Predictive Gaze During Observation of Irrational Actions in Adults with Autism Spectrum Conditions
Marsh, L., Pearson, A., Ropar, D., & Hamilton, A. F. d. C. (2014). Predictive Gaze During Observation of Irrational Actions in Adults with Autism Spectrum Conditions. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 45(1), 245-261. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-014-2215-6
This publication is integrated into AutiHub through:
Authors
Abstract
Understanding irrational actions may require the observer to make mental state inferences about why an action was performed. Individuals with autism spectrum conditions (ASC) have well documented difficulties with mentalizing; however, the degree to which rationality understanding is impaired in autism is not yet clear. The present study uses eye-tracking to measure online understanding of action rationality in individuals with ASC. Twenty adults with ASC and 20 typically developing controls, matched for age and IQ watched movies of rational and irrational actions while their eye movements were recorded. Measures of looking time, scan path and saccade latency were calculated. Results from looking time and scan path analyses demonstrate that participants with ASC have reduced visual attention to salient action features such as the action goal and the hand performing the action, regardless of action rationality. However, when participants with ASC do attend to these features, they are able to make anticipatory goal saccades as quickly as typically developing controls. Taken together these results indicate that individuals with autism have reduced attention to observed actions, but when attention is maintained, goal prediction is typical. We conclude that the basic mechanisms of action understanding are intact in individuals with ASC although there may be impairment in the top-down, social modulation of eye movements.
Bibliography cited by this reference
Cited references are imported from external metadata sources when they are available. The list may be partial.
Bibliography inclusion overview
These indicators describe the cited bibliography imported for this publication. Cited-reference metrics use the cited-reference total as denominator. Cited-author metrics state whether they use all cited-author occurrences or only occurrences linked to authors already integrated in the AutiHub database. They use cached links between cited authors and authors integrated in the AutiHub database. Last computed: 16 Aug 2026 11:31.
-
Wendy L. Stone , Opal Y. Ousley , Cynthia D. Littleford (1997). Motor Imitation in Young Children with Autism: What's the Object? Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 25(6), 475-485. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.Crossref OpenAlex
-
Michelle A. Aldridge , Kari R. Stone , Melissa H. Sweeney , T.G.R. Bower (2000). Preverbal children with autism understand the intentions of others . Developmental Science, 3(3), 294-301. Wiley.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Peggy Renner , Laura G. Klinger , Mark R. Klinger (2006). Exogenous and Endogenous Attention Orienting in Autism Spectrum Disorders . Child Neuropsychology, 12(4-5), 361-382. Informa UK Limited.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Malinda Carpenter , Bruce F. Pennington , Sally J. Rogers (2001). Understanding of Others' Intentions in Children with Autism . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 31(6), 589-599. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.Crossref OpenAlex
-
Simon Baron-Cohen , Alan M. Leslie , Uta Frith (1985). Does the autistic child have a “theory of mind”? Cognition, 21(1), 37-46. Elsevier BV.Crossref OpenAlex
-
Sue Fletcher‐Watson , Susan Leekam , V. Benson , M.C. Frank , J.M. Findlay (2009). Eye-movements reveal attention to social information in autism spectrum disorder . Neuropsychologia, 47(1), 248-257. Elsevier BV.Type: Article DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2008.07.016 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2106100370Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Therese Jolliffe , Simon Baron-Cohen (1999). The Strange Stories Test: A Replication with High-Functioning Adults with Autism or Asperger Syndrome . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 29(5), 395-406. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.Crossref OpenAlex
-
Baron-Cohen, S., Wheelwright, S., Skinner, R., Martin, J., & Clubley, E. (2001). The autism-spectrum quotient (AQ): Evidence from asperger syndrome/high-functioning autism, males and females, scientists and mathematicians. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 31(1). http://link.springer.com/article/10 . 1023/A:1005653411471.Type: OtherCrossref
-
Fulvia Castelli , Francesca Happé , Uta Frith , Chris Frith (2000). Movement and Mind: A Functional Imaging Study of Perception and Interpretation of Complex Intentional Movement Patterns . NeuroImage, 12(3), 314-325. Elsevier BV.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Terje Falck-Ytter (2010). Young children with autism spectrum disorder use predictive eye movements in action observation . Biology Letters, 6(3), 375-378. The Royal Society.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Elina Birmingham , Walter F. Bischof , Alan Kingstone (2008). Social Attention and Real-World Scenes: The Roles of Action, Competition and Social Content . Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 61(7), 986-998. SAGE Publications.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Richard Ramsey , Antonia F. de C. Hamilton (2010). Triangles have goals too: Understanding action representation in left aIPS . Neuropsychologia, 48(9), 2773-2776. Elsevier BV.Type: Article DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2010.04.028 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2075074966Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Dario D. Salvucci , Joseph H. Goldberg (2000). Identifying fixations and saccades in eye-tracking protocols . Proceedings of the symposium on Eye tracking research & applications - ETRA '00, 71-78. ACM Press.OpenAlex
-
Elina Birmingham , Walter F. Bischof , Alan Kingstone (2008). Gaze selection in complex social scenes . Visual Cognition, 16(2-3), 341-355. Informa UK Limited.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Nikolaus Kriegeskorte , W Kyle Simmons , Patrick S F Bellgowan , Chris I Baker (2009). Circular analysis in systems neuroscience: the dangers of double dipping . Nature Neuroscience, 12(5), 535-540. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Ivanina Henrichs , Claudia Elsner , Birgit Elsner , Gustaf Gredebäck (2012). Goal Salience Affects Infants’ Goal-Directed Gaze Shifts . Frontiers in Psychology, 3, 391-391. Frontiers Media SA.OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Randolph Blake , Lauren M. Turner , Moria J. Smoski , Stacie L. Pozdol , Wendy L. Stone (2003). Visual Recognition of Biological Motion is Impaired in Children With Autism . Psychological Science, 14(2), 151-157. SAGE Publications.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Deborah M. Riby , Peter J.B. Hancock (2008). Viewing it differently: Social scene perception in Williams syndrome and Autism . Neuropsychologia, 46(11), 2855-2860. Elsevier BV.Type: Article DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2008.05.003 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2148891332Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Tiziana Zalla , Nelly Labruyère , Amélie Clément , Nicolas Georgieff (2010). Predicting ensuing actions in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders . Experimental Brain Research, 201(4), 809-819. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Sonia Boria , Maddalena Fabbri-Destro , Luigi Cattaneo , Laura Sparaci , Corrado Sinigaglia , Erica Santelli et al. (2009). Intention Understanding in Autism . PLoS ONE, 4(5), e5596. Public Library of Science (PLoS).Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Rik Eshuis , Kenny R. Coventry , Mila Vulchanova (2009). Predictive Eye Movements Are Driven by Goals, Not by the Mirror Neuron System . Psychological Science, 20(4), 438-440. SAGE Publications.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Uta Frith (2001). Mind Blindness and the Brain in Autism . Neuron, 32(6), 969-979. Elsevier BV.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Marcel Brass , Ruth M. Schmitt , Stephanie Spengler , György Gergely (2007). Investigating Action Understanding: Inferential Processes versus Action Simulation . Current Biology, 17(24), 2117-2121. Elsevier BV.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Megan Freeth , P. Chapman , Danielle Ropar , P. Mitchell (2010). Do Gaze Cues in Complex Scenes Capture and Direct the Attention of High Functioning Adolescents with ASD? Evidence from Eye-tracking . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 40(5), 534-547. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Tiziana Zalla , Nelly Labruyere , Nicolas Georgieff (2006). Goal-Directed Action Representation in Autism . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 36(4), 527-540. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Carolyn B. Mervis , Bonita P. Klein-Tasman (2004). Methodological Issues in Group-Matching Designs: α Levels for Control Variable Comparisons and Measurement Characteristics of Control and Target Variables . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 34(1), 7-17. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.Crossref OpenAlex
-
Maddalena Fabbri-Destro , Luigi Cattaneo , Sonia Boria , Giacomo Rizzolatti (2009). Planning actions in autism . Experimental Brain Research, 192(3), 521-525. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
J. Randall Flanagan , Roland S. Johansson (2003). Action plans used in action observation . Nature, 424(6950), 769-771. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Ami Klin , Warren Jones , Robert T. Schultz , Fred Volkmar , Donald Cohen (2002). Visual Fixation Patterns During Viewing of Naturalistic Social Situations as Predictors of Social Competence in Individuals With Autism . Archives of General Psychiatry, 59(9), 809. American Medical Association (AMA).Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Ouriel Grynszpan , Jacqueline Nadel , Jean-Claude Martin , Jérôme Simonin , Pauline Bailleul , Yun Wang et al. (2012). Self-Monitoring of Gaze in High Functioning Autism . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 42(8), 1642-1650. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
F. Castelli (2002). Autism, Asperger syndrome and brain mechanisms for the attribution of mental states to animated shapes . Brain, 125(8), 1839-1849. Oxford University Press (OUP).Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Lauren Marsh , Timothy L. Mullett , Danielle Ropar , Antonia F. de C. Hamilton (2014). Responses to irrational actions in action observation and mentalising networks of the human brain . NeuroImage, 103, 81-90. Elsevier BV.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Ilan Dinstein , Cibu Thomas , Kate Humphreys , Nancy Minshew , Marlene Behrmann , David J. Heeger (2010). Normal Movement Selectivity in Autism . Neuron, 66(3), 461-469. Elsevier BV.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Luigi Cattaneo , Maddalena Fabbri-Destro , Sonia Boria , Cinzia Pieraccini , Annalisa Monti , Giuseppe Cossu et al. (2007). Impairment of actions chains in autism and its possible role in intention understanding . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 104(45), 17825-17830. National Academy of Sciences.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Chris Frith , Uta Frith (2005). Theory of mind . Current Biology, 15(17), R644-R645. Elsevier BV.OpenAlex
-
Coralie Chevallier , Gregor Kohls , Vanessa Troiani , Edward S. Brodkin , Robert T. Schultz (2012). The social motivation theory of autism . Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 16(4), 231-239. Elsevier BV.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Yukari Takarae (2004). Pursuit eye movement deficits in autism . Brain, 127(12), 2584-2594. Oxford University Press (OUP).Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Giacomo Vivanti , Carolyn McCormick , Gregory S. Young , Floridette Abucayan , Naomi Hatt , Aparna Nadig et al. (2011). Intact and impaired mechanisms of action understanding in autism. Developmental Psychology, 47(3), 841-856. American Psychological Association (APA).Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Birgit Elsner , Caroline Pfeifer , Charlene Parker , Petra Hauf (2013). Infants’ perception of actions and situational constraints: An eye-tracking study . Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 116(2), 428-442. Elsevier BV.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Lauren Marsh , Antonia F. de C. Hamilton (2011). Dissociation of mirroring and mentalising systems in autism . NeuroImage, 56(3), 1511-1519. Elsevier BV.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Ami Klin , David J. Lin , Phillip Gorrindo , Gordon Ramsay , Warren Jones (2009). Two-year-olds with autism orient to non-social contingencies rather than biological motion . Nature, 459(7244), 257-261. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Antonia F. de C. Hamilton , Rachel Brindley , Uta Frith (2009). Visual perspective taking impairment in children with autistic spectrum disorder . Cognition, 113(1), 37-44. Elsevier BV.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Yukari Takarae (2004). Oculomotor abnormalities parallel cerebellar histopathology in autism . Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, 75(9), 1359-1361. BMJ.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Gerben Rotman , Nikolaus F. Troje , Roland S. Johansson , J. Randall Flanagan (2006). Eye Movements When Observing Predictable and Unpredictable Actions . Journal of Neurophysiology, 96(3), 1358-1369. American Physiological Society.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
U. Frith (2003). Autism: Explaining the enigma . Autism: Explaining the enigma.Type: OtherCrossref
-
Gustaf Gredebäck , Annika Melinder (2010). Infants’ understanding of everyday social interactions: A dual process account . Cognition, 114(2), 197-206. Elsevier BV.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Antonia F. de C. Hamilton , Rachel M. Brindley , Uta Frith (2007). Imitation and action understanding in autistic spectrum disorders: How valid is the hypothesis of a deficit in the mirror neuron system? Neuropsychologia, 45(8), 1859-1868. Elsevier BV.Type: Article DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2006.11.022 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2108340315Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Atsushi Senju , Victoria Southgate , Sarah White , Uta Frith (2009). Mindblind Eyes: An Absence of Spontaneous Theory of Mind in Asperger Syndrome . Science, 325(5942), 883-885. American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
I Henrichs (2012). Henrichs, I., Elsner, C., Elsner, B., & Gredebäck, G. (2012). Goal salience affects infants’ goal-directed gaze shifts. Frontiers in Psychology, 3(October), 391. doi: 10. 3389/fpsyg. 2012. 00391. Frontiers in Psychology, 3(October), 391.Type: OtherCrossref
-
Noah J. Sasson , Naotsugu Tsuchiya , Robert Hurley , Shannon M. Couture , David L. Penn , Ralph Adolphs et al. (2007). Orienting to social stimuli differentiates social cognitive impairment in autism and schizophrenia . Neuropsychologia, 45(11), 2580-2588. Elsevier BV.Type: Article DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2007.03.009 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2111055743Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Kevin A. Pelphrey , Noah J. Sasson , J. Steven Reznick , Gregory Paul , Barbara D. Goldman , Joseph Piven (2002). Visual Scanning of Faces in Autism . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 32(4), 249-261. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.Crossref OpenAlex
-
Leslie L. Speer , Anne E. Cook , William M. McMahon , Elaine Clark (2007). Face processing in children with autism . Autism, 11(3), 265-277. SAGE Publications.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Simon Baron-Cohen , Sally Wheelwright , Richard Skinner , Joanne Martin , Emma Clubley (2001). The Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ): Evidence from Asperger Syndrome/High-Functioning Autism, Males and Females, Scientists and Mathematicians . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 31(1), 5-17. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.OpenAlex
-
Catherine Lord , Susan Risi , Linda Lambrecht , Edwin H. Cook , Bennett L. Leventhal , Pamela C. DiLavore et al. (2000). The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule—Generic: A Standard Measure of Social and Communication Deficits Associated with the Spectrum of Autism . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 30(3), 205-223. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
-
Sula Wolff (2004). Autism: Explaining the enigma. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 45(1), 172-173. Wiley.Type: Article DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2004.t01-3-00211.x OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2111882181OpenAlex
-
Salvucci, D. D., & Goldberg, J. H. (2000). Identifying fixations and saccades in eye-tracking protocols. In A. Duchowski (Ed.), Proceedings of the symposium on eye tracking research applications ETRA 00 (Vol. 469, no. 1, pp, 71–78). http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?doid=355017 . 355028.Type: OtherCrossref
-
Senju, A., Southgate, V., White, S., & Frith, U. (2009). Mindblind eyes: An absence of spontaneous Theory of Mind in Asperger Syndrome. Science, 325(5942), 883–885. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/134660/ .Type: OtherCrossref