Social identities relate to psychological perceptions of group memberships and form part of the s... more Social identities relate to psychological perceptions of group memberships and form part of the self-concept. Socially identifying with groups has previously been found to associate with better mental well-being outcomes. This study first examined the factor structure and the reliability of measuring social identification in autistic adults. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that a factor structure was replicated in this sample for social identification with other autistic people, but not the family. Second, the study assessed the level to which autistic adults socially identified with different groups, the total number of social identities and whether these were associated with their mental well-being. Autistic adults reported feelings of social identification with many kinds of groups, some with multiple groups, whereas others did not socially identify with any group. Stronger feelings of social identification towards other autistic people and towards one’s family, and with more...
This is a presentation created to share information on study plans and gather feedback from the a... more This is a presentation created to share information on study plans and gather feedback from the autistic community on Twitter.<br>
ABSTRACT The Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ; Baron-Cohen, Wheelwright, Skinner, Martin, &amp; C... more ABSTRACT The Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ; Baron-Cohen, Wheelwright, Skinner, Martin, &amp; Clubley, 2001) has been recently developed to assess how individuals of normal intelligence vary on autistic traits. The main objective of this study was to assess the factor structure of the AQ in a large Scottish University sample (n = 536). Group differences in the AQ were also assessed. The current study found four factors of ‘Socialness’, ‘Pattern’, ‘Understanding Others/Communication’ and ‘Imagination’. Baron-Cohen, Wheelwright, Hill, Raste, and Plumb (2001) suggest five subscales, previous factor analytic studies find two- or three-factor models. However, all agree on a ‘Socialness’, and a ‘Patterns/Attention to Detail’ factor. In addition, a ‘Communication’ factor is largely agreed upon. Group differences were as expected, students enrolled in a mathematical science degree type scored higher than other students, and males scored higher than females. The AQ, in a UK population, appears to be reasonably reliable, however, it does require some revision.
People with autism spectrum condition (ASC) perform well on Raven&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp... more People with autism spectrum condition (ASC) perform well on Raven&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s matrices, a test which loads highly on the general factor in intelligence. However, the mechanisms supporting enhanced performance on the test are poorly understood. Evidence is accumulating that milder variants of the ASC phenotype are present in typically developing individuals, and that those who are further along the autistic-like trait spectrum show similar patterns of abilities and impairments as people with clinically diagnosed ASC. We investigated whether self-reported autistic-like traits in a university student sample, assessed using the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ; Baron-Cohen, Wheelwright, Skinner, et al., 2001), predict performance on Raven&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s Advanced Progressive Matrices. We found that reporting poorer social skills but better attention switching predicted a higher Advanced matrices score overall. DeShon, Chan, and Weissbein (1995) classified Advanced matrices items as requiring a visuospatial, or a verbal-analytic strategy. We hypothesised that higher AQ scores would predict better performance on visuospatial items than on verbal-analytic items. This prediction was confirmed. These results are consistent with the continuum view and can be explained by the enhanced perceptual functioning theory of performance peaks in ASC. The results also confirm a new prediction about Raven&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s Advanced Progressive Matrices performance in people with ASC.
The present study reports on a new vocal emotion recognition task and assesses whether people wit... more The present study reports on a new vocal emotion recognition task and assesses whether people with autism spectrum conditions (ASC) perform differently from typically developed individuals on tests of emotional identification from both the face and the voice. The new test of vocal emotion contained trials in which the vocal emotion of the sentence were congruent, incongruent, or neutral with respect to the semantic content. We also included a condition in which there was no semantic content (an ‘mmm’ was uttered using an emotional tone). Performance was compared between 11 adults with ASC and 14 typically developed adults. Identification of emotion from sentences in which the vocal emotion and the meaning of sentence were congruent was similar in people with ASC and a typically developed comparison group. However, the comparison group was more accurate at identifying the emotion in the voice from incongruent and neutral trials, and also from trials with no semantic content. The resu...
Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR, Jan 28, 2015
To examine whether children exhibit the same relationship that adults show between the lexical in... more To examine whether children exhibit the same relationship that adults show between the lexical influence on phoneme identification and individual variation on the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ). Data from 62 4- to 7-year-olds with no diagnosis of autism were analyzed. The main task involved identification of the initial sound in pairs of voice-onset time continua with a real word on one end and a nonword on the other (e.g., gift-kift, giss-kiss). Participants were also given the children's version of the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ-child) and a second instrument related to autistic-like traits, the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS). The lexical shift was related to the AQ (particularly to its attention switching subscale), but not to the SRS. The size of lexical effects on children's speech perception can be predicted by AQ scores but not necessarily by other measures of autistic-like traits. The results indicate that speech perception in children manifests individual differ...
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, Jan 19, 2015
Enhanced basic perceptual discrimination has been reported for pitch in individuals with autism s... more Enhanced basic perceptual discrimination has been reported for pitch in individuals with autism spectrum conditions. We test whether there is a correlational pattern of enhancement across the broader autism phenotype and whether this correlation occurs for the discrimination of pitch, time and loudness. Scores on the Autism-Spectrum Quotient correlated significantly with the pitch discrimination (r = -0.51, p < 0.05) and the time-interval discrimination (r = -0.45, p < 0.05) task that were based on a fixed reference. No correlation was found for intensity discrimination based on a fixed reference, nor for a variable reference based time-interval discrimination. The correlations suggest a relationship between autistic traits and the ability to form an enhanced, stable and highly accurate representation of auditory events in the pitch and time dimensions.
We assessed whether autistic traits are related to the ability to identify flavour. In general, t... more We assessed whether autistic traits are related to the ability to identify flavour. In general, the colour of the food or drink facilitates identification of its flavour. In the current study, the colour of drinks either provided congruent, incongruent or ambiguous (colourless) information about the flavour. Participants identified the flavours of 12 drinks from a list and completed a measure of autistic traits, the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ). In line with previous studies, flavour identification was impaired in incongruent conditions, while identification in congruent conditions was not improved when compared with that in ambiguous conditions. AQ scores were related to flavour identification in incongruent conditions, in that as the AQ score increased, accuracy of flavour identification decreased. There were no relationships found in the congruent or ambiguous conditions. This finding is in line with the idea that conflicting sensory information may be more disruptive for individuals on the autism spectrum.
McGill journal of medicine : MJM : an international forum for the advancement of medical sciences by students, Jan 16, 2009
In this paper, we review evidence regarding differences in the types of sensory experiences of pe... more In this paper, we review evidence regarding differences in the types of sensory experiences of persons with ASD with respect to both unisensory and multisensory processing. We discuss selfreports, carer questionnaires as well as perceptual processing differences found in the laboratory. Incoming information is processed through one or more of our senses and fundamental differences in the processing of information from any sensory modality or combination of sensory modalities are likely to have cascading effects on the way individuals with ASD experience the world around them, effects that can have both positive and negative impact on a individual with ASD's quality of life.
Social identities relate to psychological perceptions of group memberships and form part of the s... more Social identities relate to psychological perceptions of group memberships and form part of the self-concept. Socially identifying with groups has previously been found to associate with better mental well-being outcomes. This study first examined the factor structure and the reliability of measuring social identification in autistic adults. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that a factor structure was replicated in this sample for social identification with other autistic people, but not the family. Second, the study assessed the level to which autistic adults socially identified with different groups, the total number of social identities and whether these were associated with their mental well-being. Autistic adults reported feelings of social identification with many kinds of groups, some with multiple groups, whereas others did not socially identify with any group. Stronger feelings of social identification towards other autistic people and towards one’s family, and with more...
This is a presentation created to share information on study plans and gather feedback from the a... more This is a presentation created to share information on study plans and gather feedback from the autistic community on Twitter.<br>
ABSTRACT The Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ; Baron-Cohen, Wheelwright, Skinner, Martin, &amp; C... more ABSTRACT The Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ; Baron-Cohen, Wheelwright, Skinner, Martin, &amp; Clubley, 2001) has been recently developed to assess how individuals of normal intelligence vary on autistic traits. The main objective of this study was to assess the factor structure of the AQ in a large Scottish University sample (n = 536). Group differences in the AQ were also assessed. The current study found four factors of ‘Socialness’, ‘Pattern’, ‘Understanding Others/Communication’ and ‘Imagination’. Baron-Cohen, Wheelwright, Hill, Raste, and Plumb (2001) suggest five subscales, previous factor analytic studies find two- or three-factor models. However, all agree on a ‘Socialness’, and a ‘Patterns/Attention to Detail’ factor. In addition, a ‘Communication’ factor is largely agreed upon. Group differences were as expected, students enrolled in a mathematical science degree type scored higher than other students, and males scored higher than females. The AQ, in a UK population, appears to be reasonably reliable, however, it does require some revision.
People with autism spectrum condition (ASC) perform well on Raven&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp... more People with autism spectrum condition (ASC) perform well on Raven&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s matrices, a test which loads highly on the general factor in intelligence. However, the mechanisms supporting enhanced performance on the test are poorly understood. Evidence is accumulating that milder variants of the ASC phenotype are present in typically developing individuals, and that those who are further along the autistic-like trait spectrum show similar patterns of abilities and impairments as people with clinically diagnosed ASC. We investigated whether self-reported autistic-like traits in a university student sample, assessed using the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ; Baron-Cohen, Wheelwright, Skinner, et al., 2001), predict performance on Raven&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s Advanced Progressive Matrices. We found that reporting poorer social skills but better attention switching predicted a higher Advanced matrices score overall. DeShon, Chan, and Weissbein (1995) classified Advanced matrices items as requiring a visuospatial, or a verbal-analytic strategy. We hypothesised that higher AQ scores would predict better performance on visuospatial items than on verbal-analytic items. This prediction was confirmed. These results are consistent with the continuum view and can be explained by the enhanced perceptual functioning theory of performance peaks in ASC. The results also confirm a new prediction about Raven&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s Advanced Progressive Matrices performance in people with ASC.
The present study reports on a new vocal emotion recognition task and assesses whether people wit... more The present study reports on a new vocal emotion recognition task and assesses whether people with autism spectrum conditions (ASC) perform differently from typically developed individuals on tests of emotional identification from both the face and the voice. The new test of vocal emotion contained trials in which the vocal emotion of the sentence were congruent, incongruent, or neutral with respect to the semantic content. We also included a condition in which there was no semantic content (an ‘mmm’ was uttered using an emotional tone). Performance was compared between 11 adults with ASC and 14 typically developed adults. Identification of emotion from sentences in which the vocal emotion and the meaning of sentence were congruent was similar in people with ASC and a typically developed comparison group. However, the comparison group was more accurate at identifying the emotion in the voice from incongruent and neutral trials, and also from trials with no semantic content. The resu...
Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR, Jan 28, 2015
To examine whether children exhibit the same relationship that adults show between the lexical in... more To examine whether children exhibit the same relationship that adults show between the lexical influence on phoneme identification and individual variation on the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ). Data from 62 4- to 7-year-olds with no diagnosis of autism were analyzed. The main task involved identification of the initial sound in pairs of voice-onset time continua with a real word on one end and a nonword on the other (e.g., gift-kift, giss-kiss). Participants were also given the children's version of the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ-child) and a second instrument related to autistic-like traits, the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS). The lexical shift was related to the AQ (particularly to its attention switching subscale), but not to the SRS. The size of lexical effects on children's speech perception can be predicted by AQ scores but not necessarily by other measures of autistic-like traits. The results indicate that speech perception in children manifests individual differ...
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, Jan 19, 2015
Enhanced basic perceptual discrimination has been reported for pitch in individuals with autism s... more Enhanced basic perceptual discrimination has been reported for pitch in individuals with autism spectrum conditions. We test whether there is a correlational pattern of enhancement across the broader autism phenotype and whether this correlation occurs for the discrimination of pitch, time and loudness. Scores on the Autism-Spectrum Quotient correlated significantly with the pitch discrimination (r = -0.51, p < 0.05) and the time-interval discrimination (r = -0.45, p < 0.05) task that were based on a fixed reference. No correlation was found for intensity discrimination based on a fixed reference, nor for a variable reference based time-interval discrimination. The correlations suggest a relationship between autistic traits and the ability to form an enhanced, stable and highly accurate representation of auditory events in the pitch and time dimensions.
We assessed whether autistic traits are related to the ability to identify flavour. In general, t... more We assessed whether autistic traits are related to the ability to identify flavour. In general, the colour of the food or drink facilitates identification of its flavour. In the current study, the colour of drinks either provided congruent, incongruent or ambiguous (colourless) information about the flavour. Participants identified the flavours of 12 drinks from a list and completed a measure of autistic traits, the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ). In line with previous studies, flavour identification was impaired in incongruent conditions, while identification in congruent conditions was not improved when compared with that in ambiguous conditions. AQ scores were related to flavour identification in incongruent conditions, in that as the AQ score increased, accuracy of flavour identification decreased. There were no relationships found in the congruent or ambiguous conditions. This finding is in line with the idea that conflicting sensory information may be more disruptive for individuals on the autism spectrum.
McGill journal of medicine : MJM : an international forum for the advancement of medical sciences by students, Jan 16, 2009
In this paper, we review evidence regarding differences in the types of sensory experiences of pe... more In this paper, we review evidence regarding differences in the types of sensory experiences of persons with ASD with respect to both unisensory and multisensory processing. We discuss selfreports, carer questionnaires as well as perceptual processing differences found in the laboratory. Incoming information is processed through one or more of our senses and fundamental differences in the processing of information from any sensory modality or combination of sensory modalities are likely to have cascading effects on the way individuals with ASD experience the world around them, effects that can have both positive and negative impact on a individual with ASD's quality of life.
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