title: Individuals with autism spectrum disorders do not use social stereotypes in irony comprehension.
abstract: Social and communication impairments are part of the essential diagnostic criteria used to define Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). Difficulties in appreciating non-literal speech, such as irony in ASDs have been explained as due to impairments in social understanding and in recognizing the speaker's communicative intention. It has been shown that social-interactional factors, such as a listener's beliefs about the speaker's attitudinal propensities (e.g., a tendency to use sarcasm, to be mocking, less sincere and more prone to criticism), as conveyed by an occupational stereotype, do influence a listener's interpretation of potentially ironic remarks. We investigate the effect of occupational stereotype on irony detection in adults with High Functioning Autism or Asperger Syndrome (HFA/AS) and a comparison group of typically developed adults. We used a series of verbally presented stories containing ironic or literal utterances produced by a speaker having either a "sarcastic" or a "non-sarcastic" occupation. Although individuals with HFA/AS were able to recognize ironic intent and occupational stereotypes when the latter are made salient, stereotype information enhanced irony detection and modulated its social meaning (i.e., mockery and politeness) only in comparison participants. We concluded that when stereotype knowledge is not made salient, it does not automatically affect pragmatic communicative processes in individuals with HFA/AS.
authors.affiliation: Institut Jean Nicod, CNRS, UMR 8129, Institut d'Etude de la Cognition, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Tiziana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zalla
authors.affiliation: INSERM U 955, IMRB & University Paris Est Creteil, AP-HP, Henri Mondor-Albert Chenevier Hospitals, Department of Psychiatry, Fondation FondaMental, French National Science Foundation, Creteil, France.
authors.forename: Frederique
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Amsellem
authors.affiliation: INSERM U 955, IMRB & University Paris Est Creteil, AP-HP, Henri Mondor-Albert Chenevier Hospitals, Department of Psychiatry, Fondation FondaMental, French National Science Foundation, Creteil, France.
authors.forename: Pauline
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chaste
authors.affiliation: Institut Jean Nicod, CNRS, UMR 8129, Institut d'Etude de la Cognition, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ervas
authors.affiliation: INSERM U 955, IMRB & University Paris Est Creteil, AP-HP, Henri Mondor-Albert Chenevier Hospitals, Department of Psychiatry, Fondation FondaMental, French National Science Foundation, Creteil, France.
authors.forename: Marion
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leboyer
authors.affiliation: Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, LPL UMR 7309, 13100 Aix-en-Provence, France.
authors.forename: Maud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Champagne-Lavau
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000523:psychology*; D032882:Comprehension; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D007600:Judgment; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013239:Stereotyped Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
references.citation: J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 1991 Nov;32(7):1107-22
references.pmid: 1787139
references.citation: J Autism Dev Disord. 2005 Aug;35(4):429-43
references.pmid: 16134029
references.citation: J Autism Dev Disord. 2000 Jun;30(3):205-23
references.pmid: 11055457
references.citation: J Autism Dev Disord. 2009 Feb;39(2):373-82
references.pmid: 18726150
references.citation: Brain Dev. 2004 Aug;26(5):301-6
references.pmid: 15165670
references.citation: Curr Biol. 2007 Jun 19;17(12):R451-2
references.pmid: 17580071
references.citation: J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 1996 Sep;37(6):759-63
references.pmid: 8894958
references.citation: Rev Neurosci. 2003;14(4):303-16
references.pmid: 14640318
references.citation: J Autism Dev Disord. 1999 Oct;29(5):407-18
references.pmid: 10587887
references.citation: Brain. 2006 Apr;129(Pt 4):932-43
references.pmid: 16481375
references.citation: Cognition. 1985 Oct;21(1):37-46
references.pmid: 2934210
references.citation: Autism. 2001 Mar;5(1):57-66
references.pmid: 11708390
references.citation: J Autism Dev Disord. 2012 Oct;42(10):2246-51
references.pmid: 22322582
references.citation: Psychol Med. 2000 Sep;30(5):1169-87
references.pmid: 12027052
references.citation: J Pers Soc Psychol. 1988 Nov;55(5):726-37
references.pmid: 3210142
references.citation: J Pers Soc Psychol. 1998 Jun;74(6):1464-80
references.pmid: 9654756
references.citation: Brain Cogn. 2003 Nov;53(2):152-7
references.pmid: 14607137
references.citation: J Autism Dev Disord. 2011 Aug;41(8):1097-112
references.pmid: 21061054
references.citation: J Autism Dev Disord. 1994 Apr;24(2):129-54
references.pmid: 8040158
references.citation: J Autism Dev Disord. 1994 Oct;24(5):659-85
references.pmid: 7814313
references.citation: Brain Cogn. 2006 Jun;61(1):69-77
references.pmid: 16458402
references.citation: Exp Psychol. 2002;49(3):208-21
references.pmid: 12152364
references.citation: J Clin Exp Neuropsychol. 1988 Mar;10(2):201-21
references.pmid: 3350920