title: A lack of self-consciousness in autism.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study investigated self-consciousness in autism.
  
  
  METHODS
  An incidental memory task was conducted on 18 adults with high-functioning autism and 18 normal comparison subjects. Three kinds of orienting questions (phonological, semantic, and self-referent, i.e., "Does the word describe you?") were asked about target words (adjectives for personality traits) in order to induce different types of processing. This was followed by an unexpected recognition test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  While semantic processing resulted in better memory than phonological processing in both groups, self-referent processing yielded better memory performance than semantic processing in the comparison group but not in the autistic group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest deficits in self-consciousness in individuals with autism.
authors.affiliation: Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Case Western Reserve University/University Hospitals of Cleveland, OH 44106, USA. motomi@mbj.sphere.ne.jp
authors.forename: Motomi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Toichi
authors.forename: Yoko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kamio
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.forename: Morimitsu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sakihama
authors.forename: Eric A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Youngstrom
authors.forename: Robert L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Findling
authors.forename: Kokichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D008960:Models, Psychological; D010700:Phonetics; D011581:Psychological Tests; D011932:Reading; D012649:Self Concept; D012660:Semantics; D014705:Verbal Behavior; D014706:Verbal Learning