Brief report: atypical social cognition and social behaviours in autism spectrum disorder: a different way of processing rather than an impairment.
A central question to autism research is whether autism is largely the result of an impairment in social cognition and/or motivation or the result of a more general processing difference. This review discusses problems with the "social deficit" model of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It is suggested that superior attention to low-level perceptual information potentially coupled with decreased attention to global information may provide a more comprehensive explanation for atypical social behaviours in ASD. This processing style may reflect increased activation of occipital-temporal regions and reduced functional (and possibly anatomical) connectivity. It is concluded that atypical social behaviours in ASD are more likely to be a consequence reflective of a general processing difference than impairment in social cognition and/or motivation.
O'Connor
Kate
K
Department of Psychology, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand. gamokatio@yahoo.co.nz
Kirk
Ian
I
D020817:Asperger Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000503:physiopathology; D009778:Occipital Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology; D012919:Social Behavior; D012938:Social Perception; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology