Instructions to Attend to an Observed Action Increase Imitation in Autistic Adults

Autor/inn/en	Gowen, Emma; Vabalas, Andrius; Casson, Alexander J.; Poliakoff, Ellen
Titel	Instructions to Attend to an Observed Action Increase Imitation in Autistic Adults
Quelle	In: Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice, 24 (2020) 3, S.730-743 (14 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Gowen, Emma)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1362-3613
DOI	10.1177/1362361319882810
Schlagwörter	Adults; Autism; Pervasive Developmental Disorders; Imitation; Attention; Eye Movements; Nonverbal Communication; Foreign Countries; Direct Instruction; Instructional Effectiveness; United Kingdom (Manchester) + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Autismus; Aufmerksamkeit; Augenbewegung; Non-verbal communication; Nonverbale Kommunikation; Ausland; Direct instructional procedues; Direct instructional approach; Unterrichtsverfahren; Unterrichtserfolg
Abstract	This study investigated whether reduced visual attention to an observed action might account for altered imitation in autistic adults. A total of 22 autistic and 22 non-autistic adults observed and then imitated videos of a hand producing sequences of movements that differed in vertical elevation while their hand and eye movements were recorded. Participants first performed a block of imitation trials with general instructions to imitate the action. They then performed a second block with explicit instructions to attend closely to the characteristics of the movement. Imitation was quantified according to how much participants modulated their movement between the different heights of the observed movements. In the general instruction condition, the autistic group modulated their movements significantly less compared to the non-autistic group. However, following instructions to attend to the movement, the autistic group showed equivalent imitation modulation to the non-autistic group. Eye movement recording showed that the autistic group spent significantly less time looking at the hand movement for both instruction conditions. These findings show that visual attention contributes to altered voluntary imitation in autistic individuals and have implications for therapies involving imitation as well as for autistic people's ability to understand the actions of others. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01