Baron-Cohen et. al

Question 1

AIM (3)

Answer 1

1. to test a group of people with AS/HFA on the revised version of the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test;
2. to test whether the sex difference in autistic traits (in neurotypical individuals) observed in the previous test replicated;
3. to check for a correlation between the scores on the Eyes Test and the AQ.

Question 2

AQ

definition

Answer 2

a self-report questionnaire with scores ranging from 0 to 50, designed to measure the expression of Autism-Spectrum traits in an individual. A higher score indicates that the person has more autistic traits.

Question 3

ceiling effect

Answer 3

occurs when a test is too easy and many participants score the top score, thus making it difficult for researchers to differentiate between participants.

Question 4

DSM

full form

Answer 4

Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders

Question 5

DSM

definition

Answer 5

a classification & diagnostic tool used by doctors, psychiatrists and psychologists internationally, published by the American Psychiatrist Association.

Question 6

ICD

full form

Answer 6

International Classification of Diseases

Question 7

ICD

compare to DSM

Answer 7

has a wider scope and covers all health-related diseases, not just those related to the mind. published by WHO.

Question 8

AQ

full form

Answer 8

Autistic-Spectrum Quotient Test

Question 9

how was the revised version of the Eyes Test developed? (2 steps)

Answer 9

1. authors chose a target word and three foils pertaining to a picture of the eyes
2. the picture, word and foils were presented to eight judges.

Question 10

what were the conditions needed for a target word to be finalised for the Eyes Test?

Answer 10

1. 5 out of 8 judges should pick the target word out of the four options
2. 2/less than 2 should pick any one foil.

Question 11

SAMPLE: AS/HFA (group 1)

sampling method

Answer 11

voluntary; an advert was placed in the UK National Autistic Society Magazine

Question 12

SAMPLE: AS/HFA (group 1)

no. of participants

Answer 12

15 males

Question 13

SAMPLE: AS/HFA (group 1)

average participant age

Answer 13

29.7

Question 14

SAMPLE: adults (group 2)

sampling method

Answer 14

opportunity; drawn from adult community and education classes in Exeter, or from the public library at Cambridge.

Question 15

SAMPLE: adults (group 2)

no. of participants

Answer 15

122

Question 16

SAMPLE: adults (group 2)

age

Answer 16

46.5 (data only available for 88 ppl)

Question 17

SAMPLE: students (group 3)

sampling method

Answer 17

opportunity; taken from ungrad classes at Cambridge University (71 science students, 32 other) [HIGH IQ]

Question 18

SAMPLE: students (group 3)

no. of participants

Answer 18

103 (53M, 50F)

Question 19

SAMPLE: students (group 3)

age

Answer 19

20.8

Question 20

SAMPLE: group 2

advantage

Answer 20

from a large variety of occupations and education + large; data can be generalised & sample is representative

Question 21

SAMPLE: group 3

disadvantage

Answer 21

not representative due to high admission requirements of Cambridge Uni.; data cannot be generalised.

Question 22

SAMPLE: AS/HFA group 1

disadvantage

Answer 22

only males; results cannot be generalised to women. sample size very small, therefore unrepresentative.

Question 23

SAMPLE: IQ matched (group 4)

sampling method

Answer 23

randomly picked and matched with group 1 according to IQ

Question 24

SAMPLE: IQ matched (group 4)

no. of participants

Answer 24

14

Question 25

SAMPLE: IQ matched (group 4) | av. age

Answer 25

28.0

Question 26

what was the average IQ of Group 1 participants?

Answer 26

115

Question 27

what was the average IQ of Group 4 participants?

Answer 27

116

Question 28

what were the problems in the original Eyes Test? (5)

Answer 28

1. forced choice (only two options to choose from) 2. low range of questions [only 25] (led to ceiling effect) 3. used basic emotions in some questions (too easy) 4. imbalance of male and female faces [more female faces] (extraneous variable; might have affected difficulty) 5. language delay - participants might not have understood some words in the options

Question 29

how were the problems in the original Eyes Test solved?

Answer 29

1. options increased to 4 2. amount of questions increased to 36 3. removed pictures showing basic emotions 4. distribution of male and female faces made equal 5. glossary of words provided.

Question 30

PROCEDURE

Answer 30

1. participants read through glossary of terms, could recheck anytime they needed during the test + did a practice item 2. all groups took the revised Eyes Test 3. participants in AS/HFA group also asked to judge the sex of the target in each photo 4. all groups except adult comparison group completed the AQ test

Question 31

ETHICS

Answer 31

all participants gave informed consent data was anonymized; confidentiality maintained right to withdraw given

Question 32

SAMPLE: AS/HFA (group 1) | how had the participants in the group been diagnosed with autism?

Answer 32

using established APA criteria in specialist centres.

Question 33

RESULTS | av. AS/HFA group scores on Eyes Test

Answer 33

21.9

Question 34

RESULTS | IQ matched group: av. scores on Eyes Test

Answer 34

30.9

Question 35

RESULTS | AS/HFA group's av. score on the AQ test

Answer 35

34.4

Question 36

RESULTS | IQ matched group's av. score on AQ test

Answer 36

18.9

Question 37

RESULTS | scores on gender recognition task (AS/HFA group only)

Answer 37

all participants scored above 33 on 36.

Question 38

RESULTS | sex difference in student groups' scores on AQ?

Answer 38

yes. males scored higher than females.

Question 39

RESULTS | correlation between AQ and Eyes Test scores

Answer 39

negative (-0.59)

Question 40

RESULTS | correlation between IQ scores and Revised Eyes test scores

Answer 40

zero.

Question 41

CONCLUSIONS (3)

Answer 41

1. participants w AS/HFA lack theory of mind, ie. are unable to attribute emotions to another person 2. males showed more autistic traits than females & performed worse on the AQ test; however, further research is needed as some differences weren't significant. 3. the revised Eyes Test is a more sensitive measure of adult social intelligence than the previous version.

Question 42

STRENGTHS (3)

Answer 42

1. highly standardized lab experiment (participants used same questionnaires and glossary); very reliable & has high internal validity 2. changes to Eyes Test made it more valid 3. ethical guidelines all followed

Question 43

WEAKNESSES (2)

Answer 43

1. low ecological validity; pictures used & only of eyes; not realistic to real life - leads to low generisability 2. experimental sample (AS/HFA) very small & had only males; may not representative of general populace

Question 44

how can the revised eyes test be improved in terms of ecological valididy? (1)

Answer 44

could use video clippings of people's expressions and conversations rather than static pictures of only their eyes.

Question 45

applications of the eyes test

Answer 45

could be used alongside the AQ to help aid initial diagnosis. could also be used with other clinical groups, eg. brain-damaged patients.

Question 46

individual vs. situational: which debate does this study support?

Answer 46

individual; autistic individuals performed significantly worse on Eyes Test, which suggests that the ability to read emotions is not a product of the environment and is innate.

Question 47

what is the name of the Eyes Test that Baron-Cohen has developed for children?

Answer 47

'Sally and Anne' test (involves questions following a short scene that is acted out with dolls)

Question 48

what are basic emotions?

Answer 48

those emotions that are universally recognized; there are six of them.

Question 49

target word: panicked | foils?

Answer 49

jealous, arrogant, hateful

Question 50

target word: playful | foils?

Answer 50

comforting, irritated, bored.