title: The effects of face expertise training on the behavioral performance and brain activity of adults with high functioning autism spectrum disorders.
abstract: The effect of expertise training with faces was studied in adults with ASD who showed initial impairment in face recognition. Participants were randomly assigned to a computerized training program involving either faces or houses. Pre- and post-testing included standardized and experimental measures of behavior and event-related brain potentials (ERPs), as well as interviews after training. After training, all participants met behavioral criteria for expertise with the specific stimuli on which they received training. Scores on standardized measures improved after training for both groups, but only the face training group showed an increased face inversion effect behaviorally and electrophysiological changes to faces in the P100 component. These findings suggest that individuals with ASD can gain expertise in face processing through training.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA. susfaja@u.washington.edu
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Faja
authors.forename: Sara Jane
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Webb
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Kristen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Merkle
authors.forename: Dana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kamara
authors.forename: Joshua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bavaro
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Aylward
authors.forename: Geraldine
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dawson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D005145:Face; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012938:Social Perception; D016896:Treatment Outcome