Cognitive Theories of Autism Flashcards
What did Baron-Cohen & Hammer (1997) find about parents of children with Asperger’s syndrome?
They were less accurate on the Reading the Mind in the Eyes task, suggesting subtle theory of mind difficulties in the broader autism phenotype.
What did Hughes et al. (1997, 1999) find in families of autistic individuals?
Parents and siblings of children with autism showed deficits in executive functions like planning and cognitive flexibility.
How is the EMB theory linked to family traits in autism?
Baron-Cohen et al. (1997) found that fathers and grandfathers of autistic children were more likely to work in analytic, systemizing professions.
What did Happé, Briskman & Frith (2001) find about first-degree relatives of people with autism?
They showed a detail-focused processing style, supporting weak central coherence in the broader phenotype.
What is the multiple deficit account of autism?
Proposed by Baron-Cohen & Swettenham (1997) and supported by Pellicano et al. (2006), it suggests autism arises from the interaction of multiple cognitive deficits, not a single core deficit.
What did Pellicano et al. (2006) find about the relationship between cognitive domains?
When age and verbal/non-verbal abilities were controlled for, Theory of Mind (ToM), Executive Function (EF), and Weak Central Coherence (WCC) were unrelated, supporting the multiple deficit view.
How might ToM, EF, and WCC be related?
Some theories propose they could be linked by a shared deficit in inhibition or feedback connections in the brain.
Why is reconciling cognitive theories of autism important?
Because autism is behaviorally heterogeneous, with different individuals showing different patterns of deficits — suggesting multiple underlying causes and implications for tailored intervention.
Why don’t current cognitive theories fully explain autism?
Because no single account captures all aspects of the condition, and many fail to explain the strengths or superior abilities observed in some autistic individuals.
Why do we still need cognitive theories of autism?
To explain behavioral variability, guide interventions, and help define the cognitive phenotype of autism for research and diagnosis.
