title: Visual Search in ASD: Instructed Versus Spontaneous Local and Global Processing.
abstract: Visual search has been used extensively to investigate differences in mid-level visual processing between individuals with ASD and TD individuals. The current study employed two visual search paradigms with Gaborized stimuli to assess the impact of task distractors (Experiment 1) and task instruction (Experiment 2) on local-global visual processing in ASD versus TD children. Experiment 1 revealed both groups to be equally sensitive to the absence or presence of a distractor, regardless of the type of target or type of distractor. Experiment 2 revealed a differential effect of task instruction for ASD compared to TD, regardless of the type of target. Taken together, these results stress the importance of task factors in the study of local-global visual processing in ASD.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Psychology, Department of Brain and Cognition, KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium. ruth.vanderhallen@kuleuven.be.|Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, UPC-KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium. ruth.vanderhallen@kuleuven.be.|Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium. ruth.vanderhallen@kuleuven.be.
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Van der Hallen
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Psychology, Department of Brain and Cognition, KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.|Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, UPC-KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.|Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.|Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Kris
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Evers
authors.affiliation: Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, UPC-KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.|Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Bart
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Boets
authors.affiliation: Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, UPC-KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.|Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Steyaert
authors.affiliation: Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.|Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Ilse
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Noens
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Psychology, Department of Brain and Cognition, KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.|Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wagemans
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014796:Visual Perception
keywords: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD); Gabor; Interference; Local–global; Task instruction; Visual search