Gaze cueing, mental States, and the effect of autistic traits

The ability to interpret and follow the gaze of our social partners is an integral skill in human communication. Recent research has demonstrated that gaze following behaviour is influenced by theory of mind (ToM) processes. However, it has yet to be determined whether the modulation of gaze cueing...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Attention, perception & psychophysics perception & psychophysics, 2023-02, Vol.85 (2), p.485-493
Main Authors: Morgan, Emma J., Smith, Daniel T., Freeth, Megan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Adults
Affective Behavior
Attention
Autism
Autistic Disorder
Behavioral Science and Psychology
Cognitive Psychology
Communication
Cues
Eye Movements
Fixation, Ocular
Humans
Individual Differences
Nonverbal Communication
Perspective Taking
Preferences
Psychology
Social Cognition
Social interaction
Social Perception
Social Status
Stimuli
Theory of Mind
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Summary:The ability to interpret and follow the gaze of our social partners is an integral skill in human communication. Recent research has demonstrated that gaze following behaviour is influenced by theory of mind (ToM) processes. However, it has yet to be determined whether the modulation of gaze cueing by ToM is affected by individual differences, such as autistic traits. The aim of this experiment was to establish whether autistic traits in neurotypical populations affect the mediation of gaze cueing by ToM processes. This study used a gaze cueing paradigm within a change detection task. Participants’ perception of a gaze cue was manipulated such that they only believed the cue to be able to ‘see’ in one condition. The results revealed that participants in the Low Autistic Traits group were significantly influenced by the mental state of the gaze cue and were more accurate on valid trials when they believed the cue could ‘see’. By contrast, participants in the High Autistic Traits group were also more accurate on valid trials, but this was not influenced by the mental state of the gaze cue. This study therefore provides evidence that autistic traits influence the extent to which mental state attributions modulate social attention in neurotypical adults.
ISSN:1943-3921
1943-393X
DOI:10.3758/s13414-021-02368-0