title: Great Expectations: The Role of Rules in Guiding Pro-social Behaviour in Groups with High Versus Low Autistic Traits.
abstract: Measuring autistic traits in the general population has proven sensitive for examining cognition. The present study extended this to pro-social behaviour, investigating the influence of expectations to help others. A novel task describing characters in need of help was administered to students scoring high versus low on the Autism-Spectrum Quotient. Scenarios had two variants, describing either a 'clear-cut' or 'ambiguous' social rule. Participants with high versus low autistic traits were less pro-social and sympathetic overall towards the characters. The groups' ratings of characters' expectations were comparable, but those with high autistic traits provided more rule-based rationales in the clear-cut condition. This pattern of relatively intact knowledge in the context of reduced pro-social behaviour has implications for social skill training programmes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London (UCL), Bedford Way Building, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK, l.jameel@ucl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Leila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jameel
authors.forename: Karishma
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vyas
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bellesi
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cassell
authors.forename: Shelley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Channon
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D006126:Group Processes; D006379:Helping Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012920:Social Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D012925:Social Conformity; D012941:Social Responsibility; D066107:Social Skills; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D056345:Theory of Mind; D055815:Young Adult