scholarly journals What is the Effect of Stimulus Complexity on Attention to Repeating and Changing Information in Autism?

Author(s):  
Iti Arora ◽  
Alessio Bellato ◽  
Teodora Gliga ◽  
Danielle Ropar ◽  
Puja Kochhar ◽  
...  

AbstractSlower habituation to repeating stimuli characterises Autism, but it is not known whether this is driven by difficulties with information processing or an attentional bias towards sameness. We conducted eye-tracking and presented looming geometrical shapes, clocks with moving arms and smiling faces, as two separate streams of stimuli (one repeating and one changing), to 7–15 years old children and adolescents (n = 103) with Autism, ADHD or co-occurring Autism+ADHD, and neurotypical children (Study-1); and to neurotypical children (n = 64) with varying levels of autistic traits (Study-2). Across both studies, autistic features were associated with longer looks to the repeating stimulus, and shorter looks to the changing stimulus, but only for more complex stimuli, indicating greater difficulty in processing complex or unpredictable information.

1983 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob Lomranz

Following the theoretical model originally proposed by Hogan (1978), this study tests the existence of a “U”-relationship between stimulus complexity and time estimation such that time ‘filled” with simple or complex stimuli is perceived as more extended than when the same time is “filled” with stimuli that is of a moderate complex nature. In addition, the present study assumes that this relationship can be better explained by considering the personality variables of extroversion and introversion and their interaction with stimulus complexity. The results confirmed the existence of a quadratic relationship between stimulus complexity and time(< = 0.001). The relationship between information processing in terms of stimulus complexity, personality variables, and the theme of time estimation is discussed.


2015 ◽  
Vol 23 (9) ◽  
pp. 1508
Author(s):  
Qiandong WANG ◽  
Qinggong LI ◽  
Kaikai CHEN ◽  
Genyue FU

Author(s):  
Alex Bertrams

AbstractPeople differ in how strongly they believe that, in general, one gets what (s)he deserves (i.e., individual differences in the general belief in a just world). In this study (N = 588; n = 60 with a formal autism diagnosis), whether or not autistic people and those with high autistic traits have a relatively low general belief in a just world is examined. The results revealed the expected relationship between autism/higher autistic traits and a lower general belief in a just world. In a subsample (n = 388), personal belief in a just world, external locus of control, and self-deception mediated this relationship. These findings are discussed in terms of autistic strengths (less biased information processing) and problems (lowered well-being).


2021 ◽  
pp. 009365022199531
Author(s):  
Tess van der Zanden ◽  
Maria B. J. Mos ◽  
Alexander P. Schouten ◽  
Emiel J. Krahmer

This study investigates how online dating profiles, consisting of both pictures and texts, are visually processed, and how both components affect impression formation. The attractiveness of the profile picture was varied systematically, and texts either included language errors or not. By collecting eye tracking and perception data, we investigated whether picture attractiveness determines attention to the profile text and if the text plays a secondary role. Eye tracking results revealed that pictures are more likely to attract initial attention and that more attractive pictures receive more attention. Texts received attention regardless of the picture’s attractiveness. Moreover, perception data showed that both the pictorial and textual cues affect impression formation, but that they affect different dimensions of perceived attraction differently. Based on our results, a new multimodal information processing model is proposed, which suggests that pictures and texts are processed independently and lead to separate assessments of cue attractiveness before impression formation.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Benjamin C. Mullin ◽  
Jacob B. W. Holzman ◽  
Laura Pyle ◽  
Emmaly L. Perks ◽  
Yaswanth Chintaluru ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Attentional bias to threat has been implicated as a cognitive mechanism in anxiety disorders for youth. Yet, prior studies documenting this bias have largely relied on a method with questionable reliability (i.e. dot-probe task) and small samples, few of which included adolescents. The current study sought to address such limitations by examining relations between anxiety – both clinically diagnosed and dimensionally rated – and attentional bias to threat. Methods The study included a community sample of adolescents and employed eye-tracking methodology intended to capture possible biases across the full range of both automatic (i.e. vigilance bias) and controlled attentional processes (i.e. avoidance bias, maintenance bias). We examined both dimensional anxiety (across the full sample; n = 215) and categorical anxiety in a subset case-control analysis (n = 100) as predictors of biases. Results Findings indicated that participants with an anxiety disorder oriented more slowly to angry faces than matched controls. Results did not suggest a greater likelihood of initial orienting to angry faces among our participants with anxiety disorders or those with higher dimensional ratings of anxiety. Greater anxiety severity was associated with greater dwell time to neutral faces. Conclusions This is the largest study to date examining eye-tracking metrics of attention to threat among healthy and anxious youth. Findings did not support the notion that anxiety is characterized by heightened vigilance or avoidance/maintenance of attention to threat. All effects detected were extremely small. Links between attention to threat and anxiety among adolescents may be subtle and highly dependent on experimental task dimensions.


2015 ◽  
Vol 74 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franco Mawad ◽  
Marcela Trías ◽  
Ana Giménez ◽  
Alejandro Maiche ◽  
Gastón Ares

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