Recognition of Face and Non‐Face Stimuli in Autistic Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

The ability to remember faces is critical for the development of social competence. From childhood to adulthood, we acquire a high level of expertise in the recognition of facial images, and neural processes become dedicated to sustaining competence. Many people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have poor face recognition memory; changes in hairstyle or other non-facial features in an otherwise familiar person affect their recollection skills. The observation implies that they may not use the configuration of the inner face to achieve memory competence, but bolster performance in other ways. We aimed to test this hypothesis by comparing the performance of a group of high-functioning unmedicated adolescents with ASD and a matched control group on a "surprise" face recognition memory task. We compared their memory for unfamiliar faces with their memory for images of houses. To evaluate the role that is played by peripheral cues in assisting recognition memory, we cropped both sets of pictures, retaining only the most salient central features. ASD adolescents had poorer recognition memory for faces than typical controls, but their recognition memory for houses was unimpaired. Cropping images of faces did not disproportionately influence their recall accuracy, relative to controls. House recognition skills (cropped and uncropped) were similar in both groups. In the ASD group only, performance on both sets of task was closely correlated, implying that memory for faces and other complex pictorial stimuli is achieved by domain-general (non-dedicated) cognitive mechanisms. Adolescents with ASD apparently do not use domain-specialized processing of inner facial cues to support face recognition memory.

Improvement in Social Competence Using a Randomized Trial of a Theatre Intervention for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…Not only is face memory responsive to treatment but may also be associated with concomitant changes in social competence. For example, other studies have demonstrated that better face memory has been associated with more reciprocal social play (Corbett et al 2014a) and fewer ASD symptoms (Arkush et al 2013). …”

“…Additionally, most individuals with ASD show significant difficulty in remembering facial information, especially following a delay (Weigelt et al 2012). Better face memory has been associated with more reciprocal social play in children (Corbett et al 2014a) and fewer characteristics of autism in adolescents with ASD (Arkush et al 2013; Eussen et al 2015). Thus, remembering facial information is an important marker of social skills and a target for treatment.…”

Face Perception and Learning in Autism Spectrum Disorders

“…More is known about face memory, although the ASD group shows extensive heterogeneity. Adolescents with ASD exhibited reduced memory for faces but not houses on a “surprise” memory task (Arkush, Smith-Collins, Fiorentini, & Skuse, 2013). Performance of the teens with ASD across the face and object memory conditions was correlated, whereas it was not for the comparison group, suggesting that memory processing for faces may be domain general in ASD.…”

Social Preference and Glutamatergic Dysfunction: Underappreciated Prerequisites for Social Dysfunction in Schizophrenia

“…For instance, autism spectrum disorder is another neurodevelopmental disorder that is also characterized by severe social dysfunction. Relevant to this discussion, individuals with autism spectrum disorder show a performance pattern consistent with disrupted social preference [79–81] as well as impairments on various social cognitive tasks [82–84]. There is also longitudinal evidence linking social preference to social functioning in autism spectrum disorder; children with autism spectrum disorder who could better detect others’ gaze during early childhood (around 4 years old) later showed better social functioning in adulthood [85].…”