Adaptation to the Speed of Biological Motion in Autism

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Adaptation to the Speed of Biological Motion in Autism
Language: English
Authors: Karaminis, Themis (ORCID 0000-0003-2977-5451), Arrighi, Roberto, Forth, Georgia, Burr, David, Pellicano, Elizabeth
Source: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. Feb 2020 50(2):373-385.
Availability: Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-348-4505; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 13
Publication Date: 2020
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Elementary Education
Secondary Education
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Elementary School Students, Secondary School Students, Autism, Pervasive Developmental Disorders, Sensory Experience, Motion, Eye Movements, Attention, Stimuli, Visual Discrimination, Reaction Time
Geographic Terms: United Kingdom (London)
DOI: 10.1007/s10803-019-04241-4
ISSN: 0162-3257
Abstract: Autistic individuals often present atypicalities in adaptation--the continuous recalibration of perceptual systems driven by recent sensory experiences. Here, we examined such atypicalities in human biological motion. We used a dual-task paradigm, including a running-speed discrimination task ('comparing the speed of two running silhouettes') and a change-detection task ('detecting fixation-point shrinkages') assessing attention. We tested 19 school-age autistic and 19 age- and ability-matched typical participants, also recording eye-movements. The two groups presented comparable speed-discrimination abilities and, unexpectedly, comparable adaptation. Accuracy in the change-detection task and the scatter of eye-fixations around the fixation point were also similar across groups. Yet, the scatter of fixations reliably predicted the magnitude of adaptation, demonstrating the importance of controlling for attention in adaptation studies.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2020
Accession Number: EJ1242049
Database: ERIC
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Description
Abstract:Autistic individuals often present atypicalities in adaptation--the continuous recalibration of perceptual systems driven by recent sensory experiences. Here, we examined such atypicalities in human biological motion. We used a dual-task paradigm, including a running-speed discrimination task ('comparing the speed of two running silhouettes') and a change-detection task ('detecting fixation-point shrinkages') assessing attention. We tested 19 school-age autistic and 19 age- and ability-matched typical participants, also recording eye-movements. The two groups presented comparable speed-discrimination abilities and, unexpectedly, comparable adaptation. Accuracy in the change-detection task and the scatter of eye-fixations around the fixation point were also similar across groups. Yet, the scatter of fixations reliably predicted the magnitude of adaptation, demonstrating the importance of controlling for attention in adaptation studies.
ISSN:0162-3257
DOI:10.1007/s10803-019-04241-4