title: The use of virtual characters to assess and train non-verbal communication in high-functioning autism.
abstract: High-functioning autism (HFA) is a neurodevelopmental disorder, which is characterized by life-long socio-communicative impairments on the one hand and preserved verbal and general learning and memory abilities on the other. One of the areas where particular difficulties are observable is the understanding of non-verbal communication cues. Thus, investigating the underlying psychological processes and neural mechanisms of non-verbal communication in HFA allows a better understanding of this disorder, and potentially enables the development of more efficient forms of psychotherapy and trainings. However, the research on non-verbal information processing in HFA faces several methodological challenges. The use of virtual characters (VCs) helps to overcome such challenges by enabling an ecologically valid experience of social presence, and by providing an experimental platform that can be systematically and fully controlled. To make this field of research accessible to a broader audience, we elaborate in the first part of the review the validity of using VCs in non-verbal behavior research on HFA, and we review current relevant paradigms and findings from social-cognitive neuroscience. In the second part, we argue for the use of VCs as either agents or avatars in the context of "transformed social interactions." This allows for the implementation of real-time social interaction in virtual experimental settings, which represents a more sensitive measure of socio-communicative impairments in HFA. Finally, we argue that VCs and environments are a valuable assistive, educational and therapeutic tool for HFA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Cologne , Cologne , Germany.
authors.forename: Alexandra Livia
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Georgescu
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Cologne , Cologne , Germany ; Ethics in the Neurosciences (INM-8), Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Research Center Juelich , Juelich , Germany.
authors.forename: Bojana
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kuzmanovic
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Cologne , Cologne , Germany.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Roth
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Cologne , Cologne , Germany.
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bente
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Cologne , Cologne , Germany ; Cognitive Neuroscience (INM-3), Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Research Center Juelich , Juelich , Germany.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vogeley
keywords: high-functioning autism; non-verbal behavior; social gaze; social interaction; virtual characters; virtual reality