title: Studying weak central coherence at low levels: children with autism do not succumb to visual illusions. A research note.
abstract: While anecdotal reports of abnormal perceptual experiences in autism abound, there have been to date no experimental studies showing fundamental perceptual peculiarities. The present paper reports results from a first study of low-level visual integration in autism. Twenty-five subjects with autism, 21 normal 7- and 8-year-olds, and 26 children with learning difficulties were asked to make simple judgements about six well-known visual illusions. Two conditions were used, in an attempt to explore group differences; standard two-dimensional black and white line drawings, and the same figures augmented with raised coloured lines. The subjects with autism were less likely to succumb to the two-dimensional illusions than were the other groups, and were less aided by the three-dimensional 'disembedded' condition. These striking results are discussed with reference to the 'central coherence' account of autism.
authors.affiliation: MRC Cognitive Development Unit, London, U.K.
authors.forename: F G
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Happé
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D009903:Optical Illusions; D012044:Regression Analysis; D014796:Visual Perception