The Importance of Networking in Autism Gaze Analysis

Visual scanning of faces in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has been intensively studied using eye-tracking technology. However, most of studies have relied on the same analytic approach based on the quantification of fixation time, which may have failed to reveal some important feat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2015-10, Vol.10 (10), p.e0141191-e0141191
Main Authors: Guillon, Quentin, Afzali, Mohammad H, Rogé, Bernadette, Baduel, Sophie, Kruck, Jeanne, Hadjikhani, Nouchine
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Asymmetry
Autism
Autism Spectrum Disorder - diagnosis
Autism Spectrum Disorder - physiopathology
Behavior
Case-Control Studies
Child, Preschool
Children
Cognitive science
Exploratory Behavior
Eye
Eye movements
Face
Facial Expression
Female
Fixation
Fixation, Ocular
Humans
Male
Matrices
Network analysis
Neurosciences
Neurovetenskaper
Pattern Recognition, Visual
Peers
Preschool children
Psychology
Reaction Time
Scanning
Social interaction
Strategies
Studies
Technology
Time
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Summary:Visual scanning of faces in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has been intensively studied using eye-tracking technology. However, most of studies have relied on the same analytic approach based on the quantification of fixation time, which may have failed to reveal some important features of the scanning strategies employed by individuals with ASD. In the present study, we examined the scanning of faces in a group of 20 preschoolers with ASD and their typically developing (TD) peers, using both classical fixation time approach and a new developed approach based on transition matrices and network analysis. We found between group differences in the eye region in terms of fixation time, with increased right eye fixation time for the ASD group and increased left eye fixation time for the TD group. Our complementary network approach revealed that the left eye might play the role of an anchor in the scanning strategies of TD children but not in that of children with ASD. In ASD, fixation time on the different facial parts was almost exclusively dependent on exploratory activity. Our study highlights the importance of developing innovative measures that bear the potential of revealing new properties of the scanning strategies employed by individuals with ASD.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0141191