Visual search for basic emotional expressions in autism; impaired processing of anger, fear and sadness, but a typical happy face advantage

doi:10.1016/j.rasd.2010.06.009

Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders

Volume 5, Issue 1, January–March 2011, Pages 455-462

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2010.06.009 Get rights and content

Abstract

Facial expression recognition was investigated in 20 males with high functioning autism (HFA) or Asperger syndrome (AS), compared to typically developing individuals matched for chronological age (TD CA group) and verbal and non-verbal ability (TD V/NV group). This was the first study to employ a visual search, “face in the crowd” paradigm with a HFA/AS group, which explored responses to numerous facial expressions using real-face stimuli. Results showed slower response times for processing fear, anger and sad expressions in the HFA/AS group, relative to the TD CA group, but not the TD V/NV group. Reponses to happy, disgust and surprise expressions showed no group differences. Results are discussed with reference to the amygdala theory of autism.

Section snippets

Participants

Three groups of right-handed males (N = 60) were recruited from local mainstream schools, specialist ASD units and branches of the National Autistic Society. All participants were assessed for verbal ability using the British Picture Vocabulary Scale-second edition (BPVS II; Dunn, Dunn, Whetton & Burley, 1997), and for non-verbal ability using Ravens coloured progressive matrices (RCPM; Raven, Raven, & Court, 1998). The experimental group comprised 20 males, all of whom had been clinically

Analysis of response times (RT)

RTs of correct response only were analysed. One participant from the ASD group responded incorrectly to every trial with fear as a target. This empty cell was replaced with the mean RT for the remaining 19 HFA/AS participants for this expression. Results are shown in Fig. 4.

ANOVA was carried out with target emotion (6 levels; anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, surprise) as the within-subjects factor, and group (3 levels; HFA/AS, TD CA and TD V/NV) as the between-subjects factor. This

Discussion

The present study investigated the abilities of children and adolescents with HFA/AS to search for a target face in a crowd based on six basic emotional expressions. Results showed a consistent pattern across HFA/AS and TD control groups such that identification of fear, anger and sadness target expressions was significantly slower than other emotions, with a corresponding reduction in accuracy for searches for fear and anger. In addition, identification of happy expressions showed the fastest

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Chris Ashwin and Peter Hobson for useful discussion, and Vanger, Hoenlinger and Haken for permission to use their face stimuli in this study. Thanks also goes to the participants with HFA/AS and the typically developing participants who have kindly participated in this study.

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Visual search for basic emotional expressions in autism; impaired processing of anger, fear and sadness, but a typical happy face advantage

Abstract

Section snippets

Participants

Analysis of response times (RT)

Discussion

Acknowledgements

Trends in Cognitive Sciences

Journal of Experimental Child Psychology

Brain and Cognition

Neuropsychologia

The Lancet

Neuroscience and Biobehavioural Reviews

Neuropsychologia

Trends in Cognitive Sciences

Neuropsychologia

Brain and Cognition

The neuroanatomy of autism: A voxel-based whole brain analysis of structural scans

Neuroreport

Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-IV)

Impaired recognition of negative basic emotions in autism; a test of the amygdala theory

Social Neuroscience

The autism spectrum quotient (AQ): Evidence from Asperger syndrome/high-functioning autism, males & females, scientists and mathematicians

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders

Detection of emotional faces: Salient physical features guide effective visual search

Journal of Experimental Psychology: General

Facilitated detection of angry faces: Initial orienting and processing efficiency

Cognition and Emotion

Understanding emotions from standardized facial expressions in autism and normal development

Autism

The functional neuroanatomy of social behaviour. Changes in cerebral blood flow when people with autistic disorder process facial expressions

Brain

Spatial frequency and face processing in children with autism and Asperger syndrome

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders

British picture vocabulary scale