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Glass D, Yuill N. Social motor synchrony in autism spectrum conditions: A systematic review. AUTISM : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2024; 28:1638-1653. [PMID: 38014541 PMCID: PMC11193327 DOI: 10.1177/13623613231213295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
LAY ABSTRACT When two people interact, they often fall into sync with one another by moving their bodies at the same time. Some say autistic people are not as good as non-autistic people at moving at the same time as a partner. This has led some researchers to ask whether measuring synchrony might help diagnose autism. We reviewed the research so far to look at differences in Social Motor Synchrony (SMS) (the way we move together) between autistic people and people they interact with. The research suggests that interactions involving an autistic partner (either two autistic partners, or an autistic and non-autistic partner) show lower synchrony than a non-autistic pair. However, we recognised elements in the research so far that may have affected SMS in interactions involving an autistic person. One way SMS may have been affected in research so far might be the way interactions have been set up in the research studies. Few papers studied interactions between two autistic people or looked at synchrony in comfortable environments with autistic-preferred tasks. The studies also do not explain why synchrony might be different, or weaker, in pairs involving autistic partners. We use these limitations to suggest improvements for future research.
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Caruana N, Nalepka P, Perez GA, Inkley C, Munro C, Rapaport H, Brett S, Kaplan DM, Richardson MJ, Pellicano E. Autistic young people adaptively use gaze to facilitate joint attention during multi-gestural dyadic interactions. AUTISM : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2024; 28:1565-1581. [PMID: 38006222 PMCID: PMC11134991 DOI: 10.1177/13623613231211967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2023]
Abstract
LAY ABSTRACT Autistic people have been said to have 'problems' with joint attention, that is, looking where someone else is looking. Past studies of joint attention have used tasks that require autistic people to continuously look at and respond to eye-gaze cues. But joint attention can also be done using other social cues, like pointing. This study looked at whether autistic and non-autistic young people use another person's eye gaze during joint attention in a task that did not require them to look at their partner's face. In the task, each participant worked together with their partner to find a computer-generated object in virtual reality. Sometimes the participant had to help guide their partner to the object, and other times, they followed their partner's lead. Participants were told to point to guide one another but were not told to use eye gaze. Both autistic and non-autistic participants often looked at their partner's face during joint attention interactions and were faster to respond to their partner's hand-pointing when the partner also looked at the object before pointing. This shows that autistic people can and do use information from another person's eyes, even when they don't have to. It is possible that, by not forcing autistic young people to look at their partner's face and eyes, they were better able to gather information from their partner's face when needed, without being overwhelmed. This shows how important it is to design tasks that provide autistic people with opportunities to show what they can do.
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McNaughton KA, Moss A, Yarger HA, Redcay E. Smiling synchronization predicts interaction enjoyment in peer dyads of autistic and neurotypical youth. AUTISM : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2024:13623613241238269. [PMID: 38497277 DOI: 10.1177/13623613241238269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
LAY ABSTRACT For autistic and neurotypical youth, having positive social interactions with other youth is an important part of well-being. Other researchers have found that one factor that can make people feel like social interactions have gone well is synchronization. Synchronization happens when peoples' body movements and facial expressions align while they're interacting. We focus on smiling synchronization here because other studies have found that when neurotypical individuals synchronize their smiles more in a social interaction, they say they enjoy that social interaction more. However, no studies have directly tested whether smiling synchrony influences social interaction enjoyment in autistic and neurotypical youth. We measured smiling synchrony in pairs of interacting autistic and neurotypical youth who were meeting each other for the first time. Some pairs were autistic youth interacting with other autistic youth (autistic with autistic participant pairs), some pairs were autistic youth interacting with neurotypical youth (autistic with neurotypical participant pairs), and other pairs were neurotypical youth interacting with neurotypical youth (neurotypical with neurotypical participant pairs). We found that autistic with neurotypical participant pairs had lower smiling synchrony than neurotypical with neurotypical participant pairs. Youth who were in dyads that had more smiling synchrony said they enjoyed interacting with their partner more and that they wanted to interact with their partner again. Our research shows that smiling synchrony is one part of interactions between autistic and neurotypical youth that influences how well youth say the interaction went. Identifying natural opportunities for autistic and neurotypical youth to share positive feelings could be one way to promote positive social interactions between autistic and neurotypical youth.
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Zhao S, Cao R, Lin C, Wang S, Yu H. Differences in the link between social trait judgment and socio-emotional experience in neurotypical and autistic individuals. Sci Rep 2024; 14:5400. [PMID: 38443486 PMCID: PMC10915137 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-56005-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Neurotypical (NT) individuals and individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) make different judgments of social traits from others' faces; they also exhibit different social emotional responses in social interactions. A common hypothesis is that the differences in face perception in ASD compared with NT is related to distinct social behaviors. To test this hypothesis, we combined a face trait judgment task with a novel interpersonal transgression task that induces measures social emotions and behaviors. ASD and neurotypical participants viewed a large set of naturalistic facial stimuli while judging them on a comprehensive set of social traits (e.g., warm, charismatic, critical). They also completed an interpersonal transgression task where their responsibility in causing an unpleasant outcome to a social partner was manipulated. The purpose of the latter task was to measure participants' emotional (e.g., guilt) and behavioral (e.g., compensation) responses to interpersonal transgression. We found that, compared with neurotypical participants, ASD participants' self-reported guilt and compensation tendency was less sensitive to our responsibility manipulation. Importantly, ASD participants and neurotypical participants showed distinct associations between self-reported guilt and judgments of criticalness from others' faces. These findings reveal a novel link between perception of social traits and social emotional responses in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shangcheng Zhao
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA
| | - Runnan Cao
- Department of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Chujun Lin
- Department of Psychology, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Shuo Wang
- Department of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Hongbo Yu
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA.
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Takeuchi N. A dual-brain therapeutic approach using noninvasive brain stimulation based on two-person neuroscience: A perspective review. MATHEMATICAL BIOSCIENCES AND ENGINEERING : MBE 2024; 21:5118-5137. [PMID: 38872529 DOI: 10.3934/mbe.2024226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2024]
Abstract
Our actions and decisions in everyday life are heavily influenced by social interactions, which are dynamic feedback loops involving actions, reactions, and internal cognitive processes between individual agents. Social interactions induce interpersonal synchrony, which occurs at different biobehavioral levels and comprises behavioral, physiological, and neurological activities. Hyperscanning-a neuroimaging technique that simultaneously measures the activity of multiple brain regions-has provided a powerful second-person neuroscience tool for investigating the phase alignment of neural processes during interactive social behavior. Neural synchronization, revealed by hyperscanning, is a phenomenon called inter-brain synchrony- a process that purportedly facilitates social interactions by prompting appropriate anticipation of and responses to each other's social behaviors during ongoing shared interactions. In this review, I explored the therapeutic dual-brain approach using noninvasive brain stimulation to target inter-brain synchrony based on second-person neuroscience to modulate social interaction. Artificially inducing synchrony between the brains is a potential adjunct technique to physiotherapy, psychotherapy, and pain treatment- which are strongly influenced by the social interaction between the therapist and patient. Dual-brain approaches to personalize stimulation parameters must consider temporal, spatial, and oscillatory factors. Multiple data fusion analysis, the assessment of inter-brain plasticity, a closed-loop system, and a brain-to-brain interface can support personalized stimulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naoyuki Takeuchi
- Department of Physical Therapy, Akita University Graduate School of Health Sciences, 1-1-1 Hondo, Akita, 010-8543, Japan
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Taylor SC, Gehringer BN, Dow HC, Langer A, Rawot E, Smernoff Z, Steeman S, Almasy L, Rader DJ, Bučan M, Brodkin ES. Contrasting Views of Autism Spectrum Traits in Adults, Especially in Self-Reports vs. Informant-Reports for Women High in Autism Spectrum Traits. J Autism Dev Disord 2024; 54:1088-1100. [PMID: 36484966 PMCID: PMC9734875 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-022-05822-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
There is uncertainty among researchers and clinicians about how to best measure autism spectrum dimensional traits in adults. In a sample of adults with high levels of autism spectrum traits and without intellectual disability (probands, n = 103) and their family members (n = 96), we sought to compare self vs. informant reports of autism spectrum-related traits and possible effects of sex on discrepancies. Using correlational analysis, we found poor agreement between self- and informant-report measures for probands, yet moderate agreement for family members. We found reporting discrepancy was greatest for female probands, often self-reporting more autism-related behaviors. Our findings suggest that autism spectrum traits are often underrecognized by informants, making self-report data important to collect in clinical and research settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara C Taylor
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3535 Market Street, Suite 3080, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-3309, USA
- Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, Clinical Research Building, 415 Curie Boulevard, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-6145, USA
- Neuroscience Graduate Group, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Brielle N Gehringer
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3535 Market Street, Suite 3080, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-3309, USA
- Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, Clinical Research Building, 415 Curie Boulevard, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-6145, USA
| | - Holly C Dow
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3535 Market Street, Suite 3080, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-3309, USA
- Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, Clinical Research Building, 415 Curie Boulevard, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-6145, USA
| | - Allison Langer
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3535 Market Street, Suite 3080, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-3309, USA
- Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, Clinical Research Building, 415 Curie Boulevard, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-6145, USA
| | - Eric Rawot
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3535 Market Street, Suite 3080, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-3309, USA
- Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, Clinical Research Building, 415 Curie Boulevard, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-6145, USA
| | - Zoe Smernoff
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3535 Market Street, Suite 3080, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-3309, USA
- Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, Clinical Research Building, 415 Curie Boulevard, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-6145, USA
| | - Samantha Steeman
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3535 Market Street, Suite 3080, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-3309, USA
- Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, Clinical Research Building, 415 Curie Boulevard, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-6145, USA
| | - Laura Almasy
- Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, Clinical Research Building, 415 Curie Boulevard, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-6145, USA
- Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Lifespan Brain Institute, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Daniel J Rader
- Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, Clinical Research Building, 415 Curie Boulevard, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-6145, USA
| | - Maja Bučan
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3535 Market Street, Suite 3080, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-3309, USA
- Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, Clinical Research Building, 415 Curie Boulevard, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-6145, USA
| | - Edward S Brodkin
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3535 Market Street, Suite 3080, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-3309, USA.
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Carnevali L, Valori I, Mason G, Altoè G, Farroni T. Interpersonal motor synchrony in autism: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Psychiatry 2024; 15:1355068. [PMID: 38439792 PMCID: PMC10909819 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1355068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Interpersonal motor synchrony (IMS) is the spontaneous, voluntary, or instructed coordination of movements between interacting partners. Throughout the life cycle, it shapes social exchanges and interplays with intra- and inter-individual characteristics that may diverge in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Here we perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to summarize the extant literature and quantify the evidence about reduced IMS in dyads including at least one participant with a diagnosis of ASD. Methods Empirical evidence from sixteen experimental studies was systematically reviewed, encompassing spontaneous and instructed paradigms as well as a paucity of measures used to assess IMS. Of these, thirteen studies (n = 512 dyads) contributed measures of IMS with an in situ neurotypical partner (TD) for ASD and control groups, which could be used for meta-analyses. Results Reduced synchronization in ASD-TD dyads emerged from both the systematic review and meta-analyses, although both small and large effect sizes (i.e., Hedge's g) in favor of the control group are consistent with the data (Hedge's g = .85, p < 0.001, 95% CI[.35, 1.35], 95% PI[-.89, 2.60]). Discussion Uncertainty is discussed relative to the type of task, measures, and age range considered in each study. We further discuss that sharing similar experiences of the world might help to synchronize with one another. Future studies should not only assess whether reduced IMS is consistently observed in ASD-TD dyads and how this shapes social exchanges, but also explore whether and how ASD-ASD dyads synchronize during interpersonal exchanges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Carnevali
- Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Irene Valori
- Chair of Acoustics and Haptics, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
- Centre for Tactile Internet with Human-in-the-Loop (CeTI), Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Giorgia Mason
- Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Gianmarco Altoè
- Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Teresa Farroni
- Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
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Koehler JC, Dong MS, Bierlich AM, Fischer S, Späth J, Plank IS, Koutsouleris N, Falter-Wagner CM. Machine learning classification of autism spectrum disorder based on reciprocity in naturalistic social interactions. Transl Psychiatry 2024; 14:76. [PMID: 38310111 PMCID: PMC10838326 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-02802-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder is characterized by impaired social communication and interaction. As a neurodevelopmental disorder typically diagnosed during childhood, diagnosis in adulthood is preceded by a resource-heavy clinical assessment period. The ongoing developments in digital phenotyping give rise to novel opportunities within the screening and diagnostic process. Our aim was to quantify multiple non-verbal social interaction characteristics in autism and build diagnostic classification models independent of clinical ratings. We analyzed videos of naturalistic social interactions in a sample including 28 autistic and 60 non-autistic adults paired in dyads and engaging in two conversational tasks. We used existing open-source computer vision algorithms for objective annotation to extract information based on the synchrony of movement and facial expression. These were subsequently used as features in a support vector machine learning model to predict whether an individual was part of an autistic or non-autistic interaction dyad. The two prediction models based on reciprocal adaptation in facial movements, as well as individual amounts of head and body motion and facial expressiveness showed the highest precision (balanced accuracies: 79.5% and 68.8%, respectively), followed by models based on reciprocal coordination of head (balanced accuracy: 62.1%) and body (balanced accuracy: 56.7%) motion, as well as intrapersonal coordination processes (balanced accuracy: 44.2%). Combinations of these models did not increase overall predictive performance. Our work highlights the distinctive nature of non-verbal behavior in autism and its utility for digital phenotyping-based classification. Future research needs to both explore the performance of different prediction algorithms to reveal underlying mechanisms and interactions, as well as investigate the prospective generalizability and robustness of these algorithms in routine clinical care.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mark Sen Dong
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, LMU, Munich, Germany
| | - Afton M Bierlich
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, LMU, Munich, Germany
| | - Stefanie Fischer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, LMU, Munich, Germany
- Goethe University Frankfurt, University Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Johanna Späth
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, LMU, Munich, Germany
| | - Irene Sophia Plank
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, LMU, Munich, Germany
| | - Nikolaos Koutsouleris
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, LMU, Munich, Germany
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College, London, UK
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9
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Hsu CT, Sato W, Yoshikawa S. An investigation of the modulatory effects of empathic and autistic traits on emotional and facial motor responses during live social interactions. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0290765. [PMID: 38194416 PMCID: PMC10775989 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0290765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024] Open
Abstract
A close relationship between emotional contagion and spontaneous facial mimicry has been theoretically proposed and is supported by empirical data. Facial expressions are essential in terms of both emotional and motor synchrony. Previous studies have demonstrated that trait emotional empathy enhanced spontaneous facial mimicry, but the relationship between autistic traits and spontaneous mimicry remained controversial. Moreover, previous studies presented faces that were static or videotaped, which may lack the "liveliness" of real-life social interactions. We addressed this limitation by using an image relay system to present live performances and pre-recorded videos of smiling or frowning dynamic facial expressions to 94 healthy female participants. We assessed their subjective experiential valence and arousal ratings to infer the amplitude of emotional contagion. We measured the electromyographic activities of the zygomaticus major and corrugator supercilii muscles to estimate spontaneous facial mimicry. Individual differences measures included trait emotional empathy (empathic concern) and the autism-spectrum quotient. We did not find that live performances enhanced the modulatory effect of trait differences on emotional contagion or spontaneous facial mimicry. However, we found that a high trait empathic concern was associated with stronger emotional contagion and corrugator mimicry. We found no two-way interaction between the autism spectrum quotient and emotional condition, suggesting that autistic traits did not modulate emotional contagion or spontaneous facial mimicry. Our findings imply that previous findings regarding the relationship between emotional empathy and emotional contagion/spontaneous facial mimicry using videos and photos could be generalized to real-life interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun-Ting Hsu
- Psychological Process Research Team, Guardian Robot Project, RIKEN, Soraku-gun, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Wataru Sato
- Psychological Process Research Team, Guardian Robot Project, RIKEN, Soraku-gun, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Sakiko Yoshikawa
- Institute of Philosophy and Human Values, Kyoto University of the Arts, Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan
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Abstract
What does it take to see how autistic people participate in social interactions? And what does it take to support and invite more participation? Western medicine and cognitive science tend to think of autism mainly in terms of social and communicative deficits. But research shows that autistic people can interact with a skill and sophistication that are hard to see when starting from a deficit idea. Research also shows that not only autistic people, but also their non-autistic interaction partners, can have difficulties interacting with each other. To do justice to these findings, we need a different approach to autistic interactions-one that helps everyone see, invite, and support better participation. I introduce such an approach, based on the enactive theory of participatory sense-making and supported by insights from indigenous epistemologies. This approach helps counteract the homogenizing tendencies of the "global mental health" movement, which attempts to erase rather than recognize difference, and often precludes respectful engagements. Based in the lived experiences of people in their socio-cultural-material and interactive contexts, I put forward an engaged-even engaging-epistemology for understanding how we interact across difference. From this perspective, we see participatory sense-making at work across the scientific, diagnostic, therapeutic, and everyday interactions of autistic and non-autistic people, and how everyone can invite and support more of it.
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Clin E, Kissine M. Neurotypical, but not autistic, adults might experience distress when looking at someone avoiding eye contact: A live face-to-face paradigm. AUTISM : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2023; 27:1949-1959. [PMID: 36688307 DOI: 10.1177/13623613221148553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
LAY ABSTRACT What is already known about the topic?Autistics are usually reported to share less eye contact than neurotypicals with their interlocutors. However, the reason why autistics might pay less attention to eyes looking at them is still unknown: some autistics express being hyper-aroused by this eye contact, while some eye-tracking studies suggest that eye contact is associated with hypo-arousal in autism.What this paper adds?This study is based on a highly controlled live face-to-face paradigm, combining a wearable eye-tracker (to study eye behaviours) with electrodermal activity sensors (to assess potential stress). We draw a nuanced picture of social attention in autism, as our autistic participants did not differ from our neurotypical group in their eye behaviours nor their skin conductance responses. However, we found that neurotypicals, compared to autistics, seemed to be much more distressed when their interlocutor did not gaze at them during the experiment.Implications for practice, research or policy:Our study encourages to consider social interaction difficulties in autism as a relational issue, instead as an individual deficit. This step might be first taken in research, by implementing paradigms sensitive to the experimenter's role and attitude.
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Schuwerk T, Sodian B. Differences in self-other control as cognitive mechanism to characterize theory of mind reasoning in autistic and non-autistic adults. Autism Res 2023; 16:1728-1738. [PMID: 37353968 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023]
Abstract
In cognitive science, altered Theory of Mind is a central pillar of etiological models of autism. Yet, recent evidence, showing comparable Theory of Mind abilities in autistic and non-autistic people, draws a more complex picture and renders previous descriptions of Theory of Mind abilities in autism and their role in autistic symptomatology insufficient. Here, we addressed self-other control as a potential candidate cognitive mechanism to explain subtle Theory of Mind reasoning differences between autistic and non-autistic adults. We investigated flexible shifting between another's and one's own congruent or incongruent points of view, an ability that is important for reciprocal social interaction. Measuring response accuracy and reaction time in a multiple-trial unexpected location false belief task, we found evidence for altered self-other control in Theory of Mind reasoning in autistic adults, with a relative difficulty in flexibly considering the other's perspective and less interference of the other's incongruent viewpoint when their own perspective is considered. Our results add to previous findings that social cognitive differences are there but subtle and constitute one step further in characterizing Theory of Mind reasoning in autism and explaining communication and interaction difficulties with non-autistic people in everyday life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Schuwerk
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Beate Sodian
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
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13
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Folz J, Akdağ R, Nikolić M, van Steenbergen H, Kret ME. Facial mimicry and metacognitive judgments in emotion recognition are distinctly modulated by social anxiety and autistic traits. Sci Rep 2023; 13:9730. [PMID: 37322077 PMCID: PMC10272184 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35773-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Facial mimicry as well as the accurate assessment of one's performance when judging others' emotional expressions have been suggested to inform successful emotion recognition. Differences in the integration of these two information sources might explain alterations in the perception of others' emotions in individuals with Social Anxiety Disorder and individuals on the autism spectrum. Using a non-clinical sample (N = 57), we examined the role of social anxiety and autistic traits in the link between facial mimicry, or confidence in one's performance, and emotion recognition. While participants were presented with videos of spontaneous emotional facial expressions, we measured their facial muscle activity, asked them to label the expressions and indicate their confidence in accurately labelling the expressions. Our results showed that confidence in emotion recognition was lower with higher social anxiety traits even though actual recognition was not related to social anxiety traits. Higher autistic traits, in contrast, were associated with worse recognition, and a weakened link between facial mimicry and performance. Consequently, high social anxiety traits might not affect emotion recognition itself, but the top-down evaluation of own abilities in emotion recognition contexts. High autistic traits, in contrast, may be related to lower integration of sensorimotor simulations, which promote emotion recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Folz
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Rüya Akdağ
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Milica Nikolić
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Research Institute of Child Development and Education, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Henk van Steenbergen
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Mariska E Kret
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Glass D, Yuill N. Moving Together: Social Motor Synchrony in Autistic Peer Partners Depends on Partner and Activity Type. J Autism Dev Disord 2023:10.1007/s10803-023-05917-8. [PMID: 37310543 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-023-05917-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Some suggest autistic people display impaired Interpersonal Synchrony. However, partners of different neurotypes can struggle to connect and empathise with one another. We used Motion Energy Analysis to examine Social Motor Synchrony (SMS) in familiar partners of the same neurotype: pairs of autistic and of neurotypical children. Partners played two shared tablet activities, one to support collaboration by facilitating engagement and other-awareness (Connect), and one with no additional design features to facilitate collaboration (Colours). The neurotypical group showed similar SMS to the autistic group in Colours but lower SMS in Connect. The autistic group displayed similar levels of SMS in each activity. Autistic children can synchronise to a similar, or greater, degree than neurotypical children when the social context and type of task are considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Devyn Glass
- University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9QJ, England, UK.
| | - Nicola Yuill
- University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9QJ, England, UK
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15
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Baek EC, Hyon R, López K, Du M, Porter MA, Parkinson C. Lonely Individuals Process the World in Idiosyncratic Ways. Psychol Sci 2023; 34:683-695. [PMID: 37027033 PMCID: PMC10404901 DOI: 10.1177/09567976221145316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 04/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Loneliness is detrimental to well-being and is often accompanied by self-reported feelings of not being understood by other people. What contributes to such feelings in lonely people? We used functional MRI of 66 first-year university students to unobtrusively measure the relative alignment of people's mental processing of naturalistic stimuli and tested whether lonely people actually process the world in idiosyncratic ways. We found evidence for such idiosyncrasy: Lonely individuals' neural responses were dissimilar to those of their peers, particularly in regions of the default-mode network in which similar responses have been associated with shared perspectives and subjective understanding. These relationships persisted when we controlled for demographic similarities, objective social isolation, and individuals' friendships with each other. Our findings raise the possibility that being surrounded by people who see the world differently from oneself, even if one is friends with them, may be a risk factor for loneliness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa C. Baek
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles
| | - Ryan Hyon
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles
| | - Karina López
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles
| | - Meng Du
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles
| | - Mason A. Porter
- Department of Mathematics, University of California, Los Angeles
- Santa Fe Institute
| | - Carolyn Parkinson
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles
- Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles
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16
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Wehrle S, Grice M, Vogeley K. Filled Pauses Produced by Autistic Adults Differ in Prosodic Realisation, but not Rate or Lexical Type. J Autism Dev Disord 2023:10.1007/s10803-023-06000-y. [PMID: 37133610 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-023-06000-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
We examined the use of filled pauses in conversations between homogeneous pairs of autistic and non-autistic adults. A corpus of semi-spontaneous speech was used to analyse the rate, lexical type (nasal "uhm" or non-nasal "uh"), and prosodic realisation (rising, level or falling) of filled pauses. We used Bayesian modelling for statistical analysis. We found an identical rate of filled pauses and an equivalent preference of "uhm" over "uh" across groups, but also a robust group-level difference regarding the intonational realisation of filled pauses: non-autistic controls produced a considerably higher proportion of filled pause tokens realised with the canonical level pitch contour than autistic speakers. Despite the fact that filled pauses are a frequent and impactful part of speech, previous work on their conversational use in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is limited. Our account is the first to analyse the intonational realisation of filled pauses in ASD and the first to investigate conversations between autistic adults in this context. Our results on rate and lexical type can help to contextualise previous research, while the novel findings on intonational realisation set the stage for future investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Wehrle
- Institut für Linguistik-Phonetik, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
| | - Martine Grice
- Institut für Linguistik-Phonetik, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Kai Vogeley
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Cologne, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-3), Research Center Jülich, Jülich, Germany
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17
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Kourtesis P, Kouklari EC, Roussos P, Mantas V, Papanikolaou K, Skaloumbakas C, Pehlivanidis A. Virtual Reality Training of Social Skills in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Examination of Acceptability, Usability, User Experience, Social Skills, and Executive Functions. Behav Sci (Basel) 2023; 13:bs13040336. [PMID: 37102850 PMCID: PMC10136366 DOI: 10.3390/bs13040336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Revised: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/15/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Poor social skills in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are associated with reduced independence in daily life. Current interventions for improving the social skills of individuals with ASD fail to represent the complexity of real-life social settings and situations. Virtual reality (VR) may facilitate social skills training in social environments and situations similar to those in real life; however, more research is needed to elucidate aspects such as the acceptability, usability, and user experience of VR systems in ASD. Twenty-five participants with ASD attended a neuropsychological evaluation and three sessions of VR social skills training, which incorporated five social scenarios with three difficulty levels. Participants reported high acceptability, system usability, and user experience. Significant correlations were observed between performance in social scenarios, self-reports, and executive functions. Working memory and planning ability were significant predictors of the functionality level in ASD and the VR system's perceived usability, respectively. Yet, performance in social scenarios was the best predictor of usability, acceptability, and functionality level. Planning ability substantially predicted performance in social scenarios, suggesting an implication in social skills. Immersive VR social skills training in individuals with ASD appears to be an appropriate service, but an errorless approach that is adaptive to the individual's needs should be preferred.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panagiotis Kourtesis
- Department of Psychology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 157 84 Athens, Greece
- Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9AD, UK
| | - Evangelia-Chrysanthi Kouklari
- Department of Child Psychiatry, Aghia Sophia Children's Hospital, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 115 27 Athens, Greece
- 1st Department of Psychiatry, Eginition Hospital, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 115 28 Athens, Greece
| | - Petros Roussos
- Department of Psychology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 157 84 Athens, Greece
| | - Vasileios Mantas
- 1st Department of Psychiatry, Eginition Hospital, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 115 28 Athens, Greece
| | - Katerina Papanikolaou
- Department of Child Psychiatry, Aghia Sophia Children's Hospital, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 115 27 Athens, Greece
| | - Christos Skaloumbakas
- Department of Child Psychiatry, P. & A. Kyriakou Children's Hospital, 115 28 Athens, Greece
- Habilis, R&D Team, 141 22 Athens, Greece
| | - Artemios Pehlivanidis
- 1st Department of Psychiatry, Eginition Hospital, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 115 28 Athens, Greece
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18
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Barnby JM, Dayan P, Bell V. Formalising social representation to explain psychiatric symptoms. Trends Cogn Sci 2023; 27:317-332. [PMID: 36609016 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2022.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Revised: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Recent work in social cognition has moved beyond a focus on how people process social rewards to examine how healthy people represent other agents and how this is altered in psychiatric disorders. However, formal modelling of social representation has not kept pace with these changes, impeding our understanding of how core aspects of social cognition function, and fail, in psychopathology. Here, we suggest that belief-based computational models provide a basis for an integrated sociocognitive approach to psychiatry, with the potential to address important but unexamined pathologies of social representation, such as maladaptive schemas and illusory social agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph M Barnby
- Social Computation and Cognitive Representation Lab, Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham TW20 0EX, UK.
| | - Peter Dayan
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, 72076, Germany; University of Tübingen, Tübingen, 72074, Germany
| | - Vaughan Bell
- Clinical, Educational, and Health Psychology, University College London, London WC1E 7HB, UK; South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London SE5 8AZ, UK
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19
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McParlin Z, Cerritelli F, Manzotti A, Friston KJ, Esteves JE. Therapeutic touch and therapeutic alliance in pediatric care and neonatology: An active inference framework. Front Pediatr 2023; 11:961075. [PMID: 36923275 PMCID: PMC10009260 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2023.961075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Therapeutic affective touch has been recognized as essential for survival, nurturing supportive interpersonal interactions, accelerating recovery-including reducing hospitalisations, and promoting overall health and building robust therapeutic alliances. Through the lens of active inference, we present an integrative model, combining therapeutic touch and communication, to achieve biobehavioural synchrony. This model speaks to how the brain develops a generative model required for recovery, developing successful therapeutic alliances, and regulating allostasis within paediatric manual therapy. We apply active inference to explain the neurophysiological and behavioural mechanisms that underwrite the development and maintenance of synchronous relationships through touch. This paper foregrounds the crucial role of therapeutic touch in developing a solid therapeutic alliance, the clinical effectiveness of paediatric care, and triadic synchrony between health care practitioner, caregiver, and infant in a variety of clinical situations. We start by providing a brief overview of the significance and clinical role of touch in the development of social interactions in infants; facilitating a positive therapeutic alliance and restoring homeostasis through touch to allow a more efficient process of allostatic regulation. Moreover, we explain the role of CT tactile afferents in achieving positive clinical outcomes and updating prior beliefs. We then discuss how touch is implemented in treatment sessions to promote cooperative interactions in the clinic and facilitate theory of mind. This underwrites biobehavioural synchrony, epistemic trust, empathy, and the resolution of uncertainty. The ensuing framework is underpinned by a critical application of the active inference framework to the fields of pediatrics and neonatology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoe McParlin
- Foundation COME Collaboration, Clinical-Based Human Research Department, Pescara, Italy
| | - Francesco Cerritelli
- Division of Neonatology, “V. Buzzi” Children's Hospital, ASST-FBF-Sacco, Milan, Italy
| | - Andrea Manzotti
- Foundation COME Collaboration, Clinical-Based Human Research Department, Pescara, Italy
- Division of Neonatology, “V. Buzzi” Children's Hospital, ASST-FBF-Sacco, Milan, Italy
- Research Department, SOMA, Istituto Osteopatia Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Karl J Friston
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jorge E Esteves
- Foundation COME Collaboration, Clinical-Based Human Research Department, Pescara, Italy
- Malta ICOM Educational, Malta, Finland
- Research Department, University College of Osteopathy, Research Department, London, United Kingdom
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20
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Pan Y, Wen Y, Wang Y, Schilbach L, Chen J. Interpersonal coordination in schizophrenia: a concise update on paradigms, computations, and neuroimaging findings. PSYCHORADIOLOGY 2023; 3:kkad002. [PMID: 38666124 PMCID: PMC10917372 DOI: 10.1093/psyrad/kkad002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Yafeng Pan
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Yalan Wen
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Yajie Wang
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Leonhard Schilbach
- Department of General Psychiatry 2 and Neuroimaging Section, LVR-Klinikum Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf 40629, Germany
- Medical Faculty, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich 80539, Germany
| | - Ji Chen
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
- Department of Psychiatry, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Yiwu, Zhejiang 322000, China
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21
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Fini C, Bardi L, Bolis D, Fusaro M, Lisi MP, Michalland AH, Era V. The social roots of self development: from a bodily to an intellectual interpersonal dialogue. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2023:10.1007/s00426-022-01785-6. [PMID: 36595049 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-022-01785-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
In this paper, we propose that interpersonal bodily interactions represent a fertile ground in which the bodily and psychological self is developed, gradually allowing for forms of more abstract and disembodied interactions. We start by focusing on how early infant-caregiver bodily interactions play a crucial role in shaping the boundaries of the self but also in learning to predict others' behavior. We then explore the social function of the sense of touch in the entire life span, highlighting its role in promoting physical and psychological well-being by supporting positive interpersonal exchanges. We go on by introducing the concept of implicit theory of mind, as the early ability to interpret others' intentions, possibly grounded in infant-caregiver bodily exchanges (embodied practices). In the following part, we consider so-called higher level forms of social interaction: intellectual exchanges among individuals. In this regard, we defend the view that, beside the apparent private dimension of "thinking abstractly", using abstract concepts is intrinsically a social process, as it entails the re-enactment of the internalized dialogue through which we acquired the concepts in the first place. Finally, we describe how the hypothesis of "dialectical attunement" may explain the development of abstract thinking: to effectively transform the world according to their survival needs, individuals co-construct structured concepts of it; by doing so, humans fundamentally transform not merely the world they are being in, but their being in the world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Fini
- Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology and Health Studies, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
| | - Lara Bardi
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience Marc Jeannerod, CNRS/UMR 5229, Bron, France.,Université Claude Bernard, Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Dimitris Bolis
- Independent Max Planck Research Group for Social Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry,Kraepelinstrasse 2-10, 80804, Muenchen-Schwabing, Germany.,Centre for Philosophy of Science, Faculty of Science, University of Lisbon, Campo Grande, 1749-016, Lisbon, Portugal.,Department of System Neuroscience, National Institute for Physiological Sciences (NIPS), Okazaki, 444-0867, Japan
| | | | - Matteo P Lisi
- IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy.,Fondazione Istituto Italiano Di Tecnologia (IIT), Sapienza University of Rome and Center for Life Nano- & Neuroscience, Rome, Italy
| | - Arthur Henri Michalland
- Department of Psychology, Université Paul Valéry Montpellier, EPSYLON EA 4556, 34199, Montpellier, France.,University of Montpellier - LIFAM, Montpellier, France
| | - Vanessa Era
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.,IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy.,Fondazione Istituto Italiano Di Tecnologia (IIT), Sapienza University of Rome and Center for Life Nano- & Neuroscience, Rome, Italy
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22
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Dingemanse M, Liesenfeld A, Rasenberg M, Albert S, Ameka FK, Birhane A, Bolis D, Cassell J, Clift R, Cuffari E, De Jaegher H, Novaes CD, Enfield NJ, Fusaroli R, Gregoromichelaki E, Hutchins E, Konvalinka I, Milton D, Rączaszek-Leonardi J, Reddy V, Rossano F, Schlangen D, Seibt J, Stokoe E, Suchman L, Vesper C, Wheatley T, Wiltschko M. Beyond Single-Mindedness: A Figure-Ground Reversal for the Cognitive Sciences. Cogn Sci 2023; 47:e13230. [PMID: 36625324 DOI: 10.1111/cogs.13230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
A fundamental fact about human minds is that they are never truly alone: all minds are steeped in situated interaction. That social interaction matters is recognized by any experimentalist who seeks to exclude its influence by studying individuals in isolation. On this view, interaction complicates cognition. Here, we explore the more radical stance that interaction co-constitutes cognition: that we benefit from looking beyond single minds toward cognition as a process involving interacting minds. All around the cognitive sciences, there are approaches that put interaction center stage. Their diverse and pluralistic origins may obscure the fact that collectively, they harbor insights and methods that can respecify foundational assumptions and fuel novel interdisciplinary work. What might the cognitive sciences gain from stronger interactional foundations? This represents, we believe, one of the key questions for the future. Writing as a transdisciplinary collective assembled from across the classic cognitive science hexagon and beyond, we highlight the opportunity for a figure-ground reversal that puts interaction at the heart of cognition. The interactive stance is a way of seeing that deserves to be a key part of the conceptual toolkit of cognitive scientists.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Marlou Rasenberg
- Centre for Language Studies, Radboud University
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics
| | - Saul Albert
- Discourse and Rhetoric Group, Loughborough University
| | | | - Abeba Birhane
- Mozilla Foundation
- School of Computer Science, University College Dublin
| | - Dimitris Bolis
- Independent Max Planck Research Group for Social Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry
- National Institute for Physiological Sciences
| | - Justine Cassell
- School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University
- Paris Artificial Intelligence Research Institute
| | - Rebecca Clift
- Department of Language and Linguistics, University of Essex
| | - Elena Cuffari
- Department of Psychology, Franklin and Marshall College
| | - Hanne De Jaegher
- IAS-Research Center for Mind, Life and Society, Department of Philosophy, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU)
| | | | - N J Enfield
- Department of Linguistics, The University of Sydney
| | - Riccardo Fusaroli
- Department of Linguistics, Cognitive Science & Semiotics, Aarhus University
- Interacting Minds Centre, Aarhus University
- Linguistic Data Consortium, University of Pennsylvania
| | | | - Edwin Hutchins
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California San Diego
| | - Ivana Konvalinka
- Section for Cognitive Systems, DTU Compute, Technical University of Denmark
| | | | | | | | - Federico Rossano
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California San Diego
| | | | - Johanna Seibt
- Research Unit for Robophilosophy and Integrative Social Robotics, School of Culture and Society, Aarhus University
| | - Elizabeth Stokoe
- Discourse and Rhetoric Group, Loughborough University
- Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science, London School of Economics
| | | | - Cordula Vesper
- Department of Linguistics, Cognitive Science & Semiotics, Aarhus University
- Interacting Minds Centre, Aarhus University
| | - Thalia Wheatley
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College
- Santa Fe Institute
| | - Martina Wiltschko
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Universitat Pompeu Fabra
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23
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Innovations of the ICD-11 in the Field of Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Psychological Approach. CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY IN EUROPE 2022; 4:e10005. [PMID: 36760320 PMCID: PMC9881114 DOI: 10.32872/cpe.10005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background This article aims to explain and elaborate upon the recently released ICD-11 criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD, World Health Organization), which endorse a medical model. Method We integrate insights from several disciplines (e.g., psychology, linguistics, sociology and lived experiences) to reflect the scientific and ethical insights derived from the biopsychosocial, neurodiversity perspective on autism. Results First, we describe the core domains of ASD's behavioural characteristics and then the lifetime, developmental perspective on the manifestations of these behaviours. Subsequently, we discuss potential underlying neuropsychology, related behaviours (i.e. associated features/conditions) and we consider some similarities and differences with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition (DSM 5, American Psychological Association). Conclusions Recommendations for clinical application are provided. For instance, diagnostic classification in clinical practise should be a means to provide proper, suitable care, and therefore all diagnostic assessments should be used to tailor interventions and/or care to the capacities and genuine needs of the people that ask for professional help.
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24
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Keates N, Waldock KE, Dewar E. Tensions Between Autistic Sociality, Communication, and Social Skills Research: A Response to Bambara (2022) and Camarata (2022). JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2022; 65:4346-4350. [PMID: 36256585 DOI: 10.1044/2022_jslhr-22-00331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The purpose of this letter to the editor is to further elucidate the arguments Keates (2022) and Beechey (2022) stated in their letters to the editor. Both Bambara (2022) and Camarata (2022) pose comments that require clarifying the original arguments, particularly regarding power and autistic sociality, which we feel will provide further clarity to this highly significant and growing topic within autism research. CONCLUSION We recommend teaching not autistic people but rather non-autistic individuals about autistic sociality, in order to lower the burden on autistic interlocutors in cross-neurotype interactions and socialization (as per previous literature, Bottema-Beutel et al., 2018). We provide recommendations to address difficulties in cross-neurotype interactions-for example, bridging the neurotype gap through practice or psychosocial interventions for acceptance of autistic people and their system of interpretation, as per Jones et al. (2021).
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan Keates
- Tizard Centre, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom
| | | | - Eleanor Dewar
- Tizard Centre, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom
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25
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Hirsch J, Zhang X, Noah JA, Dravida S, Naples A, Tiede M, Wolf JM, McPartland JC. Neural correlates of eye contact and social function in autism spectrum disorder. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0265798. [PMID: 36350848 PMCID: PMC9645655 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Reluctance to make eye contact during natural interactions is a central diagnostic criterion for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, the underlying neural correlates for eye contacts in ASD are unknown, and diagnostic biomarkers are active areas of investigation. Here, neuroimaging, eye-tracking, and pupillometry data were acquired simultaneously using two-person functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) during live "in-person" eye-to-eye contact and eye-gaze at a video face for typically-developed (TD) and participants with ASD to identify the neural correlates of live eye-to-eye contact in both groups. Comparisons between ASD and TD showed decreased right dorsal-parietal activity and increased right ventral temporal-parietal activity for ASD during live eye-to-eye contact (p≤0.05, FDR-corrected) and reduced cross-brain coherence consistent with atypical neural systems for live eye contact. Hypoactivity of right dorsal-parietal regions during eye contact in ASD was further associated with gold standard measures of social performance by the correlation of neural responses and individual measures of: ADOS-2, Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, 2nd Edition (r = -0.76, -0.92 and -0.77); and SRS-2, Social Responsiveness Scale, Second Edition (r = -0.58). The findings indicate that as categorized social ability decreases, neural responses to real eye-contact in the right dorsal parietal region also decrease consistent with a neural correlate for social characteristics in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joy Hirsch
- Brain Function Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States of America
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States of America
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States of America
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States of America
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, CT, United States of America
| | - Xian Zhang
- Brain Function Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States of America
| | - J. Adam Noah
- Brain Function Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States of America
| | - Swethasri Dravida
- Brain Function Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States of America
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States of America
| | - Adam Naples
- Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, CT, United States of America
| | - Mark Tiede
- Brain Function Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States of America
- Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, CT, United States of America
| | - Julie M. Wolf
- Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, CT, United States of America
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26
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Milton D, Gurbuz E, Lopez B. The 'double empathy problem': Ten years on. AUTISM : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2022; 26:1901-1903. [PMID: 36263746 DOI: 10.1177/13623613221129123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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27
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Pott J, Schilbach L. Tracking and changing beliefs during social interaction: Where computational psychiatry meets cognitive behavioral therapy. Front Psychol 2022; 13:1010012. [PMID: 36275316 PMCID: PMC9585719 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1010012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Pott
- Institut für Klinische Verhaltenstherapie, LVR-Klinikum Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Leonhard Schilbach
- Abteilung für Allgemeine Psychiatrie 2, LVR-Klinikum Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Medizinische Fakultät, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
- *Correspondence: Leonhard Schilbach
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The dual neural effects of oxytocin in autistic youth: results from a randomized trial. Sci Rep 2022; 12:16304. [PMID: 36175473 PMCID: PMC9523043 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-19524-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent discoveries have highlighted the effects of oxytocin (OT) on social behavior and perception among autistic individuals. However, a gap persists in the literature regarding the potential effects of OT and the neural temporal dynamics due to OT administration. We explored the effect of OT on autistic individuals using magnetoencephalography (MEG), focusing on M100, M170, and M250, social perception-related components that tend to show atypical patterns in autistic individuals. Twenty-five autistic adolescents participated in this randomized, double-blind MEG study. Autistic individuals arrived at the lab twice and received an acute dose of intranasal OT or placebo in each session. During the scans, participants were asked to identify pictures of social and non-social stimuli. Additionally, 23 typically developing (TD) adolescents performed the same task in the MEG as a benchmark that allowed us to better characterize neural regions of interest and behavioral results for this age group in this task. A source-model beamformer analysis revealed that OT enhanced neural activity for social stimuli in frontal regions during M170. Additionally, in each of the preselected time windows, OT increased activation in the left hemisphere, regardless of the content of the presented stimuli. We suggest that OT increased the processing of social stimuli through two separate mechanisms. First, OT increased neural activity in a nonspecific manner, allowing increased allocation of attention toward the stimuli. Second, OT enhanced M170 activity in frontal regions only in response to social stimuli. These results reveal the temporal dynamics of the effects of OT on the early stages of social and non-social perception in autistic adolescents. Trial registration: This study was a part of a project registered as clinical trial October 27th, 2021. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05096676.
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Li B, Blijd-Hoogewys E, Stockmann L, Vergari I, Rieffe C. Toward feeling, understanding, and caring: The development of empathy in young autistic children. AUTISM : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2022:13623613221117955. [PMID: 35999700 DOI: 10.1177/13623613221117955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
LAY ABSTRACT Empathy is a highly valued human capacity. Yet, autistic people are often portrayed as lacking in empathy. Recent research, which views empathy as a complex construct emerging from multiple interrelated emotional and cognitive processes, argues that, although many autistic people do have difficulty understanding others' emotions, and this may hinder them from responding to others in a prosocial manner, they are not indifferent to other people's feelings. Hoping to contribute to a better understanding of the unique challenges that autistic children face in their empathy development, we followed the development of four empathy abilities: emotion contagion, attention to others, emotion acknowledgment, and prosocial actions, in 1- to 6-year-old autistic children, in comparison with non-autistic children. Once a year, for 4 consecutive years, children's empathy abilities were evaluated by experimenters who acted out emotional episodes to provoke empathy in children, and by parents who filled out empathy questionnaires. We found that autistic children experienced indeed more difficulty attending to others, acknowledging others' emotions, and initiating prosocial actions toward others. However, according to parents, they did not differ from their non-autistic peers in feeling along with others' negative emotions. This indicates that it might not be the case that autistic children did not want to act empathetically toward others. Rather, they might not know how to do so. Notably, despite these difficulties, when looking at children's developmental trajectories, autistic children showed similar improvements over time as non-autistic children. This provides evidence that autistic children have the potential to learn and to improve their empathy skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boya Li
- Leiden University, The Netherlands
| | | | | | | | - Carolien Rieffe
- Leiden University, The Netherlands.,Twente University, The Netherlands.,University College London, UK
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30
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Barnby J, Raihani N, Dayan P. Knowing me, knowing you: Interpersonal similarity improves predictive accuracy and reduces attributions of harmful intent. Cognition 2022; 225:105098. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2022.105098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2021] [Revised: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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31
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Chen YL, Schneider M, Patten K. Exploring the role of interpersonal contexts in peer relationships among autistic and non-autistic youth in integrated education. Front Psychol 2022; 13:946651. [PMID: 35936294 PMCID: PMC9355587 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.946651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The double empathy problem theory posits that autistic social difficulties emerge from an interpersonal misalignment in social experiences and expectations between autistic and non-autistic people. Supporting this, emerging research reveals better social outcomes in interactions within than across neurotypes among autistic and non-autistic people, emphasizing the need to examine the role of the interpersonal context in autistic social outcomes. However, research on peer relationships among autistic youth primarily focuses on individual characteristics in isolation from the interpersonal context. To address this, this preliminary study explored the effects of student-peer neurotype match on peer relationships among autistic and non-autistic youth in an integrated educational setting. We plotted the peer relationship networks among youth in a school club based on systematic observations of peer interactions over eight 45-min sessions. Descriptive network statistics (node degree and strength) showed that both autistic and non-autistic youth had more and stronger peer relationships with their same- than cross-neurotype peers. Assortativity coefficients revealed a tendency for youth to connect with peers of the same neurotype, rather than with peers with similar social popularity or activity. We further modeled the effects of student-peer neurotype match on peer relationships using exponential random graph models. The findings suggested that student-peer neurotype match predicted the total strength of peer relationships above and beyond the effects of student neurotype, individual heterogeneity in social popularity and activity, and the tendency of mutuality in social relationships. We discussed the strengths and limitations of this study and the implications for future research and inclusion practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Lun Chen
- Department of Occupational Therapy, New York University, New York, NY, United States
- *Correspondence: Yu-Lun Chen,
| | | | - Kristie Patten
- Department of Occupational Therapy, New York University, New York, NY, United States
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32
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Crum J, Zhang X, Noah A, Hamilton A, Tachtsidis I, Burgess PW, Hirsch J. An Approach to Neuroimaging Interpersonal Interactions in Mental Health Interventions. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2022; 7:669-679. [PMID: 35144035 PMCID: PMC9271588 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2022.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Revised: 12/31/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Conventional paradigms in clinical neuroscience tend to be constrained in terms of ecological validity, raising several challenges to studying the mechanisms mediating treatments and outcomes in clinical settings. Addressing these issues requires real-world neuroimaging techniques that are capable of continuously collecting data during free-flowing interpersonal interactions and that allow for experimental designs that are representative of the clinical situations in which they occur. METHODS In this work, we developed a paradigm that fractionates the major components of human-to-human verbal interactions occurring in clinical situations and used functional near-infrared spectroscopy to assess the brain systems underlying clinician-client discourse (N = 30). RESULTS Cross-brain neural coupling between people was significantly greater during clinical interactions compared with everyday life verbal communication, particularly between the prefrontal cortex (e.g., inferior frontal gyrus) and inferior parietal lobule (e.g., supramarginal gyrus). The clinical tasks revealed extensive increases in activity across the prefrontal cortex, especially in the rostral prefrontal cortex (area 10), during periods in which participants were required to silently reason about the dysfunctional cognitions of the other person. CONCLUSIONS This work demonstrates a novel experimental approach to investigating the neural underpinnings of interpersonal interactions that typically occur in clinical settings, and its findings support the idea that particular prefrontal systems might be critical to cultivating mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Crum
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
| | - Xian Zhang
- Brain Function Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Adam Noah
- Brain Function Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Antonia Hamilton
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ilias Tachtsidis
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Paul W Burgess
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Joy Hirsch
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, London, United Kingdom; Brain Function Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut; Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut; Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
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33
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Ai W, Cunningham WA, Lai MC. Reconsidering autistic ‘camouflaging’ as transactional impression management. Trends Cogn Sci 2022; 26:631-645. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2022.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2022] [Revised: 05/02/2022] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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34
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Lomas JD, Lin A, Dikker S, Forster D, Lupetti ML, Huisman G, Habekost J, Beardow C, Pandey P, Ahmad N, Miyapuram K, Mullen T, Cooper P, van der Maden W, Cross ES. Resonance as a Design Strategy for AI and Social Robots. Front Neurorobot 2022; 16:850489. [PMID: 35574227 PMCID: PMC9097027 DOI: 10.3389/fnbot.2022.850489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Resonance, a powerful and pervasive phenomenon, appears to play a major role in human interactions. This article investigates the relationship between the physical mechanism of resonance and the human experience of resonance, and considers possibilities for enhancing the experience of resonance within human-robot interactions. We first introduce resonance as a widespread cultural and scientific metaphor. Then, we review the nature of "sympathetic resonance" as a physical mechanism. Following this introduction, the remainder of the article is organized in two parts. In part one, we review the role of resonance (including synchronization and rhythmic entrainment) in human cognition and social interactions. Then, in part two, we review resonance-related phenomena in robotics and artificial intelligence (AI). These two reviews serve as ground for the introduction of a design strategy and combinatorial design space for shaping resonant interactions with robots and AI. We conclude by posing hypotheses and research questions for future empirical studies and discuss a range of ethical and aesthetic issues associated with resonance in human-robot interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Derek Lomas
- Department of Human Centered Design, Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands
| | - Albert Lin
- Center for Human Frontiers, Qualcomm Institute, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Suzanne Dikker
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Deborah Forster
- Center for Human Frontiers, Qualcomm Institute, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Maria Luce Lupetti
- Department of Human Centered Design, Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands
| | - Gijs Huisman
- Department of Human Centered Design, Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands
| | - Julika Habekost
- The Design Lab, California Institute of Information and Communication Technologies, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Caiseal Beardow
- Department of Human Centered Design, Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands
| | - Pankaj Pandey
- Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar, India
| | - Nashra Ahmad
- Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar, India
| | - Krishna Miyapuram
- Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar, India
| | - Tim Mullen
- Intheon Labs, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Patrick Cooper
- Department of Physics, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Willem van der Maden
- Department of Human Centered Design, Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands
| | - Emily S. Cross
- Social Robotics, Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, School of Computing Science, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
- SOBA Lab, School of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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35
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Friedrich EVC, Zillekens IC, Biel AL, O'Leary D, Seegenschmiedt EV, Singer J, Schilbach L, Sauseng P. Seeing a Bayesian ghost: Sensorimotor activation leads to an illusory social perception. iScience 2022; 25:104068. [PMID: 35355523 PMCID: PMC8958323 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Revised: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Based on our prior experiences we form social expectations and anticipate another person’s response. Under certain conditions, these expectations can be so strong that they lead to illusory perception of another person who is actually not there (i.e., seeing a Bayesian ghost). We used EEG to investigate the neural correlates of such illusory social perception. Our results showed that activation of the premotor cortex predicted the occurrence of the Bayesian ghost, whereas its actual appearance was later accompanied by activation in sensorimotor and adjacent parietal regions. These findings confirm that our perception of others is so strongly affected by prior expectations, in such a way they can prompt illusory social perceptions associated with activity change in brain regions relevant for action perception. They also contribute to a better understanding of social interaction in healthy individuals as well as persons with mental illnesses, which can be characterized by illusory perception and social interaction difficulties. Expecting a response to a social action can lead to an illusion of another person The brain does not merely respond to social signals but anticipates social behavior Sensorimotor activity indicates top-down predictions that outweigh sensory input Illusory social perception is associated with sensorimotor and parietal activity
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth V C Friedrich
- Department of Psychology, Research Unit Biological Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 80802 Munich, Germany
| | - Imme C Zillekens
- Independent Max Planck Research Group for Social Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany.,International Max Planck Research School for Translational Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Anna Lena Biel
- Department of Psychology, Research Unit Biological Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 80802 Munich, Germany
| | - Dariusz O'Leary
- Department of Psychology, Research Unit Biological Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 80802 Munich, Germany
| | - Eva Victoria Seegenschmiedt
- Department of Psychology, Research Unit Biological Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 80802 Munich, Germany
| | - Johannes Singer
- Department of Psychology, Research Unit Biological Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 80802 Munich, Germany.,Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Leonhard Schilbach
- Independent Max Planck Research Group for Social Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany.,International Max Planck Research School for Translational Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany.,Medical Faculty, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany
| | - Paul Sauseng
- Department of Psychology, Research Unit Biological Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 80802 Munich, Germany
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36
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Constant A, Badcock P, Friston K, Kirmayer LJ. Integrating Evolutionary, Cultural, and Computational Psychiatry: A Multilevel Systemic Approach. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:763380. [PMID: 35444580 PMCID: PMC9013887 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.763380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
This paper proposes an integrative perspective on evolutionary, cultural and computational approaches to psychiatry. These three approaches attempt to frame mental disorders as multiscale entities and offer modes of explanations and modeling strategies that can inform clinical practice. Although each of these perspectives involves systemic thinking, each is limited in its ability to address the complex developmental trajectories and larger social systemic interactions that lead to mental disorders. Inspired by computational modeling in theoretical biology, this paper aims to integrate the modes of explanation offered by evolutionary, cultural and computational psychiatry in a multilevel systemic perspective. We apply the resulting Evolutionary, Cultural and Computational (ECC) model to Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) to illustrate how this integrative approach can guide research and practice in psychiatry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Axel Constant
- Department of Philosophy, The University of Sydney, Darlington, NSW, Australia
| | - Paul Badcock
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Orygen, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Karl Friston
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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37
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Rifai OM, Fletcher-Watson S, Jiménez-Sánchez L, Crompton CJ. Investigating Markers of Rapport in Autistic and Nonautistic Interactions. AUTISM IN ADULTHOOD 2022; 4:3-11. [PMID: 36600904 PMCID: PMC8992924 DOI: 10.1089/aut.2021.0017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Background Autism is considered to entail a social impairment whereby autistic people experience difficulty interpreting others' mental states. However, recent research has shown that nonautistic people also have difficulty understanding the mental states of autistic people. This mismatch of understanding may explain lower rapport in interactions between autistic and nonautistic people. As mental states can be expressed externally through socially normed signals, it is important to investigate the role of such signals in autistic, nonautistic, and mixed interactions. This study explores variability in two social signals between autistic, nonautistic, and mixed interactions, and how their use may affect rapport within interactions. Methods Videos from a previous study of autistic, nonautistic, and mixed pair interactions in a diffusion chain context in which participants were aware of others' diagnostic status were video coded for mutual gaze and backchanneling as candidate indicators of interactional rapport. Results Although use of mutual gaze and backchanneling was lower in mixed pairs than in nonautistic pairs, corresponding to lower ratings of interactional rapport, less backchanneling in autistic pairs of both nonverbal and verbal subtypes corresponded to higher ratings of rapport. Conclusions We observed differences in the use of candidate rapport markers between autistic, mixed, and nonautistic interactions, which did not map onto patterns of rapport scores, suggesting differences in reliance on these cues between autistic and nonautistic people. These results suggest that visible markers of rapport may vary by neurotype or pairing and give clues to inform future investigations of autistic interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia M. Rifai
- Translational Neuroscience PhD Programme, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.,Address correspondence to: Olivia M. Rifai, MS, Translational Neuroscience PhD Programme, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, 1 George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9LD, United Kingdom
| | - Sue Fletcher-Watson
- Salvesen Mindroom Research Centre, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Lorena Jiménez-Sánchez
- Translational Neuroscience PhD Programme, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Catherine J. Crompton
- Salvesen Mindroom Research Centre, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.,Patrick Wild Centre, Division of Psychiatry, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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38
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Bilek E, Zeidman P, Kirsch P, Tost H, Meyer-Lindenberg A, Friston K. Directed coupling in multi-brain networks underlies generalized synchrony during social exchange. Neuroimage 2022; 252:119038. [PMID: 35231631 PMCID: PMC8987739 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Revised: 02/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Advances in social neuroscience have made neural signatures of social exchange measurable simultaneously across people. This has identified brain regions differentially active during social interaction between human dyads, but the underlying systems-level mechanisms are incompletely understood. This paper introduces dynamic causal modeling and Bayesian model comparison to assess the causal and directed connectivity between two brains in the context of hyperscanning (h-DCM). In this setting, correlated neuronal responses become the data features that have to be explained by models with and without between-brain (effective) connections. Connections between brains can be understood in the context of generalized synchrony, which explains how dynamical systems become synchronized when they are coupled to each another. Under generalized synchrony, each brain state can be predicted by the other brain or a mixture of both. Our results show that effective connectivity between brains is not a feature within dyads per se but emerges selectively during social exchange. We demonstrate a causal impact of the sender's brain activity on the receiver of information, which explains previous reports of two-brain synchrony. We discuss the implications of this work; in particular, how characterizing generalized synchrony enables the discovery of between-brain connections in any social contact, and the advantage of h-DCM in studying brain function on the subject level, dyadic level, and group level within a directed model of (between) brain function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edda Bilek
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, University College London, 12 Queen Square, London WC1N 3AR, United Kingdom; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Square J5, Mannheim 68159 , Germany.
| | - Peter Zeidman
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, University College London, 12 Queen Square, London WC1N 3AR, United Kingdom
| | - Peter Kirsch
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Square J5, Mannheim 68159, Germany
| | - Heike Tost
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Square J5, Mannheim 68159 , Germany
| | - Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Square J5, Mannheim 68159 , Germany
| | - Karl Friston
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, University College London, 12 Queen Square, London WC1N 3AR, United Kingdom
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Gowen E, Crane L, Falter-Wagner CM. Editorial: Autism: Innovations and Future Directions in Psychological Research. Front Psychol 2022; 12:832008. [PMID: 35111118 PMCID: PMC8803001 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.832008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Emma Gowen
- Body, Eye and Movement Lab, Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
- *Correspondence: Emma Gowen
| | - Laura Crane
- Centre for Research in Autism and Education (CRAE), UCL Institute of Education, London, United Kingdom
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40
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Dikker S, Mech EN, Gwilliams L, West T, Dumas G, Federmeier KD. Exploring age-related changes in inter-brain synchrony during verbal communication. PSYCHOLOGY OF LEARNING AND MOTIVATION 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.plm.2022.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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41
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Gallagher S. Integration and Causality in Enactive Approaches to Psychiatry. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:870122. [PMID: 35859602 PMCID: PMC9289159 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.870122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2022] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
In this paper I address what has been called the integration problem in psychiatry. This problem is tied to conceptions of causality and explanatory levels in our understanding of mind. I take an interdisciplinary enactive perspective to develop a 3-fold method for exploring the dynamics of integration, based on a concept of dynamical causation and a non-hierarchical (level-free) notion of gestalt. I also consider Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as a test case.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaun Gallagher
- Department of Philosophy, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, United States.,School of Liberal Arts, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
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42
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Ayache J, Connor A, Marks S, Kuss DJ, Rhodes D, Sumich A, Heym N. Exploring the "Dark Matter" of Social Interaction: Systematic Review of a Decade of Research in Spontaneous Interpersonal Coordination. Front Psychol 2021; 12:718237. [PMID: 34707533 PMCID: PMC8542929 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.718237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Interpersonal coordination is a research topic that has attracted considerable attention this last decade both due to a theoretical shift from intra-individual to inter-individual processes and due to the development of new methods for recording and analyzing movements in ecological settings. Encompassing spatiotemporal behavioral matching, interpersonal coordination is considered as "social glue" due to its capacity to foster social bonding. However, the mechanisms underlying this effect are still unclear and recent findings suggest a complex picture. Goal-oriented joint action and spontaneous coordination are often conflated, making it difficult to disentangle the role of joint commitment from unconscious mutual attunement. Consequently, the goals of the present article are twofold: (1) to illustrate the rapid expansion of interpersonal coordination as a research topic and (2) to conduct a systematic review of spontaneous interpersonal coordination, summarizing its latest developments and current challenges this last decade. By applying Rapid Automatic Keyword Extraction and Latent Dirichlet Allocation algorithms, keywords were extracted from PubMed and Scopus databases revealing the large diversity of research topics associated with spontaneous interpersonal coordination. Using the same databases and the keywords "behavioral matching," "interactional synchrony," and "interpersonal coordination," 1,213 articles were identified, extracted, and screened following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses protocol. A total of 19 articles were selected using the following inclusion criteria: (1) dynamic and spontaneous interactions between two unacquainted individuals (2) kinematic analyses, and (3) non-clinical and non-expert adult populations. The results of this systematic review stress the proliferation of various definitions and experimental paradigms that study perceptual and/or social influences on the emergence of spontaneous interpersonal coordination. As methods and indices used to quantify interpersonal coordination differ from one study to another, it becomes difficult to establish a coherent picture. This review highlights the need to reconsider interpersonal coordination not as the pinnacle of social interactions but as a complex dynamical process that requires cautious interpretation. An interdisciplinary approach is necessary for building bridges across scattered research fields through opening a dialogue between different theoretical frameworks and consequently provides a more ecological and holistic understanding of human social cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Ayache
- Department of Psychology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Andy Connor
- School of Future Environments, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Stefan Marks
- School of Future Environments, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Daria J. Kuss
- Department of Psychology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Darren Rhodes
- Department of Psychology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Alexander Sumich
- Department of Psychology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- Department of Psychology, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Nadja Heym
- Department of Psychology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom
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Chen YL, Senande LL, Thorsen M, Patten K. Peer preferences and characteristics of same-group and cross-group social interactions among autistic and non-autistic adolescents. AUTISM : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2021; 25:1885-1900. [PMID: 34169757 PMCID: PMC8419288 DOI: 10.1177/13623613211005918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
LAY ABSTRACT Autistic students often experience challenges in peer interactions, especially for young adolescents who are navigating the increased social expectations in secondary education. Previous research on the peer interactions of autistic adolescents mainly compared the social behaviors of autistic and non-autistic students and overlooked the peers in the social context. However, recent research has shown that the social challenges faced by autistic may not be solely contributed by their social differences, but a mismatch in the social communication styles between autistic and non-autistic people. As such, this study aimed to investigate the student-and-peer match in real-world peer interactions between six autistic and six non-autistic adolescents in an inclusive school club. We examined the odds of autistic and non-autistic students interacting with either an autistic peer, a non-autistic peer, or multiple peers, and the results showed that autistic students were more likely to interact with autistic peers then non-autistic peers. This preference for same-group peer interactions strengthened over the 5-month school club in both autistic and non-autistic students. We further found that same-group peer interactions, in both autistic and non-autistic students, were more likely to convey a social interest rather than a functional purpose or need, be sharing thoughts, experiences, or items rather than requesting help or objects, and be highly reciprocal than cross-group social behaviors. Collectively, our findings support that peer interaction outcomes may be determined by the match between the group memberships of the student and their peers, either autistic or non-autistic, rather than the student's autism diagnosis.
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Chen YL, Schneider M, Patten K. Exploring interpersonal and environmental factors of autistic adolescents' peer engagement in integrated education. AUTISM : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2021; 26:1255-1266. [PMID: 34541934 PMCID: PMC9340126 DOI: 10.1177/13623613211046158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
LAY ABSTRACT Peer engagement is essential but often challenging for autistic students in integrated education, especially for adolescents. Although peer engagement is bidirectional and context-dependent, research has largely focused on individual characteristics rather than the interpersonal and environmental factors affecting peer engagement. This mixed-methods study examined peer interactions over a school year among 17 adolescents (seven were autistic) in an inclusive school club at a public middle school in the Northeastern United States. The study began with a quantitative phase identifying sessions in which each student was socially engaged with peers more or less often than usual for them. We then qualitatively compared the social interactions and contexts between sessions where each participant experienced high and low peer engagement. Thematic analysis revealed four themes regarding contextual supports and barriers to autistic peer engagement: (1) peer engagement is a participatory process where a student and their peer(s) navigate mutual understanding, shaped by both student and peer social characteristics, openness, and involvement; (2) student-peer synchronicity, such as shared interests or compatibility of social styles, was essential to autistic peer engagement; (3) peer engagement can be supported by activities facilitating joint engagement and exploration of mutual interests; (4) classroom interventions emphasizing strengths can support peer engagement, while normative behavioral standards without peer education on individual differences and diversity can perpetuate peers' negative perceptions of autistic difficulties. The findings have implications for better inclusive practice to support autistic social participation by modifying the peer environments, activities, and classroom interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Maxwell Schneider
- New York University, USA.,The Kull Initiative for Psychotherapy, USA
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Heimann M, Holmer E. Neonatal Imitation, Intersubjectivity, and Children With Atypical Development: Do Observations on Autism and Down Syndrome Change Our Understanding? Front Psychol 2021; 12:701795. [PMID: 34512459 PMCID: PMC8430258 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.701795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 07/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Almost all studies on neonatal imitation to date seem to have focused on typically developing children, and we thus lack information on the early imitative abilities of children who follow atypical developmental trajectories. From both practical and theoretical perspectives, these abilities might be relevant to study in children who develop a neuropsychiatric diagnosis later on or in infants who later show impaired ability to imitate. Theoretical in the sense that it will provide insight into the earliest signs of intersubjectivity—i.e., primary intersubjectivity—and how this knowledge might influence our understanding of children following atypical trajectories of development. Practical in the sense that it might lead to earlier detection of certain disabilities. In the present work, we screen the literature for empirical studies on neonatal imitation in children with an Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or Down syndrome (DS) as well as present an observation of neonatal imitation in an infant that later was diagnosed with autism and a re-interpretation of previously published data on the phenomenon in a small group of infants with DS. Our findings suggest that the empirical observations to date are too few to draw any definite conclusions but that the existing data suggests that neonatal imitation can be observed both in children with ASD and in children with DS. Thus, neonatal imitation might not represent a useful predictor of a developmental deficit. Based on current theoretical perspectives advocating that neonatal imitation is a marker of primary intersubjectivity, we propose tentatively that an ability to engage in purposeful exchanges with another human being exists in these populations from birth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikael Heimann
- Infant and Child Lab, Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Emil Holmer
- Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning, The Swedish Institute for Disability Research, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
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Kildahl AN, Helverschou SB, Rysstad AL, Wigaard E, Hellerud JM, Ludvigsen LB, Howlin P. Pathological demand avoidance in children and adolescents: A systematic review. AUTISM : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2021; 25:2162-2176. [PMID: 34320869 DOI: 10.1177/13623613211034382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
LAY ABSTRACT Requests for diagnoses of pathological demand avoidance have increased over recent years, but pathological demand avoidance remains a controversial issue. The concept of pathological demand avoidance has been criticised for undermining the self-advocacy of autistic people and neglecting the potential role of anxiety as a possible underlying or contributing cause. The current study was undertaken to summarise and review the methodological quality and findings from current research into pathological demand avoidance in children and adolescents. Further aims were to describe how pathological demand avoidance has been identified and to explore the relationships with autism and other developmental and psychiatric disorders. After a comprehensive search, 13 relevant studies using a wide range of methods were identified and systematic quality assessments were undertaken. All the studies had based the identification of pathological demand avoidance, directly or indirectly, on descriptions from the original study by Newson and colleagues. However, the methods used to develop these criteria were not clearly described. Most studies relied exclusively on parental report for data, and there was a general failure to take account of alternative explanations for the behaviours under study. No studies explored the views of individuals with pathological demand avoidance themselves. Problems concerning definition and measurement in the reviewed studies currently limit any conclusions regarding the uniformity or stability of the behaviours described, or the characteristics of individuals displaying them. Relationships between pathological demand avoidance and other emotional and behavioural difficulties should be explored in future research, as should the perspectives of individuals with pathological demand avoidance themselves.
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47
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Jiang J, Zheng L, Lu C. A hierarchical model for interpersonal verbal communication. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2021; 16:246-255. [PMID: 33150951 PMCID: PMC7812628 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsaa151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2020] [Revised: 10/07/2020] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to use language makes us human. For decades, researchers have been racking their minds to understand the relation between language and the human brain. Nevertheless, most previous neuroscientific research has investigated this issue from a ‘single-brain’ perspective, thus neglecting the nature of interpersonal communication through language. With the development of modern hyperscanning techniques, researchers have begun probing the neurocognitive processes underlying interpersonal verbal communication and have examined the involvement of interpersonal neural synchronization (INS) in communication. However, in most cases, the neurocognitive processes underlying INS are obscure. To tentatively address this issue, we propose herein a hierarchical model based on the findings from a growing amount of hyperscanning research. We suggest that three levels of neurocognitive processes are primarily involved in interpersonal verbal communication and are closely associated with distinctive patterns of INS. Different levels of these processes modulate each other bidirectionally. Furthermore, we argued that two processes (shared representation and interpersonal predictive coding) might coexist and work together at each level to facilitate successful interpersonal verbal communication. We hope this model will inspire further innovative research in several directions within the fields of social and cognitive neuroscience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Jiang
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.,Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Lifen Zheng
- Center for Teacher Education Research, Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Chunming Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.,IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
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48
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Heggli OA, Konvalinka I, Cabral J, Brattico E, Kringelbach ML, Vuust P. Transient brain networks underlying interpersonal strategies during synchronized action. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2021; 16:19-30. [PMID: 32337586 PMCID: PMC7812620 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsaa056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2020] [Revised: 03/02/2020] [Accepted: 04/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Interpersonal coordination is a core part of human interaction, and its underlying mechanisms have been extensively studied using social paradigms such as joint finger-tapping. Here, individual and dyadic differences have been found to yield a range of dyadic synchronization strategies, such as mutual adaptation, leading–leading, and leading–following behaviour, but the brain mechanisms that underlie these strategies remain poorly understood. To identify individual brain mechanisms underlying emergence of these minimal social interaction strategies, we contrasted EEG-recorded brain activity in two groups of musicians exhibiting the mutual adaptation and leading–leading strategies. We found that the individuals coordinating via mutual adaptation exhibited a more frequent occurrence of phase-locked activity within a transient action–perception-related brain network in the alpha range, as compared to the leading–leading group. Furthermore, we identified parietal and temporal brain regions that changed significantly in the directionality of their within-network information flow. Our results suggest that the stronger weight on extrinsic coupling observed in computational models of mutual adaptation as compared to leading–leading might be facilitated by a higher degree of action–perception network coupling in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ole Adrian Heggli
- Center for Music in the Brain, Aarhus University & The Royal Academy of Music Aarhus/Aalborg, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Ivana Konvalinka
- SINe Lab, Section for Cognitive Systems, DTU Compute, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Joana Cabral
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Elvira Brattico
- Center for Music in the Brain, Aarhus University & The Royal Academy of Music Aarhus/Aalborg, Aarhus, Denmark.,Department of Educational Sciences, Psychology, Communication, University Aldo Moro of Bari, Italy
| | - Morten L Kringelbach
- Center for Music in the Brain, Aarhus University & The Royal Academy of Music Aarhus/Aalborg, Aarhus, Denmark.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Peter Vuust
- Center for Music in the Brain, Aarhus University & The Royal Academy of Music Aarhus/Aalborg, Aarhus, Denmark
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Dumas G, Fairhurst MT. Reciprocity and alignment: quantifying coupling in dynamic interactions. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 8:210138. [PMID: 34040790 PMCID: PMC8113897 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.210138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Recent accounts of social cognition focus on how we do things together, suggesting that becoming aligned relies on a reciprocal exchange of information. The next step is to develop richer computational methods that quantify the degree of coupling and describe the nature of the information exchange. We put forward a definition of coupling, comparing it to related terminology and detail, available computational methods and the level of organization to which they pertain, presenting them as a hierarchy from weakest to richest forms of coupling. The rationale is that a temporally coherent link between two dynamical systems at the lowest level of organization sustains mutual adaptation and alignment at the highest level. Postulating that when we do things together, we do so dynamically over time and we argue that to determine and measure instances of true reciprocity in social exchanges is key. Along with this computationally rich definition of coupling, we present challenges for the field to be tackled by a diverse community working towards a dynamic account of social cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Dumas
- CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Mila – Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute, University of Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Merle T. Fairhurst
- Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Human Sciences, Bundeswehr University, Munich, Germany
- Faculty of Philosophy and Munich Center for Neuroscience, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
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50
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Williams GL, Wharton T, Jagoe C. Mutual (Mis)understanding: Reframing Autistic Pragmatic "Impairments" Using Relevance Theory. Front Psychol 2021; 12:616664. [PMID: 33995177 PMCID: PMC8117104 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.616664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2020] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
A central diagnostic and anecdotal feature of autism is difficulty with social communication. We take the position that communication is a two-way, intersubjective phenomenon-as described by the double empathy problem-and offer up relevance theory (a cognitive account of utterance interpretation) as a means of explaining such communication difficulties. Based on a set of proposed heuristics for successful and rapid interpretation of intended meaning, relevance theory positions communication as contingent on shared-and, importantly, mutually recognized-"relevance." Given that autistic and non-autistic people may have sometimes markedly different embodied experiences of the world, we argue that what is most salient to each interlocutor may be mismatched. Relevance theory would predict that where this salient information is not (mutually) recognized or adjusted for, mutual understanding may be more effortful to achieve. This paper presents the findings from a small-scale, linguistic ethnographic study of autistic communication featuring eight core autistic participants. Each core autistic participant engaged in three naturalistic conversations around the topic of loneliness with: (1) a familiar, chosen conversation partner; (2) a non-autistic stranger and (3) an autistic stranger. Relevance theory is utilized as a frame for the linguistic analysis of the interactions. Mutual understanding was unexpectedly high across all types of conversation pairings. In conversations involving two autistic participants, flow, rapport and intersubjective attunement were significantly increased and in three instances, autistic interlocutors appeared to experience improvements in their individual communicative competence contrasted with their other conversations. The findings have the potential to guide future thinking about how, in practical terms, communication between autistic and non-autistic people in both personal and public settings might be improved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gemma L. Williams
- School of Humanities, University of Brighton, Brighton, United Kingdom
| | - Tim Wharton
- School of Humanities, University of Brighton, Brighton, United Kingdom
| | - Caroline Jagoe
- School of Linguistic, Speech and Communication Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, University of Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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