AS Psych: Baron-Cohen et al. (eyes test)
Psychology Being Investigated
1. A person with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) does not fully develop cognitive processes linked to social interaction
– ASD now refers to high functioning autism (HFA) and Asperger Syndrome (AS)
– HFA and AS used when Baron-Cohen et al. published this study
2. Theory of Mind (ToM): ability to attribute mental states to oneself and another person
– Can be desires/emotions
– This ability is the main way we make sense of or predict the behavior of others
– Allows a person to put themselves in the position of someone else, comprehending other people have separate feelings, beliefs, knowledge, and desires that can be different from their own
– Linked to empathy
3. “Reading the Mind in the Eyes’ Test (Baron-Cohen, 1997) → tests adults’ ability to identify emotional state other people are in (first stage of ToM)
– Measure of social cognition
– If social cognition is decreased, social sensitivity (ability to identify and understand social cues and contexts when interacting with others) also decreases
Background
Ceiling effect: participants in a condition achieve a very high score because the test is too easy
– First version of the Eyes test in 1997 investigated if adults with ASD had problems with theory of mind
– P shown pictures of eyes, asked to identify the emotion being shown from 2 options
– P needs to empathize with person in the picture to work out their emotional state
– Results: ASD P correctly identified fewer emotions than non-ASD group
– BUT there were practical issues (see image below)
Aims
1. To test people with AS/HFA on a revised Eyes Test to see if some of the original deficits were no longer seen
2. To investigate if there are sex differences in neurotypical people on the Eyes Test
3. To investigate if there is a negative correlation between Autism Spectrum Quotient Test (AQ) and Eyes Test scores
Hypotheses
1) P with ASD will score significantly lower scores on the revised Eyes test than the control group
2) P with ASD will score significantly higher on the Autism Spectrum Quotient Test (AQ) measure than the control group
3) Females in the “normal” groups (G2 & G3) will score higher on the Eyes test than males in those groups
4) Males in the “normal” group (G3) will score higher on the AQ measure than females
5) Scores on the AQ and Eyes test will be negatively correlated
Method
Research method: Laboratory Experiment, quasi-experiment (P assigned based on condition i.e. AS/HFA or neurotypical)
Research design: Independent Measures
IV: Type of participant in each condition
DV: Score on the revised Eyes Test
Sampling technique: Volunteer and Random
Sample
4 groups of participants (P):
Group 1
– 15 male adults
– Mean 29.7 year old
– Mean IQ score 115
– Same socioeconomic and education level as Group 2
– Recruited through adverts in the Autistic Society magazine or support groups
– Diagnosed in specialist centers using DSM or ICD criteria
Group 2
– 122 neurotypical adults
– Recruited from adult community and education classes in Exeter OR public library users in Cambridge
– Mix of education levels + daytime occupations
Group 3
– 53 male, 50 female
– Normal adult students
– Studying for undergraduate degrees at the University of Cambridge
– High IQ
Group 4
– 14 males
– Randomly selected from general population
– Mean IQ 116
– Mean 28 years
– IQ and age matched with Group 1
Procedure
Revised Eyes test used, measure theory of mind
– 40 sets of eyes, target words and foils (generated by first 2 authors)
Piloted by groups of 8 judges (4 male, 4 female)
– At least 5 have to agree target word most suitable for eyes
– No more than 2 judges pick any single foil
– Failure to meet these criterion: new target words, foils, or both generated
– Re-pilot with successive groups of judges until met for ALL
Actual Test
– Individually administered in a quiet room in Cambridge/Exeter
– Consent acquired, P aware of nature of research (informed consent)
– Data made anonymous, cannot identify individual from scores (confidentiality)
– AS/HFA group asked to judge gender of person (gender recognition, control task) → shows G1 able to identify characteristics of eyes not dependent on ToM
– P in all conditions except G2 asked to complete AQ at home, return by post
– To begin, P asked to read through glossary of words → indicate word meanings they’re unsure of + encouraged to read meanings + told they can refer to glossary
– For each set, told to pick the correct word for emotion in the the picture from 4 possibilities
– Shown a practice set before the actual sets of eyes
Results of G2 and G3 combined (did not differ)
– 4 items produced inconsistent results
– These were removed from analysis (left 36)
– Criteria used: clear majority of controls must select target word, which must be twice as often as any foil (i.e. at least 50% pick target word + <25% pick any foil)
Results
Glossary Words
– No difference in number of unsure words
Eyes Test Scores
– G1 (mean 21.9) < G2 and G3 < G4 (mean 30.9)
– G3: Males (mean 27.3) < females (mean 28.6)
AQ Test Scores
– G3 (mean 18.3) < G4 < G2 < G1 (mean 34.3)
– G3: Males (19.5) > females (16.6)
Correlations
– No correlation between IQ and Eyes Test
– No correlation between IQ and AQ
– Negative correlation between AQ and Eyes Test
Conclusion
1. People diagnosed with AS/HFA lack theory of mind, so they find it difficult to show empathy and understand the emotions of others
2. The revised “Eyes Test” overcame the problems of the original version, making it a valid test of social intelligence in adults
3. People with Autism have difficulties with ToM as they find it hard to see the perspective of others
Ethical Issues
Protection from Harm – findings identify “normal” performance vs “impaired” performance of the AS/HFA group, which can negatively represent the neurodiverse groups, causing them embarrassment + P may have been psychologically distressed if they could not identify the emotional states of the people in the pictures
✔ Confidentiality – not identifiable by data
✔ Informed consent – given
✔ Protection from Harm – the study provides greater understanding on the experiences of people with autism, and can be used to promote greater understanding in society, schools, workplaces, and in everyday life
Application to Daily Life
The Eyes test can be used
– as a diagnostic tool for AS/HFA; those who score low on the test have a lack of theory of mind/difficulty understanding the emotions and perspectives of others
– to train people with ASD about emotion recognition