Verbal Memory and Performance IQ Predict Theory of Mind and Emotion Recognition Ability in Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders and in Psychiatric Control Children

Abstract

This study was designed to examine the developmental and cognitive correlates of theory of mind (ToM) and emotion recognition ability in children with autism (N = 20), with pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) (N = 20), and in psychiatric control children (N = 20). The diagnostic groups were person-to-person matched on age and verbal IQ. The age of the children was between 8 and 18 years; their Full Scale IQ was at least 65. The test battery included tasks for the matching and the context recognition of emotional expressions, and a set of first- and second-order ToM tasks. The relationships between composite domain scores and the subjects' age, Verbal IQ, Performance IQ, verbal memory, visual memory, and gender were examined in bivariate and multivariate analyses. Further, the subjects who reliably and consistently passed the tasks of a domain and those who could not were compared on developmental and cognitive characteristics. Overall, the results of the various analyses converged and indicated that verbal memory, Performance IQ, age and gender were the best predictors of social cognitive ability.

Using Theory of Mind to represent and take part in social interactions: Comparing individuals with high-functioning autism and typically developing controls

“…Thus, they might have relied more on their experience and general cognitive abilities than on actual inferences about mental states. Similar correlations, in particular between IQ and social competence, have been shown in earlier studies on ASD (Bolte & Poustka, 2003;Buitelaar, van der, Swaab-Barneveld, & van der Gaag, 1999;Kamio, Wolf, & Fein, 2006;Klin et al, 2007;Steele, Joseph, & Tager-Flusberg, 2003;Yirmiya, Sigman, Kasari, & Mundy, 1992). The absence of such correlations among typically developing individuals are often explained by assuming that these individuals rely on a more intuitive, automatic perspective-taking ability that requires less conscious cognitive reflection (Klin et al, 2003).…”

Genome-wide meta-analysis of cognitive empathy: heritability, and correlates with sex, neuropsychiatric conditions and brain anatomy

“…A meta-analysis has identified a significant positive correlation between scores on the Eyes Test and IQ (n = 3583; r = 0.24; 95% CI: 0.16 -0.32) 41 . Other tests of theory of mind are also positively correlated with cognitive aptitude and measures of intelligence [42][43][44] . We also found a significant positive genetic correlation with the NEO-Openess to experience, and selfreported empathy measured using the Empathy Quotient.…”

Young children with autism show atypical brain responses to fearful versus neutral facial expressions of emotion

“…Evidence suggests that individuals with autism are less proficient at matching emotional expressions (Celani, Battacchi & Arcidiacono, 1999; Hobson, Ouston & Lee, 1988a, 1988b; Hobson et al , 1989; Loveland, Tunali Kotoski, Chen, Brelsford, Ortegon & Pearson 1995). Their ability to match expressions has been correlated with verbal ability, making these findings difficult to interpret (Buitelaar, van der Wees, Swaab‐Barneveld & van der Gaag, 1999; Happe, 1994; Hobson et al , 1989; Ozonoff, Pennington & Rogers, 1990). Loveland, Tunali Kotoski, Chen, Ortegon, Pearson, Brelsford and Gibbs (1997) found no differences between controls and children with autism on emotion identification tasks; there were differences between high and low functioning autism groups.…”