Are deficits in the decoding of affective cues and in mentalizing abilities independent?

Author(s): vanderWees, M.

Journal/Book: J Autism Dev Disord. 1997; 27: 233 Spring St, New York, NY 10013. Plenum Publ Corp. 539-556.

Abstract: It has been hypothesized that deficits in theory of mind (ToM) and emotion recognition abilities in subjects with autisticlike disorders are independent. We examined the relationships between deficits in the various social cognitive domains in children with an autistic disorder (N = 20), in children with a pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDDNOS) (N = 20), and in psychiatric control (N = 20) and normal children (N = 20). The clinical groups were matched person-to-person on age and verbal IQ. The clinical children were 8-18 years old the normal children 8-13 years old. The test battery included task; for the matching and the context recognition of emotional expressions, and a set of first- and second-order ToM tasks. ToM and emotion recognition functioning proved to be better integrated in the non-PDD children than in the PDD children, bur also in the PDD children significant correlations were found between ToM and emotion recognition measures.

Note: Article Buitelaar JK, Univ Utrecht, Dept Child Psychiat, POB 85500, NL-3508 Ga Utrecht, NETHERLANDS

Keyword(s): AUTISTIC CHILDS APPRAISAL; PRESCHOOL-CHILDREN; MIND; EMOTION; COMMUNICATION; EXPRESSIONS; PERSPECTIVE; KNOWLEDGE; BELIEFS; STATES

Zurück | Weiter