The Cambridge Mindreading (CAM) Face-Voice Battery: Testing Complex Emotion Recognition in Adults with and without Asperger Syndrome

Abstract

Adults with Asperger Syndrome (AS) can recognise simple emotions and pass basic theory of mind tasks, but have difficulties recognising more complex emotions and mental states. This study describes a new battery of tasks, testing recognition of 20 complex emotions and mental states from faces and voices. The battery was given to males and females with AS and matched controls. Results showed the AS group performed worse than controls overall, on emotion recognition from faces and voices and on 12/20 specific emotions. Females recognised faces better than males regardless of diagnosis, and males with AS had more difficulties recognising emotions from faces than from voices. The implications of these results are discussed in relation to social functioning in AS.

Autistic characteristics in adults with epilepsy

“…Harms et al, 2010). However some studies have demonstrated that females with AS perform worse on FER than matched controls such as Golan and colleagues, although these results are based on comparisons between 6 females with ASD and 5 age and IQ matched controls (Golan et al, 2006). However, in support of an affective deficit in females with ASD, a recent study of 33 males and 29 females found that males and females do not differ on selfreported empathy measured employing the Empathy Quotient [EQ] as a broader measure of basic emotional ability (Lai et al, 2011).…”

“…Such evidence suggests that measuring FER would be most appropriate for assessing amygdala functioning. However some studies have demonstrated that females with AS perform worse on FER than matched controls such as Golan and colleagues, although these findings are based on 6 ASD and 5 control participants (Golan, Baron-Cohen, & Hill, 2006). Other studies have even smaller gender groups (Golan et al, 2010).…”

The “Reading the Mind in Films” Task: Complex emotion recognition in adults with and without autism spectrum conditions

“…The battery provides an overall facial and an overall vocal emotion recognition score, as well as an overall number of the emotions correctly recognized. Individuals with AS/HFA score significantly lower than controls on all three measures in the battery (Golan et al, 2006b). Test Áretest correlations, calculated for individuals with AS/HFA were r0/.94 for the face task and r0/.81 for the voice task.…”

“…The Cambridge Mindreading Face ÁVoice Battery (CAM; Golan et al, 2006b) This battery tests recognition of twenty complex emotions and mental states from short silent video clips of faces and from voice recordings. The face task comprises silent clips of adult actors, expressing the emotions in the face.…”

“…Tasks included pictures of eyes (Baron-Cohen, Wheelwright, Hill, Raste, & Plumb, 2001a;Baron-Cohen, Wheelwright, & Jolliffe, 1997b;Baron-Cohen, Wheelwright, Spong, Scahill, & Lawson, 2001c), and static and dynamic facial expressions (BaronCohen et al, 1997b;Golan, Baron-Cohen, & Hill, 2006b). Auditory tasks have used short utterances (Golan, Baron-Cohen, Hill, & Rutherford, in press;Kleinman, Marciano, & Ault, 2001; Rutherford, .…”