title: Eye contact modulates cognitive processing differently in children with autism.
abstract: In humans, effortful cognitive processing frequently takes place during social interaction, with eye contact being an important component. This study shows that the effect of eye contact on memory for nonsocial information is different in children with typical development than in children with autism, a disorder of social communication. Direct gaze facilitated memory performance in children with typical development (n = 25, 6 years old), but no such facilitation was seen in the clinical group (n = 10, 6 years old). Eye tracking conducted during the cognitive test revealed strikingly similar patterns of eye movements, indicating that the results cannot be explained by differences in overt attention. Collectively, these findings have theoretical significance and practical implications for testing practices in children.
authors.affiliation: Karolinska Institutet; Uppsala University.
authors.forename: Terje
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Falck-Ytter
authors.forename: Christoffer
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Carlström
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Johansson
mesh_terms: D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005133:Eye Movements / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*