scholarly journals Social Visual Attentional Engagement and Memory in Phelan-McDermid Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Eye-Tracking Study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvia Guillory ◽  
Victoria Z. Baskett ◽  
Hannah E. Grosman ◽  
Christopher S. McLaughlin ◽  
Emily L. Isenstein ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Recognition Memory ◽  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Genetic Disorder ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Attention And Memory ◽  
Similar Amount ◽  
Novelty Preference ◽  
Social Stimuli

The current study used eye tracking to investigate attention and recognition memory in Phelan-McDermid syndrome (PMS), a rare genetic disorder characterized by intellectual disability, motor delays, and a high likelihood of comorbid autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Social deficits represent a core feature of ASD, including decreased propensity to orient to or show preference for social stimuli. Here, we used a visual paired comparison task with both social and non-social images, assessing looking behavior to a novel image versus a previously-viewed familiar image to characterize social attention and recognition memory in PMS (n=27), idiopathic ASD (iASD, n=46), and typically-developing controls (n=29). On measures of attention, all groups spent a similar amount of time viewing the images; however, the rate of looking back-and-forth between images was lowest in iASD. Furthermore, while all groups demonstrated recognition memory when novel stimuli were initially presented, participants with PMS showed the weakest novelty preference compared to controls. Finally, the iASD, but not PMS, group showed enhanced novelty preference for non-social stimuli. Across indices, individuals with PMS and ASD performed more similarly to PMS without ASD and less similarly to the iASD group. These findings provide further evidence of differences in attention and memory for social stimuli in ASD and contrasts idiopathic autism with PMS.

scholarly journals Social visual attentional engagement and memory in Phelan-McDermid syndrome and autism spectrum disorder: a pilot eye tracking study

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvia B. Guillory ◽  
Victoria Z. Baskett ◽  
Hannah E. Grosman ◽  
Christopher S. McLaughlin ◽  
Emily L. Isenstein ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Recognition Memory ◽  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Genetic Disorder ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Attention And Memory ◽  
Social Stimuli ◽  
Developmental Quotient ◽  
Social Images

Abstract Background The current study used eye tracking to investigate attention and recognition memory in Phelan-McDermid syndrome (PMS), a rare genetic disorder characterized by intellectual disability, motor delays, and a high likelihood of comorbid autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Social deficits represent a core feature of ASD, including decreased propensity to orient to or show preference for social stimuli. Methods We used a visual paired-comparison task with both social and non-social images, assessing looking behavior to a novel image versus a previously viewed familiar image to characterize social attention and recognition memory in PMS (n = 22), idiopathic ASD (iASD, n = 38), and typically developing (TD) controls (n = 26). The idiopathic ASD cohort was divided into subgroups with intellectual disabilities (ID; developmental quotient < 70) and without (developmental quotient > 70) and the PMS group into those with and without a co-morbid ASD diagnosis. Results On measures of attention, the PMS group with a comorbid ASD diagnosis spent less time viewing the social images compared to non-social images; the rate of looking back and forth between images was lowest in the iASD with ID group. Furthermore, while all groups demonstrated intact recognition memory when novel non-social stimuli were initially presented (pre-switch), participants with PMS showed no preference during the post-switch memory presentation. In iASD, the group without ID, but not the group with ID, showed a novelty preference for social stimuli. Across indices, individuals with PMS and ASD performed more similarly to PMS without ASD and less similarly to the iASD group. Conclusion These findings demonstrate further evidence of differences in attention and memory for social stimuli in ASD and provide contrasts between iASD and PMS.

scholarly journals Context Modulates Attention to Faces in Dynamic Social Scenes in Children and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dzmitry A. Kaliukhovich ◽  
Nikolay V. Manyakov ◽  
Abigail Bangerter ◽  
Gahan Pandina
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Visual Attention ◽  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Orientation ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Social Stimuli ◽  
Adults With Autism ◽  
Social Scenes

AbstractIndividuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been found to view social scenes differently compared to typically developing (TD) peers, but results can vary depending on context and age. We used eye-tracking in children and adults (age 6–63) to assess allocation of visual attention in a dynamic social orientation paradigm previously used only in younger children. The ASD group (n = 94) looked less at the actor’s face compared to TD (n = 38) when they were engaged in activity (mean percentage of looking time, ASD = 30.7% vs TD = 34.9%; Cohen’s d = 0.56; p value < 0.03) or looking at a moving toy (24.5% vs 33.2%; d = 0.65; p value < 0.001). Findings indicate that there are qualitative differences in allocation of visual attention to social stimuli across ages in ASD.ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02668991.

scholarly journals Autistic differences in the temporal dynamics of social attention

Autism ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 136236132199857
Author(s):  
Nicholas Hedger ◽  
Bhismadev Chakrabarti
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Social Attention ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Initial Increase ◽  
Social Stimuli ◽  
Gaze Behaviour ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Over Time

Individuals with autism spectrum disorders typically exhibit reduced visual attention towards social stimuli relative to neurotypical individuals. Importantly, however, attention is not a static process, and it remains unclear how such effects may manifest over time. Exploring these momentary changes in gaze behaviour can more clearly illustrate how individuals respond to social stimuli and provide insight into the mechanisms underlying reduced social attention in autism spectrum disorder. Using a simple passive eye-tracking task with competing presentations of social and nonsocial stimuli, we examine the different ways in which attention to social stimuli evolves over time in neurotypical adults and adults with and autism spectrum disorders. Our temporal modelling of gaze behaviour revealed divergent temporal profiles of social attention in neurotypical and observers with autism. Neurotypical data showed an initial increase in social attention, a ‘decay’ and subsequent ‘recovery’ after prolonged viewing. By contrast, in individuals with autism spectrum disorder, social attention decayed over time in a linear fashion without recovery after prolonged viewing. We speculate that the ‘gaze cascade’ effect that maintains selection of social stimuli in neurotypical observers is disrupted in individuals with high autistic traits. Considering these temporal components of gaze behaviour may enhance behavioural phenotypes and theories of social attention in autism spectrum disorder. Lay abstract One behaviour often observed in individuals with autism is that they tend to look less towards social stimuli relative to neurotypical individuals. For instance, many eye-tracking studies have shown that individuals with autism will look less towards people and more towards objects in scenes. However, we currently know very little about how these behaviours change over time. Tracking these moment-to-moment changes in looking behaviour in individuals with autism can more clearly illustrate how they respond to social stimuli. In this study, adults with and without autism were presented with displays of social and non-social stimuli, while looking behaviours were measured by eye-tracking. We found large differences in how the two groups looked towards social stimuli over time. Neurotypical individuals initially showed a high probability of looking towards social stimuli, then a decline in probability, and a subsequent increase in probability after prolonged viewing. By contrast, individuals with autism showed an initial increase in probability, followed by a continuous decline in probability that did not recover. This pattern of results may indicate that individuals with autism exhibit reduced responsivity to the reward value of social stimuli. Moreover, our data suggest that exploring the temporal nature of gaze behaviours can lead to more precise explanatory theories of attention in autism.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document