Locally oriented perception with intact global processing among adolescents with high-functioning autism: evidence from multiple paradigms
Abstract
BACKGROUND: According to predictions from the Weak Central Coherence (WCC) theory for perceptual processing, persons with autism should display a tendency to focus on minute details rather than on a more general picture (Frith & Happé, 1994). However, the evidence for this theory is not consistent with findings of an enhanced detection of local targets (Plaisted, O'Riordan, & Baron-Cohen, 1998b; Plaisted, Swettenham, & Rees, 1999), but a typical global bias (Mottron, Burack, Stauder, & Robaey, 1999; Ozonoff, Strayer, McMahon, & Filloux, 1994). METHOD: Adolescents with high-functioning autism and CA- (approximately 15 years) and IQ- (approximately 105-110) matched typically developing adolescents were administered a series of global-local visual tasks, including a traditional task of hierarchical processing, three tasks of configural processing, and a disembedding task that involved rapid perceptual processing. RESULTS: No group differences were found on either the traditional task of hierarchical processing or on tasks of configural processing. However, group differences were found on the disembedding task as the search for embedded, in relation to isolated stimuli, was slower for the typically developing adolescents but similar for the participants with autism. CONCLUSIONS: These findings are consistent with other reports of superior performance in detecting embedded figures (Jolliffe & Baron-Cohen, 1997; Shah & Frith, 1983), but typical performance in global and configural processing (Mottron, Burack et al., 1999; Ozonoff et al., 1994) among persons with high-functioning autism. Thus, the notions of local bias and global impairment that are part of WCC may need to be reexamined.
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When explicitly directed to use global focus, individuals with ASD perform the same as TD peers.
“when explicitly directed to use global focus (i.e., identify the large letters), individuals with ASD perform the same as their TD peers (Deruelle et al., 2006; Mottron et al., 2003; Mottron et al., 2006; Plaisted et al., 1999; Wang et al., 2004)”
From Behavioral, Perceptual, and Neural Alterations in Sensory and Multisensory Function in Autism Spectrum Disorder (2015) · cites this paper as Mottron et al., 2003
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- Authors
- Mottron, L., Burack, J. A., Iarocci, G., Belleville, S., & Enns, J. T.
- Affiliations
- Hôpital Rivière-des-Prairies (CA)
- McGill University (CA)
- Simon Fraser University (CA)
- Université de Montréal (CA)
- University of British Columbia (CA)
- Venue
- Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2003-09
- Volume
- 44
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 904-913
- ISSN
- 0021-9630 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-7610
- OpenAlex
- W2157285283
- Cited by
- 345
- References
- 39
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 12 · 2015: 23 · 2014: 20 · 2013: 17 · 2012: 18
- FWCI
- 9.31
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Visual perception and processing mechanisms
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Face Recognition and Perception
- Keywords
- high-functioning autism, global-local processing, local bias, configural processing, hierarchical processing, disembedding, embedded figures, perceptual processing, adolescents, typically developing adolescents
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Analysis of Variance, Attention, Autistic Disorder, Child, Cognition, Cues, Discrimination, Psychological, Female, Humans, Male, Pattern Recognition, Visual, Perceptual Masking, Case-Control Studies
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