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Malafouris L, Röhricht F. Re-thinging Embodied and Enactive Psychiatry: A Material Engagement Approach. Cult Med Psychiatry 2024:10.1007/s11013-024-09872-6. [PMID: 39026131 DOI: 10.1007/s11013-024-09872-6] [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] [Accepted: 06/29/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
Emerging consensus among enactivist philosophers and embodied mind theorists suggests that seeking to understand mental illness we need to look out of our skulls at the ecology of the brain. Still, the complex links between materiality (in broadest sense of material objects, habits, practices and environments) and mental health remain little understood. This paper discusses the benefits of adopting a material engagement approach to embodied and enactive psychiatry. We propose that the material engagement approach can change the geography of the debate over the nature of mental disorders and through that help to develop theoretical and practical insights that could improve management and treatment for various psychiatric conditions. We investigate the potential role of Material Engagement Theory (MET) in psychiatry using examples of aetiologically different mental illnesses (schizophrenia and dementia) in respect of their shared phenomenological manifestations, focusing particularly on issues of memory, self-awareness, embodiment and temporality. The effective study of socio-material relations allows better understanding of the semiotic significance and agency of specific materials, environments and technical mediations. There is unrealised potential here for creating new approaches to treatment that can broaden, challenge or complement existing interventions and practices of care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lambros Malafouris
- Institute of Archaeology, University of Oxford, 36 Beaumont Str, Oxford, OX1 2PG, UK.
- Hertford College, Oxford, OX1 3BW, UK.
| | - Frank Röhricht
- East London NHS Foundation Trust and Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
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2
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Journal F, Franchini M, Godel M, Kojovic N, Latrèche K, Solazzo S, Schneider M, Schaer M. Phenotyping variability in early socio-communicative skills in young children with autism and its influence on later development. Autism Res 2024. [PMID: 38965820 DOI: 10.1002/aur.3188] [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: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024]
Abstract
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often face challenges in early social communication skills, prompting the need for a detailed exploration of specific behaviors and their impact on cognitive and adaptive functioning. This study aims to address this gap by examining the developmental trajectories of early social communication skills in preschoolers with ASD aged 18-60 months, comparing them to age-matched typically developing (TD) children. Utilizing the early social communication scales (ESCS), the research employs a longitudinal design to capture changes over time. We apply a principal component analysis (PCA) to ESCS variables to identify underlying components, and cluster analysis to identify subgroups based on preverbal communication profiles. The results reveal consistent differences in early social communication skills between ASD and TD children, with ASD children exhibiting reduced skills. PCA identifies two components, distinguishing objects-directed behaviors and social interaction-directed behaviors. Cluster analysis identifies three subgroups of autistic children, each displaying specific communication profiles associated with distinct cognitive and adaptive functioning trajectories. In conclusion, this study provides a nuanced understanding of early social communication development in ASD, emphasizing the importance of low-level behaviors. The identification of subgroups and their unique trajectories contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of ASD heterogeneity. These findings underscore the significance of early diagnosis, focusing on specific behaviors predicting cognitive and adaptive functioning outcomes. The study encourages further research to explore the sequential development of these skills, offering valuable insights for interventions and support strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiona Journal
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Faculty of Psychology and Science of Education (FAPSE), University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Michel Godel
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Nada Kojovic
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Kenza Latrèche
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Stefania Solazzo
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Maude Schneider
- Faculty of Psychology and Science of Education (FAPSE), University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Marie Schaer
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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Hu Y, Sun X, Yao C, Luo S, Liu B, Xue M, Lyu H. Object-centered family interactions for young autistic children: a diary study. Sci Rep 2024; 14:5460. [PMID: 38443572 PMCID: PMC10915142 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-55177-4] [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: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Autistic Children often struggle with social interaction and communication, studies have found that many of them prefer to interact with objects than people. However, there is a lack of research exploring the specific characteristics and factors involved in interactions within families with autistic children where objects are the center of the interaction. This paper describes the process and findings of a diary study exploring how young autistic children interact with their families through objects in natural scenarios. A one-week diary study was conducted with six families with young autistic children. Diary videos were recorded onsite and coded later according to a social interaction behavior scheme with corresponding diary entries. Qualitative data analysis was conducted to reveal possible patterns. Results revealed ongoing difficulties in establishing and maintaining family interaction and identified influential factors of object-centered family interaction. The most prevalent pattern observed was parents taking the lead in interactions, followed by the child's confirmation response. Remarkably, daily necessities emerged as potential physical mediums for enhancing family interactions, opening avenues for exploring tangible designs in human-computer interaction. These findings offer valuable implications for future research and the development of innovative designs that promote enriching interactions for autistic children and their families.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuqi Hu
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Ningbo, 315100, China
- Ningbo Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Ningbo, 315100, China
| | - Xu Sun
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Ningbo, 315100, China.
- Nottingham Ningbo China Beacons of Excellence Research and Innovation Institute, Ningbo, 315101, China.
| | - Cheng Yao
- Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
| | - Shijian Luo
- Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Bingjian Liu
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Ningbo, 315100, China
- Nottingham Ningbo China Beacons of Excellence Research and Innovation Institute, Ningbo, 315101, China
| | - Mengru Xue
- Ningbo Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Ningbo, 315100, China
| | - Hui Lyu
- Ningbo Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Ningbo, 315100, China
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Taels L, Feyaerts J, Lizon M, De Smet M, Vanheule S. 'I felt like my senses were under attack': An interpretative phenomenological analysis of experiences of hypersensitivity in autistic individuals. AUTISM : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2023; 27:2269-2280. [PMID: 36876409 DOI: 10.1177/13623613231158182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/07/2023]
Abstract
LAY ABSTRACT Research shows that the way autistic individuals perceive and process sensory stimuli differs from those of non-autistic people. However, while current research often focuses on what sensory differences in autism are and which neurocognitive processes may explain these, it often does not explicitly address what it is like to experience the world through the senses of an autistic person. To explore this understudied dimension, we conducted 18 in-depth interviews with autistic individuals in order to better understand how they personally experienced hypersensitivity from a first-person perspective. Participants described hypersensitivity as a feeling of being bombarded by intrusive stimuli that seemed to invade their bodies and from which they had difficulties distancing themselves. They also indicated how due to hypersensitivity they often perceived their (social) environment as invasive, chaotic, unpredictable or threatening. Hypersensitivities were thus not only described as unsettling bodily experiences but also related to challenges in perceiving, understanding and interacting with the (social) world. By focussing on the subjective dimension of sensory processing in autism, our study thus highlights how sensory difficulties are not peripheral features of autism but play an essential part in the daily challenges faced by autistic individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Melissa De Smet
- Ghent University, Belgium
- Tilburg University, The Netherlands
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Gibson V, Boysen ST, Hobaiter C, Davila-Ross M. Object use in communication of semi-wild chimpanzees. Anim Cogn 2023; 26:1521-1537. [PMID: 37314595 PMCID: PMC10442273 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-023-01792-z] [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: 06/06/2022] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Object interactions play an important role in human communication but the extent to which nonhuman primates incorporate objects in their social interactions remains unknown. To better understand the evolution of object use, this study explored how objects are used in social interactions in semi-wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). We used an observational approach focusing on naturally occurring object actions where we examined their use and tested whether the production of object actions was influenced by the recipients' visual attention as well as by colony membership. The results show that chimpanzees adjusted both the type of object used, and the modality of object actions to match the visual attention of the recipient, as well as colony differences in the use of targeted object actions. These results provide empirical evidence highlighting that chimpanzees use objects in diverse ways to communicate with conspecifics and that their use may be shaped by social factors, contributing to our understanding of the evolution of human nonverbal communication, language, and tool use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Violet Gibson
- Centre for Comparative and Evolutionary Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, PO1 2DY, UK
| | | | - Catherine Hobaiter
- School of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 9JP, UK
| | - Marina Davila-Ross
- Centre for Comparative and Evolutionary Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, PO1 2DY, UK.
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Guevara I, Rodríguez C. Developing communication through objects: Ostensive gestures as the first gestures in children's development. DEVELOPMENTAL REVIEW 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.dr.2023.101076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2023]
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Alessandroni N. The road to conventional tool use: Developmental changes in children's material engagement with artifacts in nursery school. INFANCY 2023; 28:388-409. [PMID: 36571567 DOI: 10.1111/infa.12522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2021] [Revised: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The development of tool use in early childhood is a topic of continuing interest in developmental psychology. However, the lack of studies in ecological settings results in many unknowns about how children come to use artifacts according to their cultural function. We report a longitudinal study with 17 sociodemographically diverse children (8 female) attending a nursery school in Madrid (Spain) and their two adult female teachers. Using mixed-effects models and Granger causality analysis, we measured changes in the frequency and duration of children's object uses between 7 and 17 months of age and in the directional influences among pairs of behaviors performed by teachers and children. Results show a clear shift in how children use artifacts. As early as 12 months of age, the frequency of conventional uses outweighs that of all other types of object use. In addition, object uses become shorter in duration with age, irrespective of their type. Moreover, certain teachers' nonlinguistic communicative strategies (e.g., demonstrations of canonical use and placing gestures) significantly influence and promote children's conventional tool use. Findings shed light on how children become increasingly proficient in conventional tool use through interactions with artifacts and others in nursery school.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolás Alessandroni
- Departamento Interfacultativo de Psicología Evolutiva y de la Educación, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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Boldsen S. Autism and the Sensory Disruption of Social Experience. Front Psychol 2022; 13:874268. [PMID: 35959004 PMCID: PMC9359120 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.874268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism research has recently witnessed an embodied turn. In response to the cognitivist approaches dominating the field, phenomenological scholars have suggested a reconceptualization of autism as a disorder of embodied intersubjectivity. Part of this interest in autistic embodiment concerns the role of sensory differences, which have recently been added to the diagnostic criteria of autism. While research suggests that sensory differences are implicated in a wide array of autistic social difficulties, it has not yet been explored how sensory and social experience in autism relate on a phenomenological level. Given the importance of the sensory dimension of social encounters in phenomenological analyses of autism, this question must be considered crucial. This article investigates the role played by sensory differences in autistic social experience. Through a phenomenological analysis informed primarily by the philosophy of Maurice Merleau-Ponty with particular emphasis on the relation between intersubjectivity and perception, I argue that sensory differences affect the way other people appear in autistic experience on a pre-reflective level. By drawing on autistic young adults’ experiential descriptions of social encounters, this article identifies three aspects of how sensory differences affect social experiences in autism. First, social encounters manifested as sensorially disturbing, chaotic, and unpredictable events. Second, the embodied expressions of others appeared unfamiliar, threatening, and promoted a sense of detachment from the social world. Third, deliberate practices were employed to actively seek perceptual and social meaning in these disorienting social encounters. This analysis stresses the importance of understanding embodied intersubjectivity through its sensory dimensions. In addition, it indicates an important avenue for future research in exploring the potential role of practice in maintaining an intuitive grip on social meaning. By approaching social encounters as sensory and perceptual events, I emphasize how social difficulties in autism are inherently world-involving phenomena rather than a cognitive deficit reducible to the autistic person.
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Abstract
Technological advances in robotics over the last 20 years have allowed us to explore the use of robots in different healthcare contexts, in which robots can be deployed as tools for intervention and rehabilitation programs. This chapter intends to analyze, in a lifespan perspective (childhood, adulthood, and elderly age), the potentialities that the use of robots can offer in clinical practices without neglecting the robot's technical constraints and the methodological limitations of the studies. We will provide suggestions for future research and indications for the clinical application of robots according to the different pathologies and ages.
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Di Cesare G, Vannucci F, Rea F, Sciutti A, Sandini G. How attitudes generated by humanoid robots shape human brain activity. Sci Rep 2020; 10:16928. [PMID: 33037260 PMCID: PMC7547086 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-73728-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
During interpersonal interactions, people perform actions with different forms of vitality, communicating their positive or negative attitude toward others. For example, a handshake can be "soft" or "vigorous", a caress can be 'kind' or 'rushed'. While previous studies have shown that the dorso-central insula is a key area for the processing of human vitality forms, there is no information on the perception of vitality forms generated by a humanoid robot. In this study, two fMRI experiments were conducted in order to investigate whether and how the observation of actions generated by a humanoid robot (iCub) with low and fast velocities (Study 1) or replicating gentle and rude human forms (Study 2) may convey vitality forms eliciting the activation of the dorso-central insula. These studies showed that the observation of robotic actions, generated with low and high velocities, resulted in activation of the parieto-frontal circuit typically involved in the recognition and the execution of human actions but not of the insula (Study 1). Most interestingly, the observation of robotic actions, generated by replicating gentle and rude human vitality forms, produced a BOLD signal increase in the dorso-central insula (Study 2). In conclusion, these data highlight the selective role of dorso-central insula in the processing of vitality forms opening future perspectives on the perception and understanding of actions performed by humanoid robots.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Di Cesare
- Robotics, Brain and Cognitive Sciences Unit (RBCS), Istituto Italiano Di Tecnologia (IIT), Genoa, Italy.
- Neuroscience Unit, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
- Cognitive Architecture for Collaborative Technologies Unit (CONTACT), Istituto Italiano Di Tecnologia (IIT), Genoa, Italy.
| | - F Vannucci
- Cognitive Architecture for Collaborative Technologies Unit (CONTACT), Istituto Italiano Di Tecnologia (IIT), Genoa, Italy
| | - F Rea
- Robotics, Brain and Cognitive Sciences Unit (RBCS), Istituto Italiano Di Tecnologia (IIT), Genoa, Italy
| | - A Sciutti
- Cognitive Architecture for Collaborative Technologies Unit (CONTACT), Istituto Italiano Di Tecnologia (IIT), Genoa, Italy
| | - G Sandini
- Robotics, Brain and Cognitive Sciences Unit (RBCS), Istituto Italiano Di Tecnologia (IIT), Genoa, Italy
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Manzi F, Peretti G, Di Dio C, Cangelosi A, Itakura S, Kanda T, Ishiguro H, Massaro D, Marchetti A. A Robot Is Not Worth Another: Exploring Children's Mental State Attribution to Different Humanoid Robots. Front Psychol 2020; 11:2011. [PMID: 33101099 PMCID: PMC7554578 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.02011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2019] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent technological developments in robotics has driven the design and production of different humanoid robots. Several studies have highlighted that the presence of human-like physical features could lead both adults and children to anthropomorphize the robots. In the present study we aimed to compare the attribution of mental states to two humanoid robots, NAO and Robovie, which differed in the degree of anthropomorphism. Children aged 5, 7, and 9 years were required to attribute mental states to the NAO robot, which presents more human-like characteristics compared to the Robovie robot, whose physical features look more mechanical. The results on mental state attribution as a function of children's age and robot type showed that 5-year-olds have a greater tendency to anthropomorphize robots than older children, regardless of the type of robot. Moreover, the findings revealed that, although children aged 7 and 9 years attributed a certain degree of human-like mental features to both robots, they attributed greater mental states to NAO than Robovie compared to younger children. These results generally show that children tend to anthropomorphize humanoid robots that also present some mechanical characteristics, such as Robovie. Nevertheless, age-related differences showed that they should be endowed with physical characteristics closely resembling human ones to increase older children's perception of human likeness. These findings have important implications for the design of robots, which also needs to consider the user's target age, as well as for the generalizability issue of research findings that are commonly associated with the use of specific types of robots.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Manzi
- Research Unit on Theory of Mind, Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
| | - Giulia Peretti
- Research Unit on Theory of Mind, Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
| | - Cinzia Di Dio
- Research Unit on Theory of Mind, Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
| | - Angelo Cangelosi
- School of Computer Science, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Shoji Itakura
- Centre for Baby Science, Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Takayuki Kanda
- Human-Robot Interaction Laboratory, Graduate School of Informatics, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International, IRC/HIL, Keihanna Science City, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Ishiguro
- Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International, IRC/HIL, Keihanna Science City, Kyoto, Japan
- Department of Systems Innovation, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Japan
| | - Davide Massaro
- Research Unit on Theory of Mind, Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
| | - Antonella Marchetti
- Research Unit on Theory of Mind, Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
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