title: Decision making processes based on social conventional rules in early adolescents with and without autism spectrum disorders.
abstract: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by problems with reciprocal social interaction, repetitive behaviours/narrow interests, and impairments in the social cognition and emotional processing necessary for intention-based moral judgements. The aim of this study was to examine the information used by early adolescents with and without ASD when they judge story protagonists as good or bad. We predicted that adolescents with ASD would use protagonists' behaviour, while typically developing (TD) adolescents would use protagonists' characteristics when making the judgements. In Experiment 1, we measured sentence by sentence reading times and percentages for good or bad judgements. In Experiment 2, two story protagonists were presented and the participants determined which protagonist was better or worse. Experiment 1 results showed that the adolescents with ASD used protagonist behaviours and outcomes, whereas the TD adolescents used protagonist characteristics, behaviours, and outcomes. In Experiment 2, TD adolescents used characteristics information when making "bad" judgements. Taken together, in situations in which participants cannot go back and assess (Experiment 1), and in comparable situations in which all information is available (Experiment 2), adolescents with ASD do not rely on information about individual characteristics when making moral judgements.
authors.affiliation: The Hakubi Center for Advanced Research, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.|Division of Cognitive Psychology in Education, Graduate School of Education, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Hidetsugu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Komeda
authors.affiliation: Division of Cognitive Psychology in Education, Graduate School of Education, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Hidekazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Osanai
authors.affiliation: Division of Cognitive Psychology in Education, Graduate School of Education, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Kaichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yanaoka
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Child Mental Development, University of Fukui, Eiheiji-cho, Fukui 910-1193, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Child Mental Development, University of Fukui, Eiheiji-cho, Fukui 910-1193, Japan.|Department of Child and Adolescent Psychological Medicine, University of Fukui Hospital, 23-3 Matsuoka-Shimoaizuki, Eiheiji-cho, Fukui 910-1193, Japan.|Department of Neuropsychiatry, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Eiheiji-cho, Fukui 910-1193, Japan.
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fujioka
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Child Mental Development, University of Fukui, Eiheiji-cho, Fukui 910-1193, Japan.
authors.forename: Sumiyoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Arai
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropsychiatry, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Eiheiji-cho, Fukui 910-1193, Japan.|Department of Informatics, Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585, Japan.|Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Kojimachi Business Center Building, 5-3-1 Kojimachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0083, Japan.
authors.forename: Keisuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Inohara
authors.affiliation: Division of Cognitive Psychology in Education, Graduate School of Education, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.|Department of Human Sciences, Faculty of Letters, Konan University, Kobe, 658-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Masuo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koyasu
authors.affiliation: Division of Cognitive Psychology in Education, Graduate School of Education, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kusumi
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychological Medicine, University of Fukui Hospital, 23-3 Matsuoka-Shimoaizuki, Eiheiji-cho, Fukui 910-1193, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takiguchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Eiheiji-cho, Fukui, 910-1193, Japan.
authors.forename: Masao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kawatani
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Child Mental Development, University of Fukui, Eiheiji-cho, Fukui 910-1193, Japan.|Department of Child and Adolescent Psychological Medicine, University of Fukui Hospital, 23-3 Matsuoka-Shimoaizuki, Eiheiji-cho, Fukui 910-1193, Japan.
authors.forename: Hirokazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kumazaki
authors.affiliation: Hiratani Clinic for Developmental Disorders of Children, Fukui, 918-8205, Japan.
authors.forename: Michio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hiratani
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Child Mental Development, University of Fukui, Eiheiji-cho, Fukui 910-1193, Japan.|Department of Child and Adolescent Psychological Medicine, University of Fukui Hospital, 23-3 Matsuoka-Shimoaizuki, Eiheiji-cho, Fukui 910-1193, Japan.
authors.forename: Akemi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tomoda
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Child Mental Development, University of Fukui, Eiheiji-cho, Fukui 910-1193, Japan.|Department of Child and Adolescent Psychological Medicine, University of Fukui Hospital, 23-3 Matsuoka-Shimoaizuki, Eiheiji-cho, Fukui 910-1193, Japan.|Department of Neuropsychiatry, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Eiheiji-cho, Fukui 910-1193, Japan.
authors.forename: Hirotaka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kosaka
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D003071:Cognition; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007600:Judgment; D008297:Male; D009014:Morals; D012919:Social Behavior