title: Elephants in Pyjamas: Testing the Weak Central Coherence Account of Autism Spectrum Disorders Using a Syntactic Disambiguation Task.
abstract: According to the weak central coherence (CC) account individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) exhibit enhanced local processing and weak part-whole integration. CC was investigated in the verbal domain. Adolescents, recruited using a 2 (ASD status) by 2 (language impairment status) design, completed an aural forced choice comprehension task involving syntactically ambiguous sentences. Half the picture targets depicted the least plausible interpretation, resulting in longer RTs across groups. These were assumed to reflect local processing. There was no ASD by plausibility interaction and consequently little evidence for weak CC in the verbal domain when conceptualised as enhanced local processing. Furthermore, there was little evidence that the processing of syntactically ambiguous sentences differed as a function of ASD or language-impairment status.
authors: Newcastle University, Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, UK. nick.riches@newcastle.ac.uk.
authors: N G
authors: NG
authors: Riches
authors: Reading University, Berkshire, UK.
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Loucas
authors: Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital and Kings Health Partners, London, UK.
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Baird
authors: Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), Kings College London, London, UK.
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Charman
authors: Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), Kings College London, London, UK.
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Simonoff
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002755:Choice Behavior; D032882:Comprehension; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007806:Language Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D007807:Language Tests; D008297:Male; D011930:Reaction Time
keywords: Adolescents; Autism spectrum disorders (ASD); Developmental language impairment