Extinction of Over-selected Stimuli Causes Emergence of Under-selected Cues in Higher-functioning Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders

Abstract

Two experiments examined whether over-selectivity is the product of a post-acquisition performance deficit, rather than an attention problem. In both experiments, children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder were presented with a trial-and-error discrimination task using two, two-element stimuli and over-selected in both studies. After behavioral control by the previously over-selected stimulus was extinguished, behavioral control by the previously under-selected cue emerged without direct training. However, this effect was only found in higher-functioning children, and not with more severely impaired children. These findings suggest that over-selectivity is not simply due to a failure to attend to all of the stimuli presented. They also suggest that extinction of over-selected stimuli may be a fruitful line of intervention for clinical intervention for some individuals.

Factors producing over-selectivity in older individuals

“…However, it is worth noting that, the current pattern of findings in terms of the predictors of initial overselectivity is similar to that obtained from individuals with ASD (Frankel et al 1984;Kelly et al 2015;Reed et al 2009). In these studies of this particular clinical sample, no significant association was revealed between IQ and over-selective responding.…”

“…Instances of overselective responding are found in many populations that experience some assault to their levels of cognitive function, including individuals with intellectual disabilities (Smeets et al 1985), learning disabilities (Bailey 1981;Dube and McIlvane 1999), Rett's Disorder (Fabio et al 2009), acquired brain injury (Wayland and Taplin 1982), schizophrenia (Feeney 1972), and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD; Kelly et al 2015;Leader et al 2009;Reed et al 2009;Frankel et al 1984). Moreover, previous research investigating overselectivity in typically developing adults has demonstrated that adding a cognitive load can induce higher levels of over-selective responding (Reed and GibsonAs might be predicted by the increasing problems with cognitive capacity and attention deficits that can be noted with age (Chao and Knight 1997), higher levels of over-selectivity have also been noted in older people (Gard et al 2014;McHugh et al 2010;McHugh and Reed 2007).…”

“…This view suggests that over-selectivity is not an acquisition, but a performance problem -with some stimuli, although learned about, not controlling behavior because of their relative lack of importance. It has been noted that extinguishing the over-selected stimuli allows the previously under-selected stimuli to control behavior with no additional training, suggesting that the latter were acquired but did not control behavior while the over-selected cues were present Matzel et al 1985;Reed et al 2009;Reynolds et al 2012;Wilkie and Masson 1976).…”

The Effect of Stimulus Salience on Over-selectivity

“…In contrast to the suggestions of the above theories, it is possible that overselectivity is not the result of attentional problems, but may be the product of postprocessing differences in individuals with ASD compared to those without ASD (see Broomfield, McHugh, & Reed, 2008a;Reed et al, 2008). This view suggests that initial attention and learning is intact, however, post-learning problems arise in deciding which stimuli best predict the outcome of future events and, therefore, which stimuli should control behavior.…”

“…Although over-selectivity has been reported a number of times subsequently with participants with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD; e.g., Reed, Broomfield, McHugh, McCausland, & Leader;Schreibman & Lovaas, 1973;Wilhelm & Lovaas, 1976), this phenomenon is not unique to ASD, and also has been demonstrated in several populations with impaired intellectual functioning (e.g., Dickson, Wang, Lombard & Dube, 2006;McHugh & Reed, 2007).…”