Distance Perception in Autism and Typical Development

Giovannini, Lorena; Jacomuzzi, Alessandra Cecilia; Bruno, Nicola; Semenza, Carlo; Surian, Luca

doi:10.1068/p6266

Cited by 14 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 37 publications

(34 reference statements)

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“…In eyes-open distance perception, a recent study found that 50% of participants consistently underestimated across all distance ratios (Norman, Adkins, & Pedersen, 2016). Moreover, distance estimation studied in children tends to show that primary aged children are less accurate than adults (Giovannini et al, 2009;Thurley & Schild, 2018). Considered alongside the evidence presented in our study showing individuals' perceived distance ratios mirror individuals' imaged distances, it appears that individuals make similar errors in internally representing distance in the absence of sensory stimuli as they do in distance perception.…”

Section: The Relationship Between Each Component Of MI and Vwmsupporting

confidence: 65%

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Mental imagery and visual working memory abilities appear to be unrelated in childhood: evidence for individual differences in strategy use

Bates¹,

Farran²

2020

Preprint

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We addressed three research gaps related to Mental imagery (MI) in children. First, MI relies on depictive representations in adults, however evidence for a depictive theory of MI in children is lacking. Second, researchers have employed a four sub-component model (Image Generation, Image Maintenance, Mental Rotation, Image Scanning) to investigate the development of MI, however findings are mixed. Finally, shared mechanisms between MI and Visual Working Memory (VWM) are suggested in adult literature, yet this relationship has not been tested directly in children. Using a novel battery of MI tasks, we found evidence for depictive representations in both Experiment 1 (adults: N=58) and Experiment 2 (children age 6-11 years and adults: N=150) in that participants of all ages generated and maintained images of high vividness more often than low vividness. Moreover, we found participants make similar errors when estimating varying distances in both visual perception and mental imagery: participants of all ages underestimated distance, and this increased with increasing distance, thus providing further evidence to support a depictive theory in both children and adults. To address our second and third research questions, we report evidence to broadly support a separable-component model of MI and a dissociation between MI and VWM in both children and adults (Experiment 2). Our findings extend current understanding of development of MI from childhood to adulthood and broadly suggest the structure of MI in childhood mirrors that in adults. Moreover, the findings highlight the importance of considering individual differences in format of representations and strategy use when deciphering the relationship between MI and VWM in both children and adults.

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Section: The Relationship Between Each Component Of MI and Vwmsupporting

confidence: 65%

“…Evidence from the visual perception literature for less accurate distance estimation in childhood compared to adulthood implies that children may be less accurate a representing distance in mind (e.g. Giovannini et al, 2009;Thurley & Schild, 2018), however this is yet to be tested directly.…”

Section: Despite Mixed Findings Regarding the Development Of Image Gementioning

confidence: 99%

Mental imagery and visual working memory abilities appear to be unrelated in childhood: evidence for individual differences in strategy use

Bates¹,

Farran²

2020

Preprint

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“…Our results suggest that infants may start to bind dynamic features to object files before they can successfully bind shape or surface features. Therefore the model needs to overcome the simple dichotomy between spatiotemporal information, treated by the ‘where’ system, and other features, treated by the ‘what’ system (Giovannini, Jacomuzzi, Bruno, Semenza & Surian, in press). It needs to pay closer attention to some relevant distinctions among different types of features that are dealt with by the ‘what’ system (Kaldy & Leslie, 2003).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Infants' individuation of agents and inert objects

Surian

Caldi

2009

Developmental Science

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Using the violation-of-expectancy method, we investigated 10-month-old infants' ability to rely on dynamic features in object individuation processes. Infants were first familiarized to events in which two different objects repeatedly appeared and disappeared, one at a time from behind a screen; at test, the screen was removed, revealing either one or two objects. In Experiment 1, one self-moving non-rigid agent and one inert object were involved in each trial, while in Experiment 2 two different agents were presented. Infants preferred to look at one-object outcomes in Experiment 1, but they did not show any preference for one-or two-object outcomes in Experiment 2. The results suggest that infants can use dynamic information to detect agents in complex individuation tasks before they can rely on shape or surface features. We propose that the sortals AGENT and INERT OBJECT appear in development before 12 months without a substantial contribution of linguistic experience. These findings may motivate a revision of current theories on the development of kind-based individuation and object files.

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“…93 As we explained previously, several hypotheses have been proposed that this hyper-local orientation might be due to undeveloped (or under-developed) neural perceptual mechanisms in autism, resulting in abnormalities in the magnocellular pathway that enhanced processing defects. 137 For example, Giovannini et al 138 reported that people with ASD underestimate distances in matching tasks compared to a matched control group. Mitchell et al 139 suggested that top-down perception effects are actually developed in ASD.…”

Section: Depth and Stereopsismentioning

confidence: 99%

Visual function in autism spectrum disorders: a critical review

Bakroon

Lakshminarayanan

2016

Clinical and Experimental Optometry

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Studies have shown considerable evidence of visual dysfunction in autism spectrum disorders. Anomalies in visual information processing can have a major effect on the life quality of individuals with autism spectrum disorders. We summarise the hypotheses and theories underlying neural aetiologies and genetic factors that cause these disorders, as well as the possible influences of unusual sensory processing on the communications and behaviour characterised by the autistics. In particular, we review the impact of these dysfunctions on visual performance.

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Distance Perception in Autism and Typical Development

Cited by 14 publications

References 37 publications

Mental imagery and visual working memory abilities appear to be unrelated in childhood: evidence for individual differences in strategy use

Mental imagery and visual working memory abilities appear to be unrelated in childhood: evidence for individual differences in strategy use

Infants' individuation of agents and inert objects

Visual function in autism spectrum disorders: a critical review

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