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Brief Report: Face Configuration Accuracy and Processing Speed Among Adults with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders

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Abstract

The present study investigates the accuracy and speed of face processing employed by high-functioning adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Two behavioral experiments measured sensitivity to distances between features and face recognition when performance depended on holistic versus featural information. Results suggest adults with ASD were less accurate, but responded as quickly as controls for both tasks. In contrast to previous findings with children, adults with ASD demonstrated a holistic advantage only when the eye region was tested. Both groups recognized large manipulations to second-order relations more accurately than no change or small changes, but controls responded more quickly than participants with ASD when recognizing these large manipulations to configural information.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by NIMH U54MH066399. The development of the MacBrain Face Stimulus Set was overseen by Nim Tottenham (tott0006@tc.umn.edu) and supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Early Experience and Brain Development. Special thanks are given to the individuals who participated and to the clinical core led by Dr. Jessica Greenson who conducted diagnostic testing. A poster with preliminary data from this study was presented at the International Meeting for Autism Research, Boston, MA, in May, 2005.

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Author notes

  1. Kristen Merkle

    Present address: Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA

  2. Geraldine Dawson

    Present address: Autism Speaks, New York, NY, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Center on Human Development and Disability, University of Washington Autism Center, Seattle, WA, USA

    Susan Faja & Geraldine Dawson

  2. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Center on Human Development and Disability, University of Washington Autism Center, Box 357920, 98195, Seattle, WA, USA

    Sara Jane Webb & Geraldine Dawson

  3. Center on Human Development and Disability, University of Washington Autism Center, Seattle, WA, USA

    Kristen Merkle

  4. Department of Radiology, Center on Human Development and Disability, University of Washington Autism Center, Seattle, WA, USA

    Elizabeth Aylward

Authors
  1. Susan Faja
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  2. Sara Jane Webb
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  3. Kristen Merkle
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  4. Elizabeth Aylward
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  5. Geraldine Dawson
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Correspondence to Sara Jane Webb.

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Faja, S., Webb, S.J., Merkle, K. et al. Brief Report: Face Configuration Accuracy and Processing Speed Among Adults with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders. J Autism Dev Disord 39, 532–538 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-008-0635-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-008-0635-x

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