CATEGORY FORMATION IN AUTISM: CAN INDIVIDUALS WITH AUTISM ABSTRACT SOCIAL AND NON-SOCIAL VISUAL PROTOTYPES?

There is a growing amount of evidence suggesting that individuals with autism have difficulty with categorization. One basic cognitive ability that is necessary for categorization and may underlie these difficulties is the ability to abstract and represent the categorical information with a central representation or prototype. The current study examined prototype formation abilities in individuals with autism with social (faces) and non-social (dot patterns) stimuli using behavioral methodologies and eye-tracking in high functioning adults with autism and matched controls. Individuals with autism were found to have difficulty forming prototypes of both faces and dot patterns. Relationships were found between performance on the prototype tasks and measures of intelligence, symptoms of autism, and measures of lower-level perceptual functioning in the individuals with autism. The eye-tracking data did not reveal any between group differences in the general pattern of attention to the faces or dot patterns during the familiarization period indicating that the difficulties with prototype formation were not due to attentional factors. The results of the current study are consistent with previous studies that have found a deficit in prototype formation and indicate that these deficits exist with both familiar social stimuli such as faces and novel non-social stimuli such as dot patterns

Ensemble coding of faces occurs in children and develops dissociably from coding of individual face identities

Ensemble coding allows adults to access useful information about average properties of groups, sometimes even in the absence of detailed representations of individual group members. This form of coding may emerge early in development with initial reports of ensemble coding for simple properties (size, numerosity) in young children and even infants. Here we demonstrate that ensemble coding of faces, which provides information about average properties of social groups, is already present in 6-8 year old children. This access to average information increases with age from 6 to 18 years and its development is dissociable from age-related improvements in the coding of individual face identities. This dissociation provides the first direct evidence that distinct processes underlie ensemble and individual coding of face identity, evidence that has been lacking from adult studies. More generally, our results add to the emerging evidence for impressively mature sensitivity to statistical properties of the visual environment in children. They indicate that children have access to gist information about social groups that may facilitate adaptive social behaviour

Similar exemplar pooling processes underlie the learning of facial identity and handwriting style: Evidence from typical observers and individuals with Autism

Considerable research has addressed whether the cognitive and neural representations recruited by faces are similar to those engaged by other types of visual stimuli. For example, research has examined the extent to which objects of expertise recruit holistic representation and engage the fusiform face area. Little is known, however, about the domain-specificity of the exemplar pooling processes thought to underlie the acquisition of familiarity with particular facial identities. In the present study we sought to compare observers’ ability to learn facial identities and handwriting styles from exposure to multiple exemplars. Crucially, while handwritten words and faces differ considerably in their topographic form, both learning tasks share a common exemplar pooling component. In our first experiment, we find that typical observers’ ability to learn facial identities and handwriting styles from exposure to multiple exemplars correlates closely. In our second experiment, we show that observers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are impaired at both learning tasks. Our findings suggest that similar exemplar pooling processes are recruited when learning facial identities and handwriting styles. Models of exemplar pooling originally developed to explain face learning, may therefore offer valuable insights into exemplar pooling across a range of domains, extending beyond faces. Aberrant exemplar pooling, possibly resulting from structural differences in the inferior longitudinal fasciculus, may underlie difficulties recognising familiar faces often experienced by individuals with ASD, and leave observers overly reliant on local details present in particular exemplars

Attentional learning helps language acquisition take shape for atypically developing children, not just children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

The shape bias-generalising labels to same shaped objects-has been linked to attentional learning or referential intent. We explore these origins in children with typical development (TD), autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and other developmental disorders (DD). In two conditions, a novel object was presented and either named or described. Children selected another from a shape, colour or texture match. TD children choose the shape match in both conditions, children with DD and 'high-verbal mental age' (VMA) children with ASD (language age > 4.6) did so in the name condition and 'low-VMA' children with ASD never showed the heuristic. Thus, the shape bias arises from attentional learning in atypically developing children and is delayed in ASD

Are Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Initially Attuned to Object Function Rather Than Shape for Word Learning?

We investigate the function bias-generalising words to objects with the same function-in typically developing (TD) children, children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and children with other developmental disorders. Across four trials, a novel object was named and its function was described and demonstrated. Children then selected the other referent from a shape match (same shape, different function) and function match (same function, different shape) object. TD children and children with ASD were 'function biased', although further investigation established that having a higher VMA facilitated function bias understanding in TD children, but having a lower VMA facilitated function bias understanding in children with ASD. This suggests that children with ASD are initially attuned to object function, not shape

Do Individuals with Autism Process Categories Differently? The Role of Typicality

A critical cognitive ability that has received relatively little attention in individuals with autism is the ability to form categories. Previous studies of categorization in individuals with autism have found mixed results, some indicating that these individuals have a deficit in categorization and others suggesting that they do not. These studies are limited, however, because they have not closely investigated the role that typicality or task complexity may have on categorization. The current study addresses these issues by examining the effect of exemplar typicality on both the reaction times and accuracy of categorizing basic level exemplars. High-functioning children, teens, and adults with autism and matched controls were tested in a category verification procedure. Results indicate that the processing and accuracy of categorization improves throughout the lifespan for typical and somewhat typical category exemplars, but that processing differences are found throughout the lifespan with respect to atypical or poor category exemplars. The results are discussed in relation to potential differences in the type of processing that may be required for categorizing typical and atypical category members. Parallels are also drawn between the results of the current studies and the results of previous studies on face processing in individuals with autism

Do individuals with autism process categories differently? The effect of typicality and development

This study examined the effect of exemplar typicality on reaction time and accuracy of categorization. High-functioning children (age 9 – 12), adolescents (age 13 – 16), and adults with autism (age 17 – 48) and matched controls were tested in a category verification procedure. All groups showed improved processing throughout the lifespan for typical and somewhat typical category exemplars. However, individuals with autism responded more slowly than matched controls to atypical exemplars at all ages. The results are discussed in terms of potential differences in the type of processing that may be required for categorizing typical and atypical cat-egory exemplars. Parallels are also drawn to the results of previous studies on face processing in individuals with autism. Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder characterized by qualitative impairments in social interaction and communication and repetitive stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests, and ac-tivities (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). To date, most research on autism has focused on social deficits, because they are both necessary and unique to the diagnosis. More recently, researchers have suggested that individuals with autism may also have significant cognitive deficits (e.g., Frith & Happe

Brief report: Comparability of DSM-IV and DSM5 ASD research samples

Abstract Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5) criteria for ASD have been criticized for being too restrictive, especially for more cognitively-able individuals. It is unclear, however, if high-functioning individuals deemed eligible for research via standardized diagnostic assessments would meet DSM-5 criteria. This study investigated the impact of DSM-5 on the diagnostic status of 498 high-functioning participants with ASD research diagnoses. The percent of participants satisfying all DSM-5-requirements varied significantly with reliance on data from the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS; 33 %) versus Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R; 83 %), highlighting the impact of diagnostic methodology on ability to document DSM-5 symptoms. Utilizing combined ADOS/ADI-R data, 93 % of participants met DSM-5 criteria, which suggests likely continuity between DSM-IV and DSM-5 research samples characterized with these instruments in combination