Is There a Limit to the Superiority of Individuals with ASD in Visual Search?

Hessels, Roy S.; Hooge, Ignace T. C.; Snijders, Tineke M.; Kemner, Chantal

doi:10.1007/s10803-013-1886-8

Cited by 24 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…That accelerated search is more pronounced in absent trials has been noted in the earliest research examining visual search in ASD (O’Riordan et al, 2001), and while multiple studies have since reported a similar finding (Hessels et al, 2014; Joseph et al, 2009; O’Riordan, 2000; O’Riordan & Plaisted, 2001), it remains unknown as to why this is the case. What is it about autistic attentional or perceptual processes that convey this advantage for target absent trials?…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…This disparity in performance generally becomes larger as target-distractor similarity increases (O’Riordan, 2004; O’Riordan & Plaisted, 2001; O’Riordan, Plaisted, Driver, & Baron-Cohen, 2001; Plaisted, O’Riordan, & Baron-Cohen, 1998; see Hessels, Hooge, Snijders, & Kemner, 2014, for conflicting findings), as set size increases, and when the target is absent (Kaldy et al, 2013). Evidence of augmented ASD search superiority with increasing target-distractor similarity has been used to support the hypothesis that enhanced discrimination contributes to faster search (O’Riordan & Plaisted, 2001), which is consistent with the more general concept of enhanced perceptual functioning (Mottron, Dawson, Soulieres, Hubert, & Burack, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Exploring What’s Missing: What Do Target Absent Trials Reveal About Autism Search Superiority?

Keehn

Joseph

2016

J Autism Dev Disord

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We used eye-tracking to investigate the roles of enhanced discrimination and peripheral selection in superior visual search in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Children with ASD were faster at visual search than their typically developing peers. However, group differences in performance and eye-movements did not vary with the level of difficulty of discrimination or selection. Rather, consistent with prior ASD research, group differences were mainly the effect of faster performance on target-absent trials. Eye-tracking revealed a lack of left-visual-field search asymmetry in ASD, which may confer an additional advantage when the target is absent. Lastly, ASD symptomatology was positively associated with search superiority, the mechanisms of which may shed light on the atypical brain organization that underlies social-communicative impairment in ASD.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring What’s Missing: What Do Target Absent Trials Reveal About Autism Search Superiority?

Keehn

Joseph

2016

J Autism Dev Disord

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“…Indeed, Remington et al found that high perceptual load reduced distractor interference in normal adults but not in people with ASD. Further studies have shown that under extremely high perceptual load, there is no difference between ASD participants and controls (Hessels, Hooge, Snijders, & Kemner, 2014). Children with autism have been found to be less susceptible to inattentional blindness than controls, and whereas increases in perceptual load are associated with increased inattentional blindness in controls, children with autism were unaffected by load increases (Swettenham et al, 2014).…”

Section: Individual Differences Under Loadmentioning

confidence: 97%

Twenty years of load theory—Where are we now, and where should we go next?

2016

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Selective attention allows us to ignore what is taskirrelevant and focus on what is task-relevant. The cognitive and neural mechanisms that underlie this process are key topics of investigation in cognitive psychology. One of the more prominent theories of attention is perceptual load theory, which suggests that the efficiency of selective attention is dependent on both perceptual and cognitive load. It is now more than 20 years since the proposal of load theory, and it is a good time to evaluate the evidence in support of this influential model. The present article supplements and extends previous reviews (Lavie, Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 9, 75-82. doi:10.1016/j.tics.2004.12.004, 2005, Current Directions in Psychological Science, 19, 143-148. doi:10.1177/ 0963721410370295, 2010 by examining more recent research in what appears to be a rapidly expanding area. The article comprises five parts, examining (1) evidence for the effects of perceptual load on attention, (2) cognitive load, (3) individual differences under load, (4) alternative theories and criticisms, and (5) the future of load theory. We argue that the key next step for load theory will be the application of the model to real-world tasks. The potential benefits of applied attention research are numerous, and there is tentative evidence that applied research would provide strong support for the theory itself, as well as real-world benefits related to activities in which attention is crucial, such as driving and education.Keywords Selective attention . Perception . Perceptual load . Load theory . Distraction . Visual attention Selective attention is the ability to focus on that which is important to the task at hand while ignoring or suppressing task-irrelevant information. A key question that has fuelled much debate and research in psychology is how, and crucially when, this irrelevant information is filtered out. For example, while reading this article the reader may be surrounded by many potential distractors, such as the noise of a fly buzzing around the room. Given the top-down goal of reading this article, how much information is available to you about the fly? Can the processing of irrelevant stimuli be reduced or even prevented by internal or external factors? The inability to ignore distractors is a common experience in daily life, and though it may at times have minor consequences, such as extending the length of time it takes to read an article, in other situations lapses of attention may have far more serious consequences (e.g., in healthcare situations, or while operating heavy machinery). Perceptual load theory (Lavie, 1995(Lavie, , 2005(Lavie, , 2010Lavie & Tsal, 1994) suggests that the success or failure of selective attention is dependent on the processing demands of the current task. That is, the level of perceptual load as well as any cognitive load will determine the efficiency of distractor rejection. This theory has been hugely influential over the last 20 years,

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“…The procedure and stimuli were similar to previous studies, which have reported superior search in ASD [Hessels, Hooge, Snijders, & Kemner, 2014;Kemner, Van Ewijk, Van Engeland, & Hooge, 2008;O'Riordan & Plaisted, 2001]. The target was a vertical line and the distractors were oblique lines (tilted 10 ; Fig.…”

Section: Visual Search Taskmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Study of Superior Visual Search Abilities in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

et al. 2020

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Although diagnosed on the basis of deficits in social communication and interaction, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is also characterized by superior performance on a variety of visuospatial tasks, including visual search. In neurotypical individuals, region‐specific concentrations of the inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) are associated with individual differences in attention and perception. While it has been hypothesized that ASD may be associated with an excitatory–inhibitory imbalance, it remains unclear how this may contribute to accelerated visual search performance in individuals with ASD. To investigate this, 21 children with ASD and 20 typically developing children participated in a visual search task and a magnetic resonance spectroscopy study to detect neurochemical concentrations, including GABA. Region‐specific neurochemicals were examined in the right frontal eye fields, right temporal–parietal junction (rTPJ), and bilateral visual cortex (VIS). GABA concentrations did not differ between groups; however, in children with ASD, greater GABA concentration in the VIS was related to more efficient search. Additionally, lower VIS GABA levels were also associated with increased social impairment. Finally, we found reduced N‐acetyl aspartate, total creatine, glutamate and glutamine (Glx), GABA/Glx in the rTPJ, suggestive of neuronal dysfunction in a critical network hub. Our results show that GABA concentrations in the VIS are related to efficient search in ASD, thus providing further evidence of enhanced discrimination in ASD. Autism Res 2020, 13: 550–562. © 2019 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Lay Summary Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often perform better than their non‐ASD peers on visual search tasks; however, it is unclear how they achieve this superior performance. Using magnetic resonance spectroscopy to measure neurochemicals in the brain, we found that the level of one, gamma‐aminobutyric acid, in the visual cortex was directly related to search abilities in children with ASD. These results suggest that faster search may relate to enhanced perceptual functioning in children with ASD.

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Is There a Limit to the Superiority of Individuals with ASD in Visual Search?

Cited by 24 publications

References 33 publications

Exploring What’s Missing: What Do Target Absent Trials Reveal About Autism Search Superiority?

Exploring What’s Missing: What Do Target Absent Trials Reveal About Autism Search Superiority?

Twenty years of load theory—Where are we now, and where should we go next?

A Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Study of Superior Visual Search Abilities in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

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