Abstract
Fixating an emotional facial expression can create afterimages, such that subsequent faces are seen as having the opposite
expression of that fixated. Visual afterimages have been used to map the relationships among emotion categories, and this
method was used here to compare ASD and matched control participants. Participants adapted to a facial expression for 45 s
then saw a neutral face for 800 ms and chose a label to describe the latter. The ASD group showed evidence of afterimages,
but atypical patterns of opposition: whereas fixating negative emotions uniformly evokes a positive afterimage in the control
group, fixating negative emotions was more likely to evoke a negative afterimage in the ASD group. This study was the first
to provide evidence of visual aftereffects in ASD and suggests a different psychological organization among emotions in those
with ASD.
expression of that fixated. Visual afterimages have been used to map the relationships among emotion categories, and this
method was used here to compare ASD and matched control participants. Participants adapted to a facial expression for 45 s
then saw a neutral face for 800 ms and chose a label to describe the latter. The ASD group showed evidence of afterimages,
but atypical patterns of opposition: whereas fixating negative emotions uniformly evokes a positive afterimage in the control
group, fixating negative emotions was more likely to evoke a negative afterimage in the ASD group. This study was the first
to provide evidence of visual aftereffects in ASD and suggests a different psychological organization among emotions in those
with ASD.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Pages 1-9
- DOI 10.1007/s10803-011-1233-x
- Authors
- M. D. Rutherford, Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
- Erin K. Troubridge, Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
- Jennifer Walsh, Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
- Journal Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
- Online ISSN 1573-3432
- Print ISSN 0162-3257