Nonverbal short-term serial order memory in autism spectrum disorder.

Abstract

To clarify the role of item and order memory in the serial recall of adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), we carried out 2 experiments in which adults with ASD and comparison participants matched on chronological age and verbal IQ saw sequences of 7 dots appear sequentially in a 3 × 4 grid. In Experiment 1 (serial recall), they had to recall the locations and the presentation order of the dots by tapping locations on an empty grid. In Experiment 2, (order reconstruction) the studied dots were provided at test and participants had to touch them in their order of appearance at study. Experiment 1 revealed diminished item and order recall in the ASD group; Experiment 2 revealed diminished order recall only when verbal IQ was controlled. The results support the view that people with ASD have particular difficulty with serial order recall but may use their language ability to achieve better serial recall performance.

The Influence of task Demands, Verbal Ability and Executive Functions on Item and Source Memory in Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…Declarative memory, on the other hand, demonstrates a relatively consistent pattern of strengths and weaknesses, whereby greater difficulties are evident on tests of free recall compared to tests of cued recall or recognition. Free recall requires the unaided retrieval of studied material, and difficulties on such tests are particularly evident in ASD when to-be-remembered stimuli lend themselves to be organised meaningfully into categories or conceptual clusters (Bowler et al 2010 ; Gaigg et al 2008 ; Loth et al 2011 ; Minshew and Goldstein 1993 ; Smith et al 2007 ; Sumiyoshi et al 2011 ; Tager-Flusberg 1991 ; see also; Begeer et al 2014 ), or when recall instructions require the re-creation of the specific temporal order or spatial relations of the stimuli (Bowler et al 2004 , 2016 ; Gaigg et al 2013 ; Lind et al 2013 ; Poirier et al 2011 ). Moreover, when memory for complex events is examined, such as naturalistic videos (Maras and Bowler 2010 , 2012 b; Maras et al 2012 ; McCrory et al 2007 ) or personal experiences (Crane and Goddard 2008 ; Crane et al 2013 ; Lind et al 2014 ; Maras et al 2013 ), free recall is found to be less rich in contextual detail in individuals with ASD, which all suggests difficulties with the organisation of information during initial encoding and/or retrieval.…”

Role of Inner Speech on Serial Recall in Children with ASD: A Pilot Study Using the Luria Hand Test

“…Barendse et al [ 3 ] pointed out that such working memory problems of the ASD increase when tasks impose a greater working memory load such as a complex design memory task (i.e., memory-load effect). Bowler et al [ 5 ] reported that this tendency found for working memory problems might reflect difficulties of attentional control or executive control rather than spatial short-term memory difficulties. Actually, many empirical studies have also revealed the existence of executive control impairments in children with ASD (see [ 6 ] for review).…”

“…Actually, many empirical studies have also revealed the existence of executive control impairments in children with ASD (see [ 6 ] for review). A growing consensus holds that memory difficulties of the children with ASD reflect higher cognitive control difficulties, not simple short-term memory difficulties [ 5 ].…”

“…Bowler et al [ 5 ] recently challenged this dominant view. They investigated the nonverbal short-term serial order memory in adults with ASD.…”

“…Results indicate that people with ASD have difficulty with nonverbal spatial serial recall. In light of results of another study that revealed difficulties related to memory for the order of verbal stimuli in children with ASD [ 7 ], Bowler et al [ 5 ] claimed that cross-domain deficit (i.e., both spatial and verbal domain) in order processing exists in memory difficulties of people with ASD. Few attempts have been made, however, to model serial recall using visuospatial and verbal-auditory information in people with or without ASD [ 2 ].…”