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Cited by 584Autism Spectrum Disorder ResearchSocial and Intergroup PsychologyInclusion and Disability in Education and Sport

Neurotypical Peers are Less Willing to Interact with Those with Autism based on Thin Slice Judgments

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Sasson, Noah J., Faso, Daniel J., Nugent, Jack, Lovell, Sarah, Kennedy, Daniel P., Grossman, Ruth B.·2017·Scientific Reports
DOI 10.1038/srep40700PMC PMC5286449
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Abstract

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), including those who otherwise require less support, face severe difficulties in everyday social interactions. Research in this area has primarily focused on identifying the cognitive and neurological differences that contribute to these social impairments, but social interaction by definition involves more than one person and social difficulties may arise not just from people with ASD themselves, but also from the perceptions, judgments, and social decisions made by those around them. Here, across three studies, we find that first impressions of individuals with ASD made from thin slices of real-world social behavior by typically-developing observers are not only far less favorable across a range of trait judgments compared to controls, but also are associated with reduced intentions to pursue social interaction. These patterns are remarkably robust, occur within seconds, do not change with increased exposure, and persist across both child and adult age groups. However, these biases disappear when impressions are based on conversational content lacking audio-visual cues, suggesting that style, not substance, drives negative impressions of ASD. Collectively, these findings advocate for a broader perspective of social difficulties in ASD that considers both the individual’s impairments and the biases of potential social partners.

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  • A growing body of experimental research supports the premises of the double empathy problem; for example, neurotypical people are quick to form negative impressions of autistic people on the basis of scant information.

    “A growing body of experimental research supports the premises of the double empathy problem; for example, neurotypical people are quick to form negative impressions of autistic people on the basis of scant information (Sasson et al., 2017).”

    From Compassionate pedagogy for neurodiversity in higher education: A conceptual analysis (2023) · cites this paper as Sasson et al., 2017

  • Nonautistic people report an unwillingness to interact with autistic people based on first impression judgements.

    “Nonautistic people also report an unwillingness to interact with autistic people based on first impression judgements (Morrison, DeBrabander, Faso, & Sasson, 2019; Sasson et al., 2017) and brief interactions (Morrison et al., 2020).”

    From Annual Research Review: Shifting from ‘normal science’ to neurodiversity in autism science (2022) · cites this paper as Sasson et al., 2017

  • Autistic people were rated as less likeable, less attractive, and participants would be less likely to engage with them socially, suggesting societal acceptance may be poor.

    “Findings showed that the autistic people were rated as less likeable, less attractive and that the participant would be less likely to engage with them socially, suggesting that societal acceptance may be poor.”

    From Experiences of autism acceptance and mental health in autistic adults (2018) · cites this paper as Sasson et al. 2017

  • Non-autistic individuals tend to make rapid unfavourable judgements about those on the autism spectrum.

    “Sasson et al. (2017) found that non-autistic individuals tend to make rapid unfavourable judgements about those on the autism spectrum.”

    From Experiences of autism acceptance and mental health in autistic adults (2018) · cites this paper as Sasson et al. 2017

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Research works printed but not linked: 4

  1. Milton, D. E. M. 'Filling in the gaps': A micro-sociological analysis of autism. Autonomy, the Critical Journal of Interdisciplinary Autism Studies. 1 (2013).
  2. Blascovich, J., Mendes, W. B., Hunter, S. B. & Lickel, B. Stigma, threat, and social interactions. The social psychology of stigma (ed. Heatherton, T. F.) 307-333 (Guilford Press, 2000).
  3. Cotterell, J. Social Networks and Social Influence in Adolescence. London: Routledge (1996).
  4. Oskamp, S.) 93-114 (Psychology Press, 2000).

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Authors
Sasson, N. J., Faso, D. J., Nugent, J., Lovell, S., Kennedy, D. P., & Grossman, R. B.
Affiliations
  • The University of Texas at Dallas (US)
  • Indiana University Bloomington (US)
  • Emerson College (US)
Corresponding author
  • Sasson, Noah J.
  • Kennedy, Daniel P.
  • Grossman, Ruth B.
ORCID
Venue
Scientific Reports
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2017-02-01
Volume
7
Issue
1
Pages
40700-40700
ISSN
2045-2322 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1038/srep40700
PMC
PMC5286449
OpenAlex
W2585989266
Cited by
584
References
43
Citations by year
2026: 73 · 2025: 90 · 2024: 96 · 2023: 82 · 2022: 54 · 2021: 69 · 2020: 48 · 2019: 38 · 2018: 24 · 2017: 9 · 2012: 1
FWCI
18.67
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Scientific Reports (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health
  • National Institute of Mental Health (R00MH094409)
  • National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (R21DC010867, R01DC012774)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Inclusion and Disability in Education and Sport
Keywords
autism spectrum disorder, neurotypical peers, thin-slice judgment, first impressions, social bias, audiovisual cues, conversational style, social perception, social interaction difficulties
MeSH terms
Autism Spectrum Disorder, Adult, Child, Preschool, Emotions, Female, Humans, Infant, Interpersonal Relations, Judgment, Male, Middle Aged, Peer Group, Social Behavior, Speech, Case-Control Studies, Young Adult

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