Baron-Cohen et al. (eyes test) Flashcards
Autism characteristics
- forms of communication
- less social awareness
- less emotionally intelligent
- savant syndrome (better memory/IQ)
Baron-Cohen et al. study outline
- mix of disabilities/talents
- Sally Anne Test (had to be revised)
- neurodiversity
- social disabilities
- Asperger’s syndrome
- false belief test:
–> 3/4 children failed test
–> development delay
–> theory of mind (mind blindness)
What is the Sally-Anne test?
- original eyes test (based on Sally-Anne test)
- 1997 (psychometric issues)
- there are ceiling effects (when a test is too easy and everyone’s scores a high mark; can’t identify individual differences)
Strengths and weaknesses of Sally-Anne Test
STRENGTHS:
- engaging for children
- practical
- useful
WEAKNESSES:
- low eco validity
- language
- application for adults
Original eyes test
- 25 photos of eyes
- 2 options
Task analysis
- subject needs to have mental state lexicons + know meaning of terms
- map terms based on facial expressions
- match the eyes to examples of eye region
- arrive at a judgment of which word the eyes closely match to
problem with original eyes test
1 - first version of task involved forced choice between only two response options (score 17 or above/25 to be above chance)
2 - when first version of test was given to parents of children with Asperger’s, they scored too below the general population level
3 - narrow range of scores (above chance on first test) leads to score in normal range being close to ceiling test.
- ceiling effects = undesirable = one loses power to see individual differences
4 - first version of test –> basic + complex mental states
- contained some items that were too easy
- risked producing ceiling effects
5 - original version –> items could be solved by checking gaze directions on face
- words like “noticing” or “ignoring”
6 - original version –> more female than male faces
- unclear if test could’ve been biased in some way
7 - original test –> target word and foil were always semantic opposites which makes the test too easy (eg: concerned vs unconcerned)
8 - eyes-test involves mapping a word to a picture
- unclear if comprehension problems with the words themselves might’ve contributed to individual’s score
1997 problems
- Forced choice
- 50%
- 17 above out of 25
- 17 to 25
- 9 points narrow
- not able to identify individual differences - Parents also scored low
- Narrow range
- ceiling effects
- can’t identify individual differences
SOLUTION:
- increased option –> 4
- 25%
- 13/36 (range) - 24 points - Both basic and complex states
- Gaze direction
- More females than males
- Semantic opposites
- Comprehension
4 words from glossary
- anxious
- cautious
- embarrassed
- decisive
What is the theory of mind?
This is the ability to attribute mental states to oneself or another person. For example:
- mind-reading
- read expressions
- empathy
- mentalizing
Subjects (sample) - Group 1
- adults
- AS/HFA
- diagnosed
- N = 15 (participants)
- male
- volunteer sample
- WAIS
- IQ = 115, SD = 16.1
Group 2
- 122 normal adults
- public library/adult community/education classes
- wide range of time occupations
- unemployment = manual
- clerical = professionals
- mix of education levels
- no education beyond secondary school
- occupationally related training = college degrees
- 88 age known
- opportunity sample
Group 3
- normal
- 103
- undergraduates
- Cambridge
- 53 males, 50 females
- high IQ
- opportunity sample
Group 4
- 14 pps
- general population
- IQ matched group 1
- random selected
- IQ = 116
- SD = 6.4
Revised eyes test (developed)
- 8 judges (4 m, 4f)
- target words + foils were repiloted by 8 judges
- 5 out of 8 had to agree on targeted word for each pair of eyes (inter-rater reliability)
- no more than 2 judges picked any single foil
- items that failed to meet this criterion had new target words, foils, or both generated (validity)
- then repiloted with successive groups of judges until criterion was met for all items
