title: Drawing the line: how people with autism copy line drawings of three-dimensional objects.
abstract: It is purported that the local perceptual style characteristic of those with autism results in them reproducing line drawings in a more localised manner than comparison individuals. Here we report an exception to this: the drawing strategies of those with autism were more global. When reproducing line drawings depicting three-dimensional objects, a sample of fifty-six participants with autism showed a greater tendency to begin by copying the two-dimensional outline of the figure than fifty-seven matched comparison participants (39.3% versus 8.8% of group; chi(1)2 = 14.46, p < 0.0005). We argue that this is consistent with the perception of those with autism being less conceptually driven, but not necessarily less global.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sheppard
authors.forename: Danielle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ropar
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mitchell
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D003210:Concept Formation / Q000502:physiology*; D003867:Depth Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010151:Paintings; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis