Baron-Cohen et al.

• Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by deficits in social communication and interaction, as well as restricted or repetitive behaviors, interests, or activities.
• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder impairing a child's ability to communicate and interact.
• Symptoms of ASD include repetitive behaviour, lack of eye contact, and inability to recognise facial expressions.
• High Functioning Autism (HFA) is a type of ASD.
• Aspergers Syndrome (AS) is a type of ASD that affects language and communication skills.
• Symptoms of AS include restricted and repetitive behaviours, and trouble identifying facial expressions.
• The Autism Spectrum Quotient Test (AQ) is a self-report questionnaire with scores ranging from 0 to 50.
• A high score on the AQ suggests that the person has more autistic traits.
• Theory of Mind (ToM) is the ability to understand the view of another.
• The original study on 'Reading the Mind in the Eyes' had issues such as more female faces than male faces and both basic and complex mental states.
• The aim of the revised 'Reading the Mind in the Eyes' test was to differentiate participants with AS or HFA from the general population.
• The revised 'Reading the Mind in the Eyes' test had no sex differences when normal adults took the test.
• Baron-Cohen suggested that people with autism have an undeveloped 'ToM'.
• To measure the 'ToM' of individuals, Baron-Cohen came up with the 'Reading the Mind in the Eyes' task where participants would be evaluated on their ability to label others' emotions by observing their eye expressions on photos.
• Group 1 of the study consisted of 15 male adults with AS/HFA, self-selecting from the UK National Autistic Society through a magazine advert, with an average IQ of 115, from a mix of socio-economic and educational backgrounds.
• Group 2 of the study was a comparative control group of adults, consisting of 122 adults from the adult community and educational classes from Exeter and public library users in Cambridge, with 55 males and 67 females, from a broad mix of occupations and education.
• Group 3 of the study was a comparative control group of students, consisting of 103 undergraduate students from Cambridge, with 53 males and 50 females, assumed to have IQ higher than other participants.
• Group 4 of the study was a group of IQ matched controls, consisting of 14 randomly selected adults whose IQ matched with that of group 1, with an average IQ of 116.
• The research method used was a quasi-experiment with an independent groups design, with independent variables being whether participants had AS/HFA or were normal, and gender, and dependent variables being RET score, AQ score, and gender identification for group 1.
• The procedure for developing the Revised Eye Test (RET) involved Baron-Cohen and Wheelwright originating target words and foils for 36 photos, piloting the test on 8 judges, and then piloting the revised test on 8 judges.
• The eyes test could be improved to help diagnose individuals who may have underlying autistic disorders.
• The 'Anne and Sally' test was developed to understand the theory of mind of children.
• The experimental sample (group 1) is small, so generalising results to those with AS/HFA is not possible.
• On the AQ test, adults with AS/HFA performed significantly higher than the control groups.
• Group 1 judged the gender of each photo as a control task.
• This suggests that the ability to identify mental states is an individual skill that is developed.
• Females scored higher on the RET than males.
• When results were being calculated, only the data for the 36 eye sets were taken.
• The data collected was anonymised.
• Children as Participants Sophisticated words would not be appropriate for children.
• The control group were tested with 40 photos but 4 were eliminated, resulting in 36 items.
• Participants' consent was taken and they knew the nature of the study.
• The Revised Eye Test was a more sensitive measure of adult social intelligence.
• The environment had been standardised (supports individual explanation).
• At least 5 judges had to agree on the target word and no more than 2 judges could select any single foil word.
• The study lacks ecological validity as eye expressions in real life are quick, and not static.
• Only the eyes were used, but normally we study the whole face (mouths are expressive) therefore it lacks ecological validity.
• There was a significant negative correlation (-0.53) between scores on AQ and RET.
• Group 1 participants had been diagnosed in specialist centres using APA criteria.
• The current study replicated findings that AS/HFA adults are significantly impaired in identifying the emotions of others.