Investigating the perception of face identity in adults on the autism spectrum using behavioural and electrophysiological measures

Visual memory profile in children with high functioning autism

“…Summarizing the findings of the present study, the memory profile of children with ASD showed impaired performance in face memory and in forward memory with semantic stimuli and showed relative strength in associative memory. Both the impairments and relative strengths found in the present sample of children with ASD are compatible with WCC theory (Frith, 1989(Frith, , 2012 and the LUT learning style (Quian & Lipkin, 2011 (Dwyer et al, 2018), as well as difficulties in forward memory tasks, in which impaired access to the meaning of the stimuli did not advantage children with ASD as it did TD children. Additionally, the relative strength found in associative memory performance and the unimpaired performance in recognition memory and the VSWM Corsi task are in accordance with WCC theory and the LUT learning style, which hypothesize a detail-focused processing style in children with ASD (but Souza, Coco, Pinho, Filipe, & Carmo, 2016).…”

“…On the basis of eye movements towards faces during the encoding phase of the experiment, the authors attributed this recognition memory impairment to abnormal attention/encoding rather than to memorization processes. In contrast, Dwyer et al (2018), using electrophysiological measures, confirmed that face processing involves two distinct processes, i.e., face perception and face memorization; however, these authors found that face recognition impairments in individuals with ASD were more pronounced than face perception problems. In our sample, recognition memory is confirmed as the more impaired area of the memory profile in children with HFA, but it remains unclear which aspect of face processing -face perception or face memory -is more impaired.…”

“…Although the interpretation of research on face recognition in children, adolescents, and adults with autism is challenging because both the sample populations and methods significantly vary among studies, there is nevertheless strong evidence indicating processing peculiarities, even when task performance is not impaired (Klin et al, 1999). For example, as recently shown, face processing involves two distinct processes, i.e., face perception and face memorization; face recognition impairments found in individuals with ASD are more pronounced than face perception problems (Dwyer, Xu, & Tanaka, 2018). A study by Klin et al (1999) comparing three groups of seven-yearold children with autism, pervasive developmental disorders not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), or disorders other than PDD who were matched for chronological age and non-verbal mental age confirmed the hypothesis that young children with autism also show a specific face recognition deficit.…”

Understanding human individuation of unfamiliar faces with oddball fast periodic visual stimulation and electroencephalography

“…Two recent studies have used the present paradigm to measure FI in individuals with ASD. Dwyer et al (2018) tested 16 individuals with ASD and found no differences with a typically developing group in the amplitude of their FI response. In contrast, Vettori, Dzhelyova, et al (2019) found substantially reduced FI responses over the occipito‐temporal cortex in a group of 23 ASD boys compared to typically developing controls (Figure 18b).…”

“…While the discrepancy between studies may not appear to be encouraging at first glance, there were major differences between the two studies. Dwyer et al (2018) tested adults, both male and female, with a variable age range. Most importantly, the ASD group was comprised of self‐selected individuals who reported themselves as having a diagnosis of ASD, but without any formal clinical assessment.…”