The Self-Reference Effect on Perception: Undiminished in Adults with Autism and No Relation to Autism Traits.
David M Williams, Toby Nicholson, Catherine Grainger
PMID 29160023WHAT IT FOUND
Adults with autism showed the same self-bias as comparison adults: faster and more accurate matching for self-related shapes and labels.
Autism traits were not related to this bias, so the study found no evidence that autism reduces it.
Key findings
01The self-bias did not differ significantly between adults with autism and comparison adults.
02Matching judgments about self were 20% more accurate than about mother or stranger among adults with autism and 21% more accurate among comparison adults; reaction times were 60 ms and 70 ms faster, respectively.
03Autism traits and autism severity were not significantly associated with the self-bias in either group.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The autism group was small, with 22 participants, so a small difference between groups may not have been detected. The study tested a brief laboratory perception task, not communication, daily living, or therapy outcomes. The Animations task associations were borderline and in opposite directions, and the paper itself said the evidence was inconclusive.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that autism leaves all self-awareness untouched. This study tested one perceptual binding task and found no group difference there; other self-reference tasks in the paper reported diminished effects in autism.