Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Cognitive Correlates of Reciprocity in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders

Definition

The important cognitive factors associated with reciprocity in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) include the social-cognitive factor “theory of mind (ToM)” and the cognitive factors “cool” and “hot” executive function (EF).

Historical Background

Reciprocity in Children with ASD

Reciprocal behavior is pivotal to the process of collaborative behavior between individuals who perform activities to reach shared goals (Cole and Teboul 2004). People who perform reciprocity successfully are aware of others’ emotional and interpersonal cues, interpret those cues appropriately, respond suitably to what they interpret, and are motivated to engage in social interactions with others (Constantino et al. 2003). Reciprocity consists of mutual and symmetrical exchanges between individuals as they talk, work, or play together (Gernsbacher 2006). Such collaboration is a critical component of human social behavior, one in which we engage often in social contexts (Hammerstein 2003;...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 2,499.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 3,499.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References and Reading

  • Adolphs, R. (2001). The neurobiology of social cognition. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 11(2), 231–239.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Astington, J. W., & Baird, J. A. (2005). Introduction: Why language matters. In J. W. Astington & J. A. Baird (Eds.), Why language matters for theory of mind (pp. 3–25). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Astington, J. W., & Gopnik, A. (1991). Theoretical explanations of children’s understanding of the mond. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 9(1), 7–31.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baron-Cohen, S. (1989). The autistic child’s theory of mind: A case of specific developmental delay. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 30(2), 285–297.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Baron-Cohen, S. (1991). Do people with autism understand what causes emotion? Child Development, 62(2), 385–395.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Baron-Cohen, S., Leslie, A. M., & Frith, U. (1985). Does the autistic child have a “theory of mind”? Cognition, 21(1), 37–46.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bauminger, N., & Kasari, C. (2000). Loneliness and friendship in high-functioning children with autism. Child Development, 71, 447–456.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bechara, A. (2004). The role of emotion in decision-making: Evidence from neurological patients with orbitofrontal damage. Brain and Cognition, 55(1), 30–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandc.2003.04.001.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Begeer, S., Malle, B. F., Nieuwland, M., & Keysar, B. (2010). Using theory of mind to represent and take part in social interactions: Comparing individuals with high-functioning autism and typically developing controls. European Journal of Child Development, 7, 104–122.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carpenter, M. (2009). Just how joint is joint action in infancy? Topics in Cognitive Science, 1, 380–392.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Castelloe, P., & Dawson, G. (1993). Subclassification of children with autism and pervasive developmental disorder: A questionnaire based on Wing’s subgrouping scheme. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 23(2), 229–241.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chamberlain, B., Kasari, C., & Rotheram-Fuller, E. (2007). Involvement or isolation? The social networks of children with autism in regular classrooms. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 37(2), 230–242. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-006-0164-4.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, H. D., Rosen, R. C., & Goldstein, L. (1976). Electroencephalographic laterality changes during human sexual orgasm. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 5(3), 189–199.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cole, T., & Teboul, J. C. B. (2004). Non-zero-sum collaboration, reciprocity, and the preference for similarity: Developing an adaptive model of close relational functioning. Personal Relationships, 11, 135–160.

    Google Scholar 

  • Constantino, J. N., Davis, S. A., Todd, R. D., Schindler, M. K., Gross, M. M., Brophy, S. L., et al. (2003). Validation of a brief quantitative measure of autistic traits: Comparison of the social responsiveness scale with the autism diagnostic interview–revised. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 33(4), 427–433.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dahlgren, S. O., & Trillingsgaard, A. (1996). Theory of mind in non-retarded children with autism and Asperger’s syndrome. A research note. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 37(6), 759–763.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Davidson, R. J., & Irwin, W. (1999). The functional neuroanatomy of emotion and affective style. Trends in Cognitive Science, 3(1), 11–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davidson, R. J., Jackson, D. C., & Kalin, N. H. (2000). Emotion, plasticity, context, and regulation: Perspectives from affective neuroscience. Psychological Bulletin, 126(6), 890–909.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dawson, G., Meltzoff, A. N., Osterling, J., Rinaldi, J., & Brown, E. (1998). Children with autism fail to orient to naturally occurring social stimuli. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 28(6), 479–485.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dennett, D. C. (1978). Beliefs about Beliefs. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 1(4), 568–570.

    Google Scholar 

  • Diamond, A., & Kirkham, N. (2005). Not quite as grown-up as we like to think: Parallels between cognition in childhood and adulthood. Psychological Science, 16(4), 291–297. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0956-7976.2005.01530.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dichter, G. S., Radonovich, K. J., Turner-Brown, L. M., Lam, K. S., Holtzclaw, T. N., & Bodfish, J. W. (2010). Performance of children with autism spectrum disorders on the dimension-change card sort task. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 40(4), 448–456. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-009-0886-1.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Eckerman, C. O., Davis, C. C., & Didow, S. M. (1989). Toddlers’ emerging ways of achieving social coordinations with a peer. Child Development, 60(2), 440–453.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Feldman, R., & Greenbaum, C. W. (1997). Affect regulation and synchronicity in mother-infant play as precursors to the development of symbolic competence. Infant Mental Health Journal, 18, 4–23.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flavell, J. H., Miller, P. H., & Miller, S. A. (2002). Cognitive development (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gernsbacher, M. A. (2006). Toward a behavior of reciprocity. The Journal of Developmental Processes, 1, 139–152.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Geurts, H. M., Corbett, B., & Solomon, M. (2009). The paradox of cognitive flexibility in autism. Trends in Cognitive Science, 13(2), 74–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2008.11.006.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hammerstein, P. (2003). Why is reciprocity so rare in social animals? A protestant appeal. In P. Hammerstein (Ed.), Genetic and Cultural Evolution of Cooperation (pp. 83–94). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Happaney, K., Zelazo, P. D., & Stuss, D. T. (2004). Development of orbitofrontal function: Current themes and future directions. Brain and Cognition, 55(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandc.2004.01.001.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, E. L. (2004). Executive dysfunction in autism. Trends in Cognitive Science, 8(1), 26–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Howes, C. (1988). Peer interaction of young children. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 53, 1–78.

    Google Scholar 

  • Howlin, P., & Goode, S. (1998). Outcome in adult life for people with autism, Asperger syndrome. In F. R. Volkmar (Ed.), Autism and pervasive developmental disorders (pp. 209–241). New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, C., Russell, J., & Robbins, T. W. (1994). Evidence for executive dysfunction in autism. Neuropsychologia, 32(4), 477–492.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, C., Adlam, A., Happe, F., Jackson, J., Taylor, A., & Caspi, A. (2000). Good test – retest reliability for standard and advanced false-belief tasks across a wide range of abilities. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 41(4), 483–490.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hutchins, T. L., Prelock, P. A., & Bonazinga, L. (2012). Psychometric evaluation of the Theory of Mind Inventory (ToMI): A study of typically developing children and children with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 42(3), 327–341. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-011-1244-7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kasari, C., Locke, J., Gulsrud, A., & Rotheram-Fuller, E. (2011). Social networks and friendships at school: Comparing children with and without ASD. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 41(5), 533–544. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-010-1076-x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kavanaugh, R. D. (2006). Pretend play and theory of mind. In L. Balter & C. S. Tamis-LeMonda (Eds.), Child psychology: A handbook of contemporary issue (2nd ed., pp. 153–166). New York: Psychology Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kerr, A., & Zelazo, P. D. (2004). Development of “hot” executive function: the children’s gambling task. Brain and Cognition, 55, 148–157.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lai, M. C., Lombardo, M. V., & Baron-Cohen, S. (2014). Autism. Lancet, 383(9920), 896–910. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(13)61539-1.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lezak, M. D. (1995). Neuropsychological assessment (3rd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mar, R. A., Tackett, J. L., & Moore, C. (2010). Exposure to media and theory of mind development in preschoolers. Cognitive Development, 25(1), 69–78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogdev.2009.11.002.

  • McEvoy, R. E., Rogers, S. J., & Pennington, B. F. (1993). Executive function and social communication deficits in young autistic children. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 34(4), 563–578.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Metcalfe, J., & Mischel, W. (1999). A hot/cool-system analysis of delay of gratification: Dynamics of willpower. Psychological Review, 106(1), 3–19.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Myles, B. S., Bock, S. J., & Simpson, R. L. (2001). Asperger syndrome diagnostic scale. Austin: Pro-Ed.

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Brien, S. K. (1996). The validity and reliability of the wing subgroups questionnaire. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 26(3), 321–335.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ozonoff, S., & Miller, J. N. (1995). Teaching theory of mind: A new approach to social skills training for individuals with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 25(4), 415–433.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Perez, S. M., & Gauvain, M. (2005). The role of child emotionality in child behaviour and maternal instruction on planning tasks. Social Development, 14, 250–272.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perner, J., Frith, U., Leslie, A. M., & Leekam, S. R. (1989). Exploration of the autistic child’s theory of mind: Knowledge, belief, and communication. Child Development, 60(3), 688–700.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pillow, B. H., & Flavell, J. H. (1986). Young children’s knowledge about visual perception: Projective size and shape. Child Development, 57(1), 125–135.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Premack, D., & Woodruff, G. (1978). Does the chimpanzee have a theory of mind? Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 1(4), 515–526.

    Google Scholar 

  • Prior, M., Dahlstrom, B., & Squires, T. L. (1990). Autistic children’s knowledge of thinking and feeling states in other people. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 31(4), 587–601.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rotheram-Fuller, E., Kasari, C., Chamberlain, B., & Locke, J. (2010). Social involvement of children with autism spectrum disorders in elementary school classrooms. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 51(11), 1227–1234. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2010.02289.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sakaiya, S., Shiraito, Y., Kato, J., Ide, H., Okada, K., Takano, K., & Kansaku, K. (2013). Neural correlate of human reciprocity in social interactions. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 7, 239. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2013.00239.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Sally, D., & Hill, E. (2006). The development of interpersonal strategy: Autism, theory-of-mind, cooperation and fairness. Journal of Economic Psychology, 27(1), 73–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joep.2005.06.015.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scheeren, A. M., Koot, H. M., & Begeer, S. (2012). Social interaction style of children and adolescents with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 42(10), 2046–2055. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-012-1451-x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stevens, J. R., & Hauser, M. D. (2004). Why be nice? Psychological constraints on the evolution of cooperation. Trends in Cognitive Science, 8(2), 60–65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2003.12.003.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Szatmari, P., Bartolucci, G., Bremner, R., Bond, S., & Rich, S. (1989). A follow-up study of high-functioning autistic children. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 19(2), 213–225.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tager-Flusberg, H. (2001). A re-examination of the theory of mind hypothesis of autism. In J. Burack, T. Charman, N. Yirmiya, & P. Zelazo (Eds.), The development of autism: Perspectives from theory and research (pp. 173–193). Mahwah: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tantam, D. (2003). The challenge of adolescents and adults with Asperger syndrome. Child Adolescence and Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 12, 143–163.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tomasello, M., Carpenter, M., Call, J., Behne, T., & Moll, H. (2005). Understanding and sharing intentions: The origins of cultural cognition. The Behavioral Brain Sciences, 28(5), 675–691.; discussion 691–735. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0140525x05000129.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Trevarthen, C., & Aitken, K. J. (2001). Infant intersubjectivity: Research, theory, and clinical applications. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 42(1), 3–48.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • van Ommeren, T. B., Begeer, S., Scheeren, A. M., & Koot, H. M. (2012). Measuring reciprocity in high functioning children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 42(6), 1001–1010. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-011-1331-9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Warneken, F., & Tomasello, M. (2006). Altruistic helping in human infants and young chimpanzees. Science, 311(5765), 1301–1303. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1121448.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wellman, H. M. (1990). The child’s theory of mind. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wellman, H. M. (1993). Early understanding of mind: The normal case. In S. Baron-Cohen, H. Tager-Flusberg, & D. J. Cohen (Eds.), Understanding other minds: Perspectives from autism (pp. 10–39). Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wellman, H. M., & Banerjee, M. (1991). Mind and emotion: children’s understanding of the emotional consequences of beliefs and desires. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 9, 191–214.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wellman, H. M., Cross, D., & Watson, J. (2001). Meta-analysis of theory-of-mind development: the truth about false belief. Child Development, 72(3), 655–684.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wimmer, H., & Perner, J. (1983). Beliefs about beliefs: Representation and constraining function of wrong beliefs in young children’s understanding of deception. Cognition, 13(1), 103–128.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yerys, B. E., Hepburn, S. L., Pennington, B. F., & Rogers, S. J. (2007). Executive function in preschoolers with autism: Evidence consistent with a secondary deficit. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 37(6), 1068–1079. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-006-0250-7.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Zelazo, P. D., & Carlson, S. M. (2012). Hot and cool executive function in childhood and adolescence: Development and plasticity. Child Development Perspectives, 6(4), 354–360.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zelazo, P. D., & Müller, U. (2002). Executive function in typical and atypical development. In U. Goswami (Ed.), Blackwell handbook of childhood cognitive development (pp. 445–469). Malden, MA: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zelazo, P. D., Qu, L., & Müller, U. (2005). Hot and cool aspects of executive function: Relations in early development. In W. Schneider, R. Schumann-Hengsteler, & B. Sodian (Eds.), Young children’s cognitive development: Interrelationships among executive functioning, working memory, verbal ability, and theory of mind (pp. 71–93). Mahwah, NJ, US: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan City, Taiwan

    Kuan-Lin Chen

  2. Institute of Allied Health Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan City, Taiwan

    Kuan-Lin Chen

  3. Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan City, Taiwan

    Kuan-Lin Chen

  4. Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Taoyuan Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan City, Taiwan

    Szu-Shen Lai

Authors
  1. Kuan-Lin Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Szu-Shen Lai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kuan-Lin Chen .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA

    Fred R. Volkmar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Chen, KL., Lai, SS. (2021). Cognitive Correlates of Reciprocity in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. In: Volkmar, F.R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91280-6_102472

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation