Quantity-based reasoning in the broader autism phenotype: A web-based study

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 1373-1403 ◽  
Author(s):  
BOB VAN TIEL ◽  
MIKHAIL KISSINE
Keyword(s):  
Broader Autism Phenotype ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Autism Spectrum Quotient ◽  
Counterfactual Reasoning ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Autism Quotient ◽  
Pragmatic Inference ◽  
Autism Phenotype

ABSTRACTWe conducted a web-based study investigating whether the probability of deriving four types of pragmatic inferences depends on the degree to which one has traits associated with the autism spectrum, as measured by the autism spectrum quotient test (Baron-Cohen, Wheelwright, Skinner, Martin, & Clubley, 2001). In line with previous research, we show that, independently of their autism spectrum quotient, participants are likely to derive those pragmatic inferences that can be derived by reasoning solely about alternatives that the speaker could have used. However, if the derivation of the pragmatic inference draws upon more complex counterfactual reasoning about what the speaker could have said, the probability that it is derived decreases significantly with one’s autism quotient. We discuss the consequences for theories of pragmatics in autism and for linguistic theorizing in general.

scholarly journals The Autism-Spectrum Quotient—Italian Version: A Cross-Cultural Confirmation of the Broader Autism Phenotype

2011 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 625-633 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liliana Ruta ◽  
Domenico Mazzone ◽  
Luigi Mazzone ◽  
Sally Wheelwright ◽  
Simon Baron-Cohen
Keyword(s):  
Broader Autism Phenotype ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Autism Spectrum Quotient ◽  
Italian Version ◽  
Autism Phenotype

scholarly journals Autism-spectrum traits predict humor styles in the general population

2013 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimmo Eriksson
Keyword(s):  
General Population ◽  
High Functioning Autism ◽  
Broader Autism Phenotype ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Autism Spectrum Quotient ◽  
Humor Styles ◽  
High Functioning ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Autism Phenotype ◽  
Attention To Detail

AbstractPrevious research shows that individuals with Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism tend to have impaired processing of humor and laugh at things that are not commonly found funny. Here the relationship between humor styles and the broader autism phenotype was investigated in a sample of the general population. The autism-spectrum quotient (AQ) and the humor styles questionnaire (HSQ) were administered to six hundred US participants recruited through an Internet-based service. On the whole, high scores on AQ were negatively related to positive humor styles and unrelated to negative humor styles. However, AQ subscales representing different autism-spectrum traits exhibited different patterns. In particular, the factor “poor mind-reading” was associated with higher scores on negative humor styles and the factor “attention to detail” was associated with higher scores on all humor styles, suggesting a more nuanced picture of the relationship between autism-spectrum traits and humor.

scholarly journals Diachronic Tendency and Thinking Style Across the Broader Autism Spectrum: Sources of Individual Differences?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stian Orm ◽  
Ella Holt Holmberg ◽  
Paul L. Harris ◽  
Maria Nunez ◽  
Francisco Pons
Keyword(s):  
Autistic Traits ◽  
Broader Autism Phenotype ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Inner Speech ◽  
Autism Spectrum Quotient ◽  
Present Moment ◽  
Thinking Style ◽  
Mental Images ◽  
High School Degree ◽  
Future Events

Abstract Objectives First, to see whether previous studies showing a limited capacity to spontaneously evoke the past and the future of a present moment (diachronic tendency) and a prevalence of mental images over inner speech (thinking style) in individuals with autism spectrum disorder could be replicated in individuals belonging to the broader autism phenotype. Second, to test the hypothesis that individuals thinking with mental images have a more limited diachronic tendency compared with individuals thinking with inner speech. Methods Adults (N = 309, Mage = 31.5 years, 76% women) with at least a high school degree were assessed with the Autism Spectrum Quotient, a test of diachronic tendency comprising four pictures varying in social interactivity and dynamicity, and a thinking style scale comprising three items representing three different everyday situations. Results The results showed that adults with many autistic traits have a limited diachronic tendency but only when the situation is socially interactive and dynamic, think more in mental images than individuals with no or few autistic traits but nevertheless still think more with inner speech than with mental images, and the more the participants reported thinking in inner speech, the more they evoked past and future events when describing a socially interactive and dynamic situation. Conclusions More autistic traits are associated with a limited diachronic tendency in socially interactive and dynamic situations and more thinking in mental images, and thinking style could be one of the determinants of diachronic tendency in socially interactive and dynamic situations.

scholarly journals Theory of Mind Indexes the Broader Autism Phenotype in Siblings of Children with Autism at School Age

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tawny Tsang ◽  
Kristen Gillespie-Lynch ◽  
Ted Hutman
Keyword(s):  
Theory Of Mind ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Broader Autism Phenotype ◽  
Cognitive Empathy ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
School Age ◽  
Autism Symptoms ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Social Communicative ◽  
Autism Phenotype

Subclinical variants of the social-communicative challenges and rigidity that define autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are known as the broader autism phenotype (BAP). The BAP has been conceptualized categorically (as specific to a subset of relatives of individuals with ASD) and dimensionally (as continuously distributed within the general population). The current study examined the compatibility of these two approaches by assessing associations among autism symptoms and social-communicative skills in young school-age children with ASD, children who have a sibling with ASD, and children without a sibling with ASD. Autism symptoms were associated with reduced Theory of Mind (ToM), adaptive skills, cognitive empathy, and language skills across the full sample. Reduced ToM was a core aspect of the BAP in the current sample regardless of whether the BAP was defined categorically (in terms of siblings of children with ASD who exhibited atypical developmental) or dimensionally (in terms of associations with autism symptoms across the entire sample). Early language skills predicted school-age ToM. Findings support the compatibility of categorical and dimensional approaches to the BAP, highlight reduced ToM as a core aspect of the school-age BAP, and suggest that narrative-based approaches to promoting ToM may be beneficial for siblings of children with ASD.

scholarly journals Construction and psychometric evaluation of a short form of the Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire

Psihologija ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-258
Author(s):  
Irena Stojkovic ◽  
Bojan Ducic ◽  
Svetlana Kaljaca ◽  
Mirjana Djordjevic
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Factor Structure ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Discriminant Validity ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Broad Autism Phenotype ◽  
Autism Spectrum Quotient ◽  
Autism Phenotype

Broad Autism Phenotype (BAP) represents a group of personality traits expressed in limitations in social relations and pragmatic speech dimension, and rigid behavior. The Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire (BAPQ) measures personality traits which are crucial in defining the BAP. In the present research, three studies were conducted with the general aim to create a short form of the BAPQ. Study 1 was carried out to determine the factor structure of the BAPQ in a sample of 501 students and to select items for the short form. Obtained components: Aloofness, Rigidity, and Pragmatics, corresponding to the structure of the instrument proposed by authors, accounted for 26.61% of variance. Study 2 was conducted to examine factor structure of the BAPQ short form (BAPQ-SF), in a sample of 298 students. This solution explained 45.76% of the total variance. The aim of Study 3 was to determine psychometric characteristics of the BAPQ-SF in a sample of students (N = 294). Three-factor model of the BAPQ-SF was confirmed. Correlations of the BAPQ-SF with the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) and the Delta 10 suggest convergent and discriminant validity of the BAPQ-SF.

scholarly journals Tracing Autism Traits in Large Multiplex Families to Identify Endophenotypes of the Broader Autism Phenotype

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (21) ◽  
pp. 7965
Author(s):  
Krysta J. Trevis ◽  
Natasha J. Brown ◽  
Cherie C. Green ◽  
Paul J. Lockhart ◽  
Tarishi Desai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Adaptive Functioning ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Broader Autism Phenotype ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Autism Traits ◽  
Multiplex Families ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Autism Phenotype

Families comprising many individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) may carry a dominant predisposing mutation. We implemented rigorous phenotyping of the “Broader Autism Phenotype” (BAP) in large multiplex ASD families using a novel endophenotype approach for the identification and characterisation of distinct BAP endophenotypes. We evaluated ASD/BAP features using standardised tests and a semi-structured interview to assess social, intellectual, executive and adaptive functioning in 110 individuals, including two large multiplex families (Family A: 30; Family B: 35) and an independent sample of small families (n = 45). Our protocol identified four distinct psychological endophenotypes of the BAP that were evident across these independent samples, and showed high sensitivity (97%) and specificity (82%) for individuals classified with the BAP. Patterns of inheritance of identified endophenotypes varied between the two large multiplex families, supporting their utility for identifying genes in ASD.

Alteration in cortical processing of facial emotions in broader autism phenotype

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Soto-Icaza ◽  
Brice Beffara Bret ◽  
Lorena Vargas ◽  
Francisco Aboitiz ◽  
Pablo Billeke
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Frequency ◽  
Visual Pathway ◽  
Broader Autism Phenotype ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Source Analysis ◽  
Neuronal Marker ◽  
Facial Emotions ◽  
Spatial Frequencies ◽  
Lower Amplitude ◽  
Autism Phenotype

Broader Autism Phenotype (BAP) defines heritable features present in unaffected relatives of individuals with autism. BAP affects face perception, an impairment associated with the magnocellular (M) visual pathway that processes information of low spatial frequency and the parvocellular (P) visual pathway that processes information of high spatial frequency. Here we tested the hypothesis that parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (pASD), who are BAP candidates, present altered M and P pathways integration for the processing of facial emotions information as compared to parents of typically developing children (pTD). For this end, we carried out electroencephalographic recordings in pTD and pASD, while they had to recognize emotions of face pictures composed by the same or different emotions (happiness or anger) presented in different spatial frequencies. We found no significant differences in the accuracy between groups but lower amplitude in a late frontoparietal potential activity, when happiness emotion was displayed in both spatial frequencies in pASD. Source analysis showed a difference in the right posterior part of the superior temporal region. These results reveal an alteration in brain processing of facial emotion in BAP that could be a neuronal marker of ASD.

scholarly journals Associations between parental broader autism phenotype and child autism spectrum disorder phenotype in the Study to Explore Early Development

Autism ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 436-448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Rubenstein ◽  
Lisa D Wiggins ◽  
Laura A Schieve ◽  
Chyrise Bradley ◽  
Carolyn DiGuiseppi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Developmental Delay ◽  
Early Development ◽  
Broader Autism Phenotype ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Motor Delay ◽  
Motor Behaviors ◽  
Repetitive Motor ◽  
Autism Phenotype

The autism spectrum disorder phenotype varies by social and communication ability and co-occurring developmental, behavioral, and medical conditions. Etiology is also diverse, with myriad potential genetic origins and environmental risk factors. Examining the influence of parental broader autism phenotype—a set of sub-clinical characteristics of autism spectrum disorder—on child autism spectrum disorder phenotypes may help reduce heterogeneity in potential genetic predisposition for autism spectrum disorder. We assessed the associations between parental broader autism phenotype and child phenotype among children of age 30–68 months enrolled in the Study to Explore Early Development (N = 707). Child autism spectrum disorder phenotype was defined by a replication of latent classes derived from multiple developmental and behavioral measures: Mild Language Delay with Cognitive Rigidity, Mild Language and Motor Delay with Dysregulation (e.g. anxiety/depression), General Developmental Delay, and Significant Developmental Delay with Repetitive Motor Behaviors. Scores on the Social Responsiveness Scale-Adult measured parent broader autism phenotype. Broader autism phenotype in at least one parent was associated with a child having increased odds of being classified as mild language and motor delay with dysregulation compared to significant developmental delay with repetitive motor behaviors (odds ratio: 2.44; 95% confidence interval: 1.16, 5.09). Children of parents with broader autism phenotype were more likely to have a phenotype qualitatively similar to broader autism phenotype presentation; this may have implications for etiologic research.

Investigation of Broad Autism Phenotype Traits as Measured by the 26-Item Autism Quotient

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 338-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Camodeca ◽  
Alexandra Hosack ◽  
Kylie Q. Todd
Keyword(s):  
Factor Model ◽  
Internal Consistency Reliability ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Broad Autism Phenotype ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Fit Indices ◽  
Autism Traits ◽  
Autism Quotient ◽  
Empathy Quotient ◽  
Autism Phenotype

The extant literature regarding psychometric properties of measures of subclinical adult autism traits is sparse. The current study investigated the validity and internal consistency reliability of the 26-item Autism Quotient (AQ-26), a self-report measure of autism traits, in a nonclinical young adult sample. Results indicated significantly better model fit with an 18-item measure (AQ-18), with optimal fit indices. Otherwise, AQ-18 and AQ-26 findings were similar and are discussed together. A three-factor model best fit the data. Scores demonstrated similar correlations in expected directions with the Empathy Quotient and Broad Autism Phenotype (BAP) Questionnaire. Expected differences were also observed when college major, gender, and BAP/non-BAP groups were compared. Despite somewhat weaker evidence for the 26/18-Details/Patterns factor, findings indicate that the AQ-26 and AQ-18 are promising measures of the three traits of subclinical autism spectrum symptomatology.

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