Evaluation of the Social Attention Hypothesis: Do Children with Autism Prefer to See Objects Rather than People?
Saved in:
| Title: | Evaluation of the Social Attention Hypothesis: Do Children with Autism Prefer to See Objects Rather than People? |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Akin-Bulbul, Isik (AUTHOR), Ozdemir, Selda (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders. Apr2026, Vol. 56 Issue 4, p1339-1353. 15p. |
| Subjects: | Autism risk factors, Asperger's syndrome in children, Play, Senses, Repeated measures design, Autism in children, Computer software, Data analysis, Multivariate analysis, Attention, Paradigms (Social sciences), Analysis of variance, Statistics, Asperger's syndrome, Calibration, Patients' attitudes, Video recording, Eye movements, Time |
| Geographic Terms: | Turkey |
| Abstract: | A growing body of research shows that children with autism exhibit selective limitations in their ability to direct their visual attention to social stimuli. The cause of this selective limitation, however, remains unknown. The main purpose of this study is to determine whether the limitations in social attention are influenced by the objects in the environment. Specifically, the study examines the differences in visual attention between children with autism and typically developing (TD) children as they view videos of social interactions under two conditions, with and without objects. The sample consisted of 53 children with autism and 74 TD children, aged between 18 and 36 months. The findings indicated that young children with autism exhibited differences in their social attention compared to their TD peers. The results revealed that the presence of objects did not affect the visual attention differences between the two groups. However, removing objects from the environment positively impacted the social attention of both groups. In the condition without objects, both groups directed more visual attention more toward the Face and Body Areas of Interests (AoIs), whereas in the condition with objects, both groups prioritized looking at the Toy AoI. These findings have important implications for evidence-based decision-making, especially in designing early intervention environments for children with autism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
|
Full text is not displayed to guests.
Login for full access.
|
|
| Abstract: | A growing body of research shows that children with autism exhibit selective limitations in their ability to direct their visual attention to social stimuli. The cause of this selective limitation, however, remains unknown. The main purpose of this study is to determine whether the limitations in social attention are influenced by the objects in the environment. Specifically, the study examines the differences in visual attention between children with autism and typically developing (TD) children as they view videos of social interactions under two conditions, with and without objects. The sample consisted of 53 children with autism and 74 TD children, aged between 18 and 36 months. The findings indicated that young children with autism exhibited differences in their social attention compared to their TD peers. The results revealed that the presence of objects did not affect the visual attention differences between the two groups. However, removing objects from the environment positively impacted the social attention of both groups. In the condition without objects, both groups directed more visual attention more toward the Face and Body Areas of Interests (AoIs), whereas in the condition with objects, both groups prioritized looking at the Toy AoI. These findings have important implications for evidence-based decision-making, especially in designing early intervention environments for children with autism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 01623257 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10803-024-06596-9 |
