Face Identity Recognition and the Social Difficulties Component of the Autism-Like Phenotype: Evidence for Phenotypic and Genetic Links.
Gary J Lewis, Nicolas G Shakeshaft, Robert Plomin
PMID 29549550WHAT IT FOUND
Weaker face memory tracked more parent-reported social interaction difficulties in adolescent twins, and the link held when car memory was considered.
The association appeared genetic, but this was not a clinical autism diagnosis.
Key findings
01Weaker face memory was associated with more parent-reported social interaction difficulties, and the association remained when car memory was included.
02Car memory was associated with attention to detail/numbers and patterns, while the face-memory link to social difficulties was separate from object memory.
03Genetic influences on better face memory were linked to fewer social interaction difficulties, and genetic overlap explained the face-memory social association after car memory was considered.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample was general adolescent twins, not people diagnosed with ASD, so results may not apply to clinical patients. Autism-like traits were measured at age 16 and memory at age 18, which likely weakened the observed associations. The AQ-short measures were brief and factor solutions are debated, especially the attention to detail scale. The twin design cannot show causation and relies on assumptions such as equal environments. The sample was 93% White and 60% female. It may not represent more diverse groups. The face-memory sample was a pseudo-random subset of the broader twin cohort.
The easy way to misread this
Do not use face memory to diagnose autism or infer a general memory deficit. The study measured autism-like traits in general adolescent twins, not clinically diagnosed people, and it did not show that poor face memory causes social difficulties.