scholarly journals Heightened sensitivity to low-level visual information in autism during an emotional attentional blink task

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adeline Lacroix ◽  
Marie Gomot ◽  
Margot Fombonne ◽  
Mickaël J. R. Perrier ◽  
Carole Peyrin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Recognition ◽  
Attentional Blink ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Facial Emotion Recognition ◽  
Facial Emotion ◽  
Autistic Group ◽  
Low Level ◽  
Spatial Frequencies ◽  
Visual Consciousness ◽  
T1 And T2

Abstract Background Impairments in facial emotion recognition have been a hallmark of autism, which may contribute to the difficulty in social engagement and interpersonal interaction. Impaired facial emotion recognition in autism could be partly due to the asymmetrical perceptual bias to High Spatial Frequencies (HSF) information observed during visual perception. While Low Spatial Frequencies (LSF) convey coarse information, which would be critical for a fast analysis and categorization of emotional faces, HSF convey local information, which may serve a critical role in visual consciousness. However, to our knowledge, the effect of HSF on visual consciousness in autism has not been specifically studied so far. Methods Thirty-three adult autistic participants and 35 typically developing (TD) control participants performed an emotional attentional blink paradigm. Participants had to identify and report two targets (happy faces, T1 and T2) embedded in a stream of distractors (angry faces). The distractors between T1 and T2 were unfiltered or filtered in HSF or LSF. We used ANOVA to compare the impact of spatial frequency information on visual consciousness in the two groups of participants. Results TD control participants showed significantly reduced T2 accuracy (i.e., accuracy for the second target given the correct report of the first target T1) after unfiltered and HSF distractors compared to LSF distractors. As predicted, reduced T2 accuracy was observed after HSF distractors in the autistic group as compared to the TD group. Although we did not hypothesized, we also found reduced T2 accuracy after LSF distractors in the autistic group. The accuracy between the two groups did not differ regarding unfiltered distractors. Limitations Our sample was adult, high functioning and mainly late diagnosed. Therefore, our findings may not generalize to the whole autistic population. Conclusion Results confirm that HSF plays a critical role in visual consciousness in both TD and autistic participants. More importantly, autistic participants demonstrated impaired target detections after filtered distractors, suggesting that they have enhanced sensitivity for low-level characteristics, such as high and low spatial frequencies filtering. These findings are discussed in the context of the Enhanced Perceptual Functioning theory and predictive coding frameworks.

scholarly journals Both high and low spatial frequencies are critical for visual consciousness in autism: Evidence of an emotional attentional blink paradigm.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adeline Lacroix ◽  
Marie Gomot ◽  
Margot Fombonne ◽  
Mickaël J. R. Perrier ◽  
Carole Peyrin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Perception ◽  
Attentional Blink ◽  
Face Processing ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Local Information ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Spatial Frequencies ◽  
Coarse Information ◽  
Visual Consciousness

Abstract High Spatial Frequencies (HSF - conveying local information) may serve a critical role in visual consciousness. Despite an HSF bias during visual perception in autism, autistic individuals demonstrate impairments in face processing. Our aim was to investigate the respective role of HSF and Low Spatial Frequencies (LSF - conveying coarse information) on visual consciousness in autism. Thirty-two autistic adults and 35 typically developing (TD) controls performed an emotional attentional blink paradigm with spatially filtered distractors. TD participants showed reduced T2 accuracy (i.e., accuracy for the second target given the correct report of the first target T1) after unfiltered and HSF distractors compared to LSF distractors. In the autistic group, we observed lower T2 accuracy than controls after HSF and LSF distractors but not after unfiltered distractors. Results suggest the importance of HSF for visual consciousness in TD participants whereas, both LSF and HSF seem important in autism.

Ventromedial Frontal Lobe Plays a Critical Role in Facial Emotion Recognition

2008 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 721-733 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea S. Heberlein ◽  
Alisa A. Padon ◽  
Seth J. Gillihan ◽  
Martha J. Farah ◽  
Lesley K. Fellows
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Emotion Recognition ◽  
Frontal Lobe ◽  
Mood Induction ◽  
Subjective Experience ◽  
Recognition Performance ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Recognition Task ◽  
Facial Emotion Recognition ◽  
Facial Emotion

The ventromedial prefrontal cortex has been implicated in a variety of emotion processes. However, findings regarding the role of this region specifically in emotion recognition have been mixed. We used a sensitive facial emotion recognition task to compare the emotion recognition performance of 7 subjects with lesions confined to ventromedial prefrontal regions, 8 subjects with lesions elsewhere in prefrontal cortex, and 16 healthy control subjects. We found that emotion recognition was impaired following ventromedial, but not dorsal or lateral, prefrontal damage. This impairment appeared to be quite general, with lower overall ratings or more confusion between all six emotions examined. We also explored the relationship between emotion recognition performance and the ability of the same patients to experience transient happiness and sadness during a laboratory mood induction. We found some support for a relationship between sadness recognition and experience. Taken together, our results indicate that the ventromedial frontal lobe plays a crucial role in facial emotion recognition, and suggest that this deficit may be related to the subjective experience of emotion.

Beeinträchtigtes Erkennen emotionaler Gesichtsausdrücke durch psychiatrische Patientinnen bei Alexithymie

2013 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Dittrich ◽  
Gregor Domes ◽  
Susi Loebel ◽  
Christoph Berger ◽  
Carsten Spitzer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Recognition ◽  
Emotional Expression ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Facial Emotion Recognition ◽  
Facial Emotion ◽  
Check List ◽  
Psychosomatische Erkrankungen ◽  
Psychiatrische Patienten ◽  
Symptom Check List ◽  
Tas 20

Die vorliegende Studie untersucht die Hypothese eines mit Alexithymie assoziierten Defizits beim Erkennen emotionaler Gesichtsaudrücke an einer klinischen Population. Darüber hinaus werden Hypothesen zur Bedeutung spezifischer Emotionsqualitäten sowie zu Gender-Unterschieden getestet. 68 ambulante und stationäre psychiatrische Patienten (44 Frauen und 24 Männer) wurden mit der Toronto-Alexithymie-Skala (TAS-20), der Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Scale (MADRS), der Symptom-Check-List (SCL-90-R) und der Emotional Expression Multimorph Task (EEMT) untersucht. Als Stimuli des Gesichtererkennungsparadigmas dienten Gesichtsausdrücke von Basisemotionen nach Ekman und Friesen, die zu Sequenzen mit sich graduell steigernder Ausdrucksstärke angeordnet waren. Mittels multipler Regressionsanalyse untersuchten wir die Assoziation von TAS-20 Punktzahl und facial emotion recognition (FER). Während sich für die Gesamtstichprobe und den männlichen Stichprobenteil kein signifikanter Zusammenhang zwischen TAS-20-Punktzahl und FER zeigte, sahen wir im weiblichen Stichprobenteil durch die TAS-20 Punktzahl eine signifikante Prädiktion der Gesamtfehlerzahl (β = .38, t = 2.055, p < 0.05) und den Fehlern im Erkennen der Emotionen Wut und Ekel (Wut: β = .40, t = 2.240, p < 0.05, Ekel: β = .41, t = 2.214, p < 0.05). Für wütende Gesichter betrug die Varianzaufklärung durch die TAS-20-Punktzahl 13.3 %, für angeekelte Gesichter 19.7 %. Kein Zusammenhang bestand zwischen der Zeit, nach der die Probanden die emotionalen Sequenzen stoppten, um ihre Bewertung abzugeben (Antwortlatenz) und Alexithymie. Die Ergebnisse der Arbeit unterstützen das Vorliegen eines mit Alexithymie assoziierten Defizits im Erkennen emotionaler Gesichtsausdrücke bei weiblchen Probanden in einer heterogenen, klinischen Stichprobe. Dieses Defizit könnte die Schwierigkeiten Hochalexithymer im Bereich sozialer Interaktionen zumindest teilweise begründen und so eine Prädisposition für psychische sowie psychosomatische Erkrankungen erklären.

Music to my ears: Age-related decline in musical and facial emotion recognition.

2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (8) ◽  
pp. 698-709 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan Sutcliffe ◽  
Peter G. Rendell ◽  
Julie D. Henry ◽  
Phoebe E. Bailey ◽  
Ted Ruffman
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Recognition ◽  
Facial Emotion Recognition ◽  
Facial Emotion ◽  
Age Related

Task characteristics influence facial emotion recognition age-effects: A meta-analytic review.

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 295-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grace S. Hayes ◽  
Skye N. McLennan ◽  
Julie D. Henry ◽  
Louise H. Phillips ◽  
Gill Terrett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Recognition ◽  
Age Effects ◽  
Facial Emotion Recognition ◽  
Facial Emotion ◽  
Task Characteristics ◽  
Analytic Review

Usability of a psychotherapeutic interactive gaming tool used in facial emotion recognition for people with schizophrenia (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingrid Tortadès ◽  
Roberto Gonzalez ◽  
Francesc Alpiste ◽  
Joaquín Fernandez ◽  
Jordi Torner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Theory Of Mind ◽  
Emotion Recognition ◽  
Attributional Style ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Error Rates ◽  
Facial Emotion Recognition ◽  
Facial Emotion ◽  
Interactive Software ◽  
Emotional Recognition ◽  
Attribution Questionnaire

BACKGROUND Emotional Recognition (ER) is one of the areas most affected in people with schizophrenia. However, there are no software tools available for the assessment of ER. The interactive software program ‘Feeling Master’ (a cartoon facial recognition tool) was developed to investigate the deficit in facial emotion recognition (FER) with a sample of patients with schizophrenia in a pilot project framework. OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to test the usability of ‘Feeling Master’ as a psychotherapeutic interactive gaming tool for the assessment of emotional recognition in people with schizophrenia compared with healthy people, and the relationship between FER, attributional style and theory of mind. METHODS Nineteen individuals with schizophrenia and 17 healthy control (HC) subjects completed the ‘Feeling Master’ including five emotions (happiness, sadness, anger, fear, and surprise). Regarding the group with schizophrenia they were evaluated with the Personal and Situational Attribution Questionnaire (IPSAQ) and the Hinting Task (Theory of Mind) to evaluate social cognition. RESULTS Patients with schizophrenia showed impairments in emotion recognition and they remained slower than the HC in the recognition of each emotion (P<.001). Regarding the impairment in the recognition of each emotion we only found a trend toward significance in error rates on fear discrimination (P=.07). And the correlations between correct response on the ‘Feeling Master’ and the hinting task showed significant values in the correlation of surprise and theory of mind (P=.046). CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, the study puts forward the usability of the ‘Feeling Master’ in FER for people with schizophrenia. These findings lend support to the notion that difficulties in emotion recognition are more prevalent in people with schizophrenia, and that these are associated with impairment in ToM, suggesting the potential utility of the FER in the rehabilitation of people with schizophrenia.

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