Atypical Gaze Following in Autism: A Comparison of Three Potential Mechanisms

Gillespie-Lynch, Kristen; Elias, Rebecca; Escudero, Paola; Hutman, Ted; Johnson, Scott P.

doi:10.1007/s10803-013-1818-7

Cited by 47 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 81 publications

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“…This skill appears in ASD later from 2-5 years of physical age (Leekam et al, 2000; Mundy, 2003) and 48 months of mental age (Leekam et al, 1998). One popular explanation is ASD impacts the ability to draw mental inferences from gaze direction, rather than simple location detection (Baron-Cohen et al, 1995; for other explanations see Gillespie-Lynch et al, 2013). The results of behavioral gaze cueing studies in older children and adults have been mixed; some studies found no differences between ASD and TD (Chawarska et al, 2003; Kylliainen & Hietanen, 2004; Senju et al, 2004;) while other studies have found significant group differences (Goldberg et al, 2008; Ristic et al, 2005; Vlamings et al, 2005).…”

Section: Gaze Cueing In Asdmentioning

confidence: 99%

Face processing in autism spectrum disorders: From brain regions to brain networks

2015

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Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by reduced attention to social stimuli including the human face. This hypo-responsiveness to stimuli that are engaging to typically developing individuals may result from dysfunctioning motivation, reward, and attention systems in the brain. Here we review an emerging neuroimaging literature that emphasizes a shift from focusing on hypo-activation of isolated brain regions such as the fusiform gyrus, amygdala, and superior temporal sulcus in ASD to a more holistic approach to understanding face perception as a process supported by distributed cortical and subcortical brain networks. We summarize evidence for atypical activation patterns within brain networks that may contribute to social deficits characteristic of the disorder. We conclude by pointing to gaps in the literature and future directions that will continue to shed light on aspects of face processing in autism that are still under-examined. In particular, we highlight the need for more developmental studies and studies examining ecologically valid and naturalistic social stimuli.

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Section: Gaze Cueing In Asdmentioning

confidence: 99%

Face processing in autism spectrum disorders: From brain regions to brain networks

2015

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“…There have even been efforts to extend these methods the study the word learning of children with ASD (e.g. Akechi et al, 2011; Akechi, Kikuchi, Tojo, Osanai, & Hasegawa, 2013; Gillespie-Lynch, Elias, Escudero, Hutman, & Johnson, 2013; Gliga et al, 2012; Norbury, Griffith, & Nation, 2010). However, few eye-tracking studies have focused on individuals with FXS (but see Dalton, Holsen, Abbeduto, & Davidson, 2008; Farzin, Rivera, & Hessl, 2009; Shaw & Porter, 2013; Williams, Porter, & Langdon, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of labeling and pointing on object gaze in boys with fragile X syndrome: An eye-tracking study

Benjamin¹,

Mastergeorge²,

McDuffie³

et al. 2014

Research in Developmental Disabilities

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We examined the visual processing of a social learning stimulus and the ways in which visual attention was distributed to objects as well as to the examiner’s face during word learning under conditions that varied only in the presence or absence of a label. The goal of the current study, then, was to evaluate the effects of differentially providing pointing and labeling during exposure to a novel target object in males with fragile X syndrome (FXS) (n = 14, ages 4.33–10.02), autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (n = 17, ages 4.04–10.4), or typical development (TD) (n = 18, ages 2.05–5.33). In particular, the present study examined attention to the examiner’s face as well as target and distracter objects that were presented as video stimuli. An eye-tracker captured gaze to the video stimuli as they were shown in order to examine the way in which children with FXS, ASD, or TD distributed their gaze toward the examiner and the objects. Results indicated that no group showed increased gaze toward the target object compared to the distracter object. However, results revealed that participants with FXS showed significantly increased face gaze compared to the novel objects, whereas children with ASD and TD both showed similar amounts of relative gaze toward the face and objects. Furthermore, the act of pointing at the target object was found to increase gaze toward the target objects compared to when there was no pointing in all groups. Together, these findings suggest that social cues like those employed in a word-learning task, when presented with video, may relate to gaze in FXS in context- or task-dependent ways that are distinct from those expected during live interaction.

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“…Clear reporting of the parameters used in specific studies is a necessary first step in better understanding what constitutes a fixation in different populations of individuals with NDD (Gillespie-Lynch, Elias, Escudero, Hutman, & Johnson, 2013). It is particularly beneficial to the research community when researchers share new procedures they have developed to address limitations of default processing algorithms (Wass et al, 2013).…”

Section: Processing Data From Automatic Eye Trackersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Excluding participants on the basis of chronological age or nonverbal cognitive ability to match groups may lead to small sample sizes, variable numbers of trials, or poor group matches when also accounting for valid eye-gaze data (see Gillespie-Lynch et al, 2013). It is unclear how to interpret instances in which outcomes are correlated with number of valid trials contributed, particularly if this is the case in one participant group but not another.…”

Section: Group Matchingmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Open Conversation on Using Eye-Gaze Methods in Studies of Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Venker

Kover

2015

J Speech Lang Hear Res

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Purpose: Eye-gaze methods have the potential to advance the study of neurodevelopmental disorders. Despite their increasing use, challenges arise in using these methods with individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders and in reporting sufficient methodological detail such that the resulting research is replicable and interpretable. Method: This tutorial presents key considerations involved in designing and conducting eye-gaze studies for individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders and proposes conventions for reporting the results of such studies. Results: Methodological decisions (e.g., whether to use automated eye tracking or manual coding, implementing strategies to scaffold children's performance, defining valid trials) have cascading effects on the conclusions drawn from eye-gaze data. Research reports that include specific information about procedures, missing data, and selection of participants will facilitate interpretation and replication. Conclusions: Eye-gaze methods provide exciting opportunities for studying neurodevelopmental disorders. Open discussion of the issues presented in this tutorial will improve the pace of productivity and the impact of advances in research on neurodevelopmental disorders. E ye-gaze methods (i.e., automatic eye-tracking systems or manual off-line coding of eye movements) are appealing for studying neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) because they have the potential to assess real-time processing with precision, have limited behavioral task demands, and can address clinically relevant questions about developmental mechanisms and individual differences. By providing a window into underlying cognitive processes, these methods allow researchers to ask innovative questions that have energized the field and accelerated the progress of research on NDD. Despite these advantages, several challenges limit the progress of this work. First, concerns with study design and data collection that are unique to children with NDD have not been thoroughly addressed. These issues center upon selecting an eye-gaze procedure, designing a task, and collecting data in a manner that supports the involvement of children from multiple participant groups, which may include a wide range of ages or developmental levels. Second, published research reports often omit key methodological details, making it challenging for scientists and consumers to interpret and evaluate results, compare findings across studies, and replicate prior work (Kylliäinen, Jones, Gomot, Warreyn, & Falck-Ytter, 2014;Oakes, 2010). Given the small samples and substantial variability that characterize many studies of individuals with NDD, it is critical to discuss issues around data processing and cleaning, analysis, and interpretation. As with any specialized research methodology, using eye-gaze tasks for the study of NDD incorporates many considerations that directly affect the conclusions drawn from researchconsiderations that we believe deserve increased attention.Our goals in this tutorial are to (a) highlight the considerat...

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Atypical Gaze Following in Autism: A Comparison of Three Potential Mechanisms

Cited by 47 publications

References 81 publications

Face processing in autism spectrum disorders: From brain regions to brain networks

Face processing in autism spectrum disorders: From brain regions to brain networks

Effects of labeling and pointing on object gaze in boys with fragile X syndrome: An eye-tracking study

An Open Conversation on Using Eye-Gaze Methods in Studies of Neurodevelopmental Disorders

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