title: Perceptual learning in autism: over-specificity and possible remedies.
abstract: Inflexible behavior is a core characteristic of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but its underlying cause is unknown. Using a perceptual learning protocol, we observed initially efficient learning in ASD that was followed by anomalously poor learning when the location of the target was changed (over-specificity). Reducing stimulus repetition eliminated over-specificity. Our results indicate that inflexible behavior may be evident ubiquitously in ASD, even in sensory learning, but can be circumvented by specifically designed stimulation protocols.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology/Brain Research, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
authors.forename: Hila
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.affiliation: Jerusalem Center for Mental Health, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Israeli
authors.affiliation: Center for Excellence in Autism Research, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Minshew
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology/Brain Research, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.|Department of Human Biology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Yoram
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bonneh
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Heeger
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: Marlene
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Behrmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology/Brain Research, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
authors.forename: Dov
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sagi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D001519:Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D055815:Young Adult