for 88 ppl)
SAMPLE: students (group 3)
sampling method
opportunity; taken from ungrad classes at Cambridge University (71 science students, 32 other) [HIGH IQ]
SAMPLE: students (group 3)
no. of participants
103 (53M, 50F)
SAMPLE: students (group 3)
age
20.8
SAMPLE: group 2
advantage
from a large variety of occupations and education + large; data can be generalised & sample is representative
SAMPLE: group 3
disadvantage
not representative due to high admission requirements of Cambridge Uni.; data cannot be generalised.
SAMPLE: AS/HFA group 1
disadvantage
only males; results cannot be generalised to women. sample size very small, therefore unrepresentative.
SAMPLE: IQ matched (group 4)
sampling method
randomly picked and matched with group 1 according to IQ
SAMPLE: IQ matched (group 4)
no. of participants
14
SAMPLE: IQ matched (group 4)
av. age
28.0
what was the average IQ of Group 1 participants?
115
what was the average IQ of Group 4 participants?
116
what were the problems in the original Eyes Test? (5)
- forced choice (only two options to choose from)
- low range of questions [only 25] (led to ceiling effect)
- used basic emotions in some questions (too easy)
- imbalance of male and female faces [more female faces] (extraneous variable; might have affected difficulty)
- language delay - participants might not have understood some words in the options
how were the problems in the original Eyes Test solved?
- options increased to 4
- amount of questions increased to 36
- removed pictures showing basic emotions
- distribution of male and female faces made equal
- glossary of words provided.
PROCEDURE
- participants read through glossary of terms, could recheck anytime they needed during the test + did a practice item
- all groups took the revised Eyes Test
- participants in AS/HFA group also asked to judge the sex of the target in each photo
- all groups except adult comparison group completed the AQ test
ETHICS
all participants gave informed consent
data was anonymized; confidentiality maintained
right to withdraw given
SAMPLE: AS/HFA (group 1)
how had the participants in the group been diagnosed with autism?
using established APA criteria in specialist centres.
RESULTS
av. AS/HFA group scores on Eyes Test
21.9
RESULTS
IQ matched group: av. scores on Eyes Test
30.9
RESULTS
AS/HFA group’s av. score on the AQ test
34.4
RESULTS
IQ matched group’s av. score on AQ test
18.9
RESULTS
scores on gender recognition task (AS/HFA group only)
all participants scored above 33 on 36.
RESULTS
sex difference in student groups’ scores on AQ?
yes. males scored higher than females.
RESULTS
correlation between AQ and Eyes Test scores
negative (-0.59)
RESULTS
correlation between IQ scores and Revised Eyes test scores
zero.
CONCLUSIONS (3)
- participants w AS/HFA lack theory of mind, ie. are unable to attribute emotions to another person
- males showed more autistic traits than females & performed worse on the AQ test; however, further research is needed as some differences weren’t significant.
- the revised Eyes Test is a more sensitive measure of adult social intelligence than the previous version.
STRENGTHS (3)
- highly standardized lab experiment (participants used same questionnaires and glossary); very reliable & has high internal validity
- changes to Eyes Test made it more valid
- ethical guidelines all followed
WEAKNESSES (2)
- low ecological validity; pictures used & only of eyes; not realistic to real life - leads to low generisability
- experimental sample (AS/HFA) very small & had only males; may not representative of general populace
how can the revised eyes test be improved in terms of ecological valididy? (1)
could use video clippings of people’s expressions and conversations rather than static pictures of only their eyes.
applications of the eyes test
could be used alongside the AQ to help aid initial diagnosis. could also be used with other clinical groups, eg. brain-damaged patients.
individual vs. situational: which debate does this study support?
individual; autistic individuals performed significantly worse on Eyes Test, which suggests that the ability to read emotions is not a product of the environment and is innate.
what is the name of the Eyes Test that Baron-Cohen has developed for children?
‘Sally and Anne’ test (involves questions following a short scene that is acted out with dolls)
what are basic emotions?
those emotions that are universally recognized; there are six of them.
target word: panicked
foils?
jealous, arrogant, hateful
target word: playful
foils?
comforting, irritated, bored.
