Autistic traits are related to worse performance in a volatile reward learning task despite adaptive learning rates / Judith GORIS in Autism, 25-2 (February 2021)  

Public ISBD [article]  inAutism > 25-2 (February 2021) . - p.440-451 Titre : Autistic traits are related to worse performance in a volatile reward learning task despite adaptive learning rates Type de document : Texte imprimé et/ou numérique Auteurs : Judith GORIS, Auteur ; Massimo SILVETTI, Auteur ; Tom VERGUTS, Auteur ; Jan R. WIERSEMA, Auteur ; Marcel BRASS, Auteur ; Senne BRAEM, Auteur Article en page(s) : p.440-451 Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : autism spectrum disorders  learning rate  reward decision-making Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Recent theories propose that autism is characterized by an impairment in determining when to learn and when not. Here, we investigated this hypothesis by estimating learning rates (i.e. the speed with which one learns) in three different environments that differed in rule stability and uncertainty. We found that neurotypical participants with more autistic traits performed worse in a volatile environment (with unstable rules), as they chose less often for the most rewarding option. Exploratory analyses indicated that performance was specifically worse when reward rules were opposite to those initially learned for participants with more autistic traits. However, there were no differences in the adjustment of learning rates between participants with more versus less autistic traits. Together, these results suggest that performance in volatile environments is lower in participants with more autistic traits, but that this performance difference cannot be unambiguously explained by an impairment in adjusting learning rates. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1362361320962237 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=442 [article] Autistic traits are related to worse performance in a volatile reward learning task despite adaptive learning rates [Texte imprimé et/ou numérique] / Judith GORIS, Auteur ; Massimo SILVETTI, Auteur ; Tom VERGUTS, Auteur ; Jan R. WIERSEMA, Auteur ; Marcel BRASS, Auteur ; Senne BRAEM, Auteur . - p.440-451. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Autism > 25-2 (February 2021) . - p.440-451 Mots-clés : autism spectrum disorders  learning rate  reward decision-making Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Recent theories propose that autism is characterized by an impairment in determining when to learn and when not. Here, we investigated this hypothesis by estimating learning rates (i.e. the speed with which one learns) in three different environments that differed in rule stability and uncertainty. We found that neurotypical participants with more autistic traits performed worse in a volatile environment (with unstable rules), as they chose less often for the most rewarding option. Exploratory analyses indicated that performance was specifically worse when reward rules were opposite to those initially learned for participants with more autistic traits. However, there were no differences in the adjustment of learning rates between participants with more versus less autistic traits. Together, these results suggest that performance in volatile environments is lower in participants with more autistic traits, but that this performance difference cannot be unambiguously explained by an impairment in adjusting learning rates. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1362361320962237 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=442

Autistic traits in the general population do not correlate with a preference for associative information / Judith GORIS in Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 33 (January 2017)  

Public ISBD [article]  inResearch in Autism Spectrum Disorders > 33 (January 2017) . - p.29-38 Titre : Autistic traits in the general population do not correlate with a preference for associative information Type de document : Texte imprimé et/ou numérique Auteurs : Judith GORIS, Auteur ; Eliane DESCHRIJVER, Auteur ; Sabrina TRAPP, Auteur ; Marcel BRASS, Auteur ; Senne BRAEM, Auteur Article en page(s) : p.29-38 Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : Autism spectrum  Preference  Associative information  Predictive  Sameness Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Associations and regularities in our environment can foster expectations and thereby help create a perceptually predictable world (e.g., a knife next to a plate predicts with high certainty a fork on the other side). Based on several observations, it has been suggested that individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have an above average tendency to prefer well-organized information or structured environments. Surprisingly, however, this tendency has not yet been tested under controlled experimental conditions. A recent study suggested that neurotypical adults prefer associative information, regardless of their semantic content. Therefore, in this study, we examined the relation of this preference bias to the scores of 123 neurotypical adults on questionnaires that measure autistic traits, known to co-vary with typical autism spectrum characteristics. Participants were presented with different configurations of meaningless abstract shapes. Some shapes were always presented in the exact same fixed configuration, and other shapes were always presented in different random configurations. In an unannounced subsequent evaluation task, participants were required to indicate which shapes they preferred. Results We replicate the observation that people exhibit a general preference for shapes that were presented in fixed configurations. However, there were no correlations between autistic traits and this general preference. Our findings suggest the preference for associative information in ASD might be less general than first thought, or restricted to more complex (social) situations or other levels of information processing. We outline specific guidelines for future systematic investigations into the hypothesized increased preference for associative information in ASD. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2016.11.001 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=298 [article] Autistic traits in the general population do not correlate with a preference for associative information [Texte imprimé et/ou numérique] / Judith GORIS, Auteur ; Eliane DESCHRIJVER, Auteur ; Sabrina TRAPP, Auteur ; Marcel BRASS, Auteur ; Senne BRAEM, Auteur . - p.29-38. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders > 33 (January 2017) . - p.29-38 Mots-clés : Autism spectrum  Preference  Associative information  Predictive  Sameness Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Associations and regularities in our environment can foster expectations and thereby help create a perceptually predictable world (e.g., a knife next to a plate predicts with high certainty a fork on the other side). Based on several observations, it has been suggested that individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have an above average tendency to prefer well-organized information or structured environments. Surprisingly, however, this tendency has not yet been tested under controlled experimental conditions. A recent study suggested that neurotypical adults prefer associative information, regardless of their semantic content. Therefore, in this study, we examined the relation of this preference bias to the scores of 123 neurotypical adults on questionnaires that measure autistic traits, known to co-vary with typical autism spectrum characteristics. Participants were presented with different configurations of meaningless abstract shapes. Some shapes were always presented in the exact same fixed configuration, and other shapes were always presented in different random configurations. In an unannounced subsequent evaluation task, participants were required to indicate which shapes they preferred. Results We replicate the observation that people exhibit a general preference for shapes that were presented in fixed configurations. However, there were no correlations between autistic traits and this general preference. Our findings suggest the preference for associative information in ASD might be less general than first thought, or restricted to more complex (social) situations or other levels of information processing. We outline specific guidelines for future systematic investigations into the hypothesized increased preference for associative information in ASD. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2016.11.001 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=298

The Relation Between Preference for Predictability and Autistic Traits / Judith GORIS in Autism Research, 13-7 (July 2020)  

Public ISBD [article]  inAutism Research > 13-7 (July 2020) . - p.1144-1154 Titre : The Relation Between Preference for Predictability and Autistic Traits Type de document : Texte imprimé et/ou numérique Auteurs : Judith GORIS, Auteur ; Marcel BRASS, Auteur ; Charlotte CAMBIER, Auteur ; Jeroen DELPLANQUE, Auteur ; Jan R. WIERSEMA, Auteur ; Senne BRAEM, Auteur Article en page(s) : p.1144-1154 Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : Asd  autism  insistence on sameness  predictability  preference Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : A common idea about individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is that they have an above-average preference for predictability and sameness. However, surprisingly little research has gone toward this core symptom, and some studies suggest the preference for predictability in ASD might be less general than commonly assumed. Here, we investigated this important symptom of ASD using three different paradigms, which allowed us to measure preference for predictability under well-controlled experimental conditions. Specifically, we used a dimensional approach by investigating correlations between autistic traits (as measured with the Autism-Spectrum Quotient and Social Responsiveness Scale in a neurotypical population) and the scores on three different tasks. The "music preference" task assessed preferences for tone sequences that varied in predictability. The "perceptual fluency" task required participants to evaluate stimuli that were preceded by a similar versus dissimilar subliminally presented prime. The "gambling" task presented four decks of cards that had equal outcome probabilities but varied in predictability. We observed positive correlations between autistic traits and a preference for predictability in both the music preference and perceptual fluency task. We did not find our hypothesized correlation with gambling behavior but did observe a post hoc correlation showing that participants with more autistic traits were faster to choose the predictable deck. Together, these findings show that a relation between autistic traits and preference for predictability can be observed in a standardized lab environment, and should be considered an important first step toward a better, more mechanistic understanding of insistence on sameness in ASD. Autism Res 2020, 13: 1144-1154. © 2019 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: A core symptom of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a strong preference for predictability, but little research has gone toward it. We show that neurotypical adults with more autistic traits have stronger preferences for predictable tunes, evaluate images that can be predicted as more beautiful, and are faster in choosing a gambling option resulting in predictable reward. These results offer the first important evidence that insistence on sameness in ASD can be studied in controlled lab settings. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aur.2244 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=429 [article] The Relation Between Preference for Predictability and Autistic Traits [Texte imprimé et/ou numérique] / Judith GORIS, Auteur ; Marcel BRASS, Auteur ; Charlotte CAMBIER, Auteur ; Jeroen DELPLANQUE, Auteur ; Jan R. WIERSEMA, Auteur ; Senne BRAEM, Auteur . - p.1144-1154. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Autism Research > 13-7 (July 2020) . - p.1144-1154 Mots-clés : Asd  autism  insistence on sameness  predictability  preference Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : A common idea about individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is that they have an above-average preference for predictability and sameness. However, surprisingly little research has gone toward this core symptom, and some studies suggest the preference for predictability in ASD might be less general than commonly assumed. Here, we investigated this important symptom of ASD using three different paradigms, which allowed us to measure preference for predictability under well-controlled experimental conditions. Specifically, we used a dimensional approach by investigating correlations between autistic traits (as measured with the Autism-Spectrum Quotient and Social Responsiveness Scale in a neurotypical population) and the scores on three different tasks. The "music preference" task assessed preferences for tone sequences that varied in predictability. The "perceptual fluency" task required participants to evaluate stimuli that were preceded by a similar versus dissimilar subliminally presented prime. The "gambling" task presented four decks of cards that had equal outcome probabilities but varied in predictability. We observed positive correlations between autistic traits and a preference for predictability in both the music preference and perceptual fluency task. We did not find our hypothesized correlation with gambling behavior but did observe a post hoc correlation showing that participants with more autistic traits were faster to choose the predictable deck. Together, these findings show that a relation between autistic traits and preference for predictability can be observed in a standardized lab environment, and should be considered an important first step toward a better, more mechanistic understanding of insistence on sameness in ASD. Autism Res 2020, 13: 1144-1154. © 2019 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: A core symptom of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a strong preference for predictability, but little research has gone toward it. We show that neurotypical adults with more autistic traits have stronger preferences for predictable tunes, evaluate images that can be predicted as more beautiful, and are faster in choosing a gambling option resulting in predictable reward. These results offer the first important evidence that insistence on sameness in ASD can be studied in controlled lab settings. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aur.2244 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=429

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