Humor preference and the Autism Quotient in an undergraduate sample

2013 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
David Rawlings
Keyword(s):  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Autism Spectrum Quotient ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
Attention Switching ◽  
Humor Appreciation

AbstractMost previous studies relating autism and humor have compared responses to jokes or cartoons in autistic children and controls. The present study used the Humor Appreciation Measure (HAM, Rawlings 2008), which measures responses to hypothetical real life situations, as well as jokes; and employed the Autism-spectrum Quotient (AQ, Baron-Cohen et al. 1995), a self-report instrument which assumes that autism exists on a continuum. In an undergraduate sample (N = 126), substantial correlations were reported between the total AQ score and the “unpleasant/aversive” ratings of potentially humorous, non-violent situations involving other people and the self. Correlational and regression analysis indicated that the strongest relationships with humor variables involved the Attention Switching sub-scale. The overall importance of Attention Switching was further examined by correlating individual sub-scale items with relevant humor variables. It is argued that the correlation between humor and Attention Switching is dependent on participants' relative tendency to avoid situations associated with the novel or unpredictable.

Relating humor preference to schizotypy and autism scores in a student sample

2008 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
David Rawlings
Keyword(s):  
Normal Population ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Autism Spectrum Quotient ◽  
Student Sample ◽  
Sense Of Humor ◽  
Normal Personality ◽  
Five Factors

AbstractWhile previous research has related humor preferences to a range of normal personality dispositions and pathologies, it has not related humor preference to schizotypy, a construct at the interface between normal personality and psychopathology. Nor has it related humor preference to autism, as this appears within the normal population. The present study employed a multi-factorial measure of schizotypy, the Oxford-Liverpool Inventory of Feelings and Experiences (O-LIFE) and the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ). Student participants completed the self-report measure and rated how funny and unpleasant/aversive they found 48 purportedly humorous stimuli differentiated according to whether they were violent or neutral, and whether they comprised jokes, real-life situations involving others, or real-life situations involving the self. A Principal Components Analysis of the ratings produced five factors. Subsequent correlation and regression analyses related each obliquely rotated factor to at least one individual-differences variable: Sex differences was most clearly related to Lack of Empathy, O-LIFE Unusual Experiences to Sense of Humor—Joke Oriented, O-LIFE Introvertive Anhedonia to Sense of Humor—Reality Oriented, O-LIFE Cognitive Disorganization to Personal Sensitivity, and the AQ to Aversive Reaction to Humor. The data point to the usefulness in humor research of constructs at the interface between abnormal and normal personality.

Relationship Between Autism Spectrum Disorder Characteristics and Humor Appreciation in Typically Developing Individuals

2018 ◽  
Vol 122 (6) ◽  
pp. 2282-2297
Author(s):  
Kai Nagase
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Autistic Traits ◽  
Japanese Version ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Autism Spectrum Quotient ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Attention Switching ◽  
Humor Appreciation ◽  
The Relationship

Extant research regarding humor appreciation in individuals with autism spectrum disorder has been equivocal. This study aims to clarify the relationship between the severity of autism spectrum disorder characteristics and humor appreciation in typically developing individuals. We hypothesized that the severity of autistic traits would have a U-shaped linear relationship with humor appreciation. Eighty typically developing undergraduates between the ages of 18 and 22 years ( Mage = 20.20; SDage = 1.08) were recruited for this study. They were asked to answer 24 statements, devised to measure humor appreciation, in response to a joke stimulus comprising 12 typically funny daily life occurrences (two statements per episode). The participants also responded to the Japanese version of the Autism-Spectrum Quotient. A significant U-shaped relationship was observed between the severity of autistic traits and appreciation of humor. A similar significant U-shaped relationship was seen between humor appreciation and the Autism-Spectrum Quotient subscales of attention switching, communication, and imagination. Humor appreciation showed no significant U-shaped relationship with the Autism-Spectrum Quotient subscales of social skills and local details. This study identified ways that autistic traits may influence how people appreciate humor. These findings are discussed in relation to cognitive processes underlying humor appreciation.

scholarly journals Developing iPad Application based on Video Modeling to Enhance Self-Protection Skills for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Jeddah

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Afnan Maatouk Al - Talhi
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Experimental Design ◽  
Video Modeling ◽  
Mobile Application ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
The Self ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
Self Protection ◽  
Experimental Group

The current study aimed to develop a mobile application based on video modeling to improve and enhance self-protection skills for children with autism. Semi-experimental design of the two groups was adopted: the control, which received the self-protection skills in the traditional way, while these skills was provided to the experimental group through the application based on video modeling. The research sample was consisted of 16 students who met the criteria. The researcher was applied the self-protection skills scale on the sample. After the experiment was applied for five weeks, the data were analyzed statistically. The results showed the effectiveness of the application in the development of self-protection skills for autistic children. The researcher recommended the use of the preferences of children with autism and the use of applications that based on video modeling in their education.

scholarly journals The 2D : 4D Digit Ratio as a Biomarker for Autism Spectrum Disorder

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Mackus ◽  
D. de Kruijff ◽  
L. S. Otten ◽  
A. D. Kraneveld ◽  
J. Garssen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ring Finger ◽  
Autistic Traits ◽  
Subscale Score ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Digit Ratio ◽  
Autism Spectrum Quotient ◽  
Attention Switching ◽  
Left Hand ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Attention To Detail

It has been suggested that the second (2D, index finger) to fourth (4D, ring finger) digit ratio, 2D : 4D, may be a biomarker for the risk of developing autism. The aim of the current study was to determine the usefulness of the 2D : 4D digit ratio as biomarker for autistic traits. N=401 healthy young volunteers participated in the study. For both hands, digit lengths were measured using digital Vernier calipers. In addition to demographics, the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) questionnaire was completed, comprised of five subscales, assessing “social insights and behavior,” “attention switching,” “communication,” “imagination,” and “attention to detail.” Overall, no significant correlations were observed between the AQ total score, its subscales, and the 2D : 4D digit ratio. For women, the left hand 2D : 4D digit ratio correlated significantly with the subscale score “communication” (r=-0.142; p=0.036). For men, a significant positive correlation was found between the left 2D : 4D digit ratio and the total AQ score (r=0.157; p=0.042) and AQ subscale “attention switching” (r=0.182; p=0.017). In conclusion, gender specific associations between the 2D : 4D digit ratio and specific autism traits were observed, which were stronger in men than in women. Future studies should be conducted in patients that are formally diagnosed with autism.

Association among Items from the Self-Report Version of the Hamilton Depression Scale (Carroll Rating Scale) and Respondents' Sex

2007 ◽  
Vol 101 (1) ◽  
pp. 291-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Luiza Camozzato ◽  
Maria Paz Hidalgo ◽  
Sônia Souza ◽  
Márcia L. F. Chaves
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Regression Analysis ◽  
General Population ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Sex Bias ◽  
Hamilton Depression Scale ◽  
Nonclinical Sample

The association among items of the self-reported version of the Hamilton Depression Scale (Carroll Rating Scale), answered according to a memory of a maximally disturbing event experienced, and respondents' sex was examined in a nonclinical sample of 320 college students, 164 women ( M age = 21.7 yr., SD = 3.6) and 156 men ( M age = 23.5 yr., SD = 5.8). An assessment of sex bias was also evaluated. Multiple regression analysis showed that statements regarding unhappiness, urge to cry, dizziness and faintness, and waking in the middle of the night were significantly associated with women. Removal of these items from the Carroll Rating Scale Total scores eliminated the sex differences in depression rates. Items that displayed significant sex bias were those regarding behavior and emotions commonly attributed to women within the general population.

scholarly journals Psychometric concerns with the 10-item Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ10) as a measure of trait autism in the general population

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily C. Taylor ◽  
Lucy A. Livingston ◽  
Rachel A. Clutterbuck ◽  
Punit Shah
Keyword(s):  
General Population ◽  
Screening Tool ◽  
Clinical Sample ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Clinical Samples ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Autism Spectrum Quotient ◽  
Internal Reliability ◽  
Diagnostic Screening

AbstractThe 10-item Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ10) is a self-report questionnaire used in clinical and research settings as a diagnostic screening tool for autism in adults. The AQ10 is also increasingly being used to quantify trait autism along a unitary dimension and correlated against performance on other psychological/medical tasks. However, its psychometric properties have yet to be examined when used in this way. By analysing AQ10 data from a large non-clinical sample of adults (n = 6,595), we found that the AQ10 does not have a unifactorial factor structure, and instead appears to have several factors. The AQ10 also had poor internal reliability. Taken together, whilst the AQ10 has important clinical utility in screening for diagnosable autism, it may not be a psychometrically robust measure when administered in non-clinical samples from the general population. Therefore, we caution against its use as a measure of trait autism in future research.

Autistic Traits in Patients with Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa or Binge Eating Disorder: A Pilot Study

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S100-S100 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Gesi ◽  
C. Carmassi ◽  
M. Luciano ◽  
L. Bossini ◽  
V. Ricca ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Eating Disorder ◽  
Bulimia Nervosa ◽  
Binge Eating ◽  
Binge Eating Disorder ◽  
Autistic Traits ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Autism Spectrum Quotient ◽  
Attention Switching ◽  
Feeding And Eating Disorders

IntroductionPrevious data showed higher autistic traits in individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN) compared to healthy controls (CTL). It is not known, however, whether this characteristic is shared by other feeding and eating disorders (FEDs) or it is uniquely associated to AN.ObjectivesTo compare autistic traits among individuals with AN, bulimia nervosa (BN), binge eating disorder (BED) and CTL and to investigate which specific dimensions differentiate one group from another.MethodsA total of 241 FED patients (53 AN, 41 BN, 42 BED) and 105 CTL were administered the autism-spectrum quotient (AQ), the adult autism subthreshold spectrum (AdAS Spectrum), the Ritvo autism and Asperger diagnostic scale 14-item (RAADS-14 Screen).ResultsFED subjects reported higher AQ, AdAS spectrum and RAADS-14 total and subscales scores compared to CTL (all P < .001). No differences were found amongst AN, BN and BED subjects in questionnaires’ total scores. BN group scored higher than AN in the hyper-/hyporeactivity to sensory input domain of the AdAS spectrum (P < .001); AN group scored higher than BED in the attention switching domain of the AQ (P < .001), and BED group scored lower than both AN and BN in the mentalizing deficit domain of the RAADS-14 (all P < .001).ConclusionsWe reported for the first time that not only AN but also BN and BED patients show greater autistic traits compared to CTL. Longitudinal studies are needed to confirm this preliminary report and to elucidate whether autistic traits either precede, co-occur or follow FEDs.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

scholarly journals Seven decades after Hans Asperger's observations: A comprehensive study of humor in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders

2013 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea C. Samson ◽  
Oswald Huber ◽  
Willibald Ruch
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Social Communication ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Humor Styles ◽  
Processing Style ◽  
Humor Style ◽  
Humor Appreciation ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Comprehensive Study

AbstractThe aim of the present study was to better understand humor in individuals with Asperger's syndrome. Therefore, various humor and laughter related phenomena were investigated by means of various standardized humor instruments. Forty individuals with AS and 113 controls filled out several self-report questionnaires and tests. The results revealed that individuals with AS scored significantly lower on trait cheerfulness and higher on trait seriousness (both describing the susceptibility to humor). Furthermore, they scored low on scales related to social communication (affiliative humor, humor entertainment) and portrayed a more socially cold humor style. In addition, individuals with AS scored low on mean-spirited humor, and used less adaptive (self-enhancing) and more maladaptive humor styles (self-defeating humor). Finally, they preferred incongruity-resolution humor, representing a more reality-oriented processing style. These findings add to previous studies on humor and expand the knowledge of components associated with successful humor appreciation.

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