TALK: Face processing impairments in autism spectrum conditions cannot be explained by atypical reward value of face

Face processing atypicalities observed in children with autism spectrum conditions (ASC) have been suggested to reflect atypical reward value of social stimuli, which leads to reduced interest and experience with faces. This claim was tested by assessing the relative reward values of attractive and unattractive faces, inverted faces and cars for cognitively able children with ASC (n=35) and matched typical developing children (n=35). Specifically, we measured the effort participants exerted to view these images in a key pressing task. Despite showing impaired performance on a basic face recognition task, children with ASC were highly sensitive to variations in the reward value (attractiveness) of faces. Critically, there were no significant group differences in the reward value of faces, inverted faces, or cars. Atypicalities in processing reward therefore cannot explain the face processing difficulties observed among these children with ASC, prompting consideration of alternative theoretical accounts.

Presented by the ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders