Method/Design
What was the aim of the study
To test if the revised version of the 'Reading the Mind in the Eyes' test would be successful at differentiating participants with AS or HFA (High Functioning Autism) from the general population.
To see if there is a negative correlation for normal adults between the RET and AQ test
What test did all groups complete?
RET test (Group 2 did not complete the AQ test)
What was the sample size of group 1?
15
Why did group 1 experience a problem with generalizability?
Small sample size, all males, selected with volunteer sampling so may share similar characteristics
What was the range of scores of all participants on the RET test?
17-35
What was one hypothesis of the study?
Autistic people would score worse on the RET than participants without autism) OR (Scores on AQ and RET will have negative correlation
What was given to all participants before the test?
What were the characteristics of participants in group 3?
103 undergrads, Cambridge university, not autistic, assumed to be smarter than average
How were confounding variables controlled?
All participants saw the same set of eyes for exactly the same amount of time
Which gender scored higher on the RET on average?
Females
What is theory of mind? (ToM)
The ability to understand the thoughts of another based on their expressions and gestures
What control task did group 1 participants partake in?
Judging the gender of the people in the images in the RET test.
What was the mean age of those in group 2, and how were they selected?
46.5 years, selected from adult community and education classes in Exeter and public library users in Cambridge
What was NOT possible due to the study being a quasi-experiment?
Not possible to randomly allocate participants to their conditions
Which group scored the highest in the AQ test?
Group 1/adults with AS/HFA
Why was the original Reading the mind in the eyes test considered inaccurate?
More female faces than male faces, had both complex and simple expression, simple expressions were too easy
How were procedures standardised in the study?
All participants took the test in the same quiet room, in either Cambridge or Exeter. All participants saw the same images and were all given glossaries to check for meanings of words they didn't understand
How many IQ-matched participants were there in Group 4, and how were they selected?
14 IQ matched participants whom were randomly selected from the general population, that were also given IQ tests to see if their IQs matches group 1 or not.
How did Baron Cohen follow ethical procedure and guidelines throughout the study?
Participants' consent was taken and they knew the nature of the study. Group 1 participants had been diagnosed in specialist centres using APA criteria. The data collected was anonymised.
Which group scored the lowest in the AQ test, but the second highest in the RET?
Group 3/Student comparison group
How was the RET test developed?
was piloted by 8 judges, 4 males and 4 females, and were presented 36 images with 4 target words chosen by Baron Cohen and a colleague. At least 5 judges had to guess the correct word with no more than 2 judges guessing a different incorrect word. If this happened, the target words would be changed until the desired outcome was achieved.
Who was required to complete the AQ test?
Participants in all conditions EXCEPT the ‘normal’ adult comparison group (Group 2)
State the average age for Group 1, Group 2, Group 3, Group 4. You must state all four
Group 1 = 29.7
Group 2 = 46.5
Group 3 = 20.8
Group 4 = 28
What issue affected the ecological validity of the study?
Was unlike how in an everyday situation, a person’s eyes would not be static and would only be shown for a limited amount of time. Also, when analyzing someone's expressions, in real life we look at their whole face and body, not only their eyes.
What was the correlation between the scores on the AQ and scores on the RET test?
There was a negative correlation of -0.53 between scores on AQ and RET