Face Recognition and Visual Search Strategies in Autism Spectrum Disorders: Amending and Extending a Recent Review by Weigelt Et Al

Overview

Journal PLoS One

Specialties General Medicine
Science

Date 2015 Aug 8

PMID 26252877

Citations 36

Authors

Julia Tang

Marita Falkmer

Chiara Horlin

Tele Tan

Sharmila Vaz

Torbjorn Falkmer

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The purpose of this review was to build upon a recent review by Weigelt et al. which examined visual search strategies and face identification between individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and typically developing peers. Seven databases, CINAHL Plus, EMBASE, ERIC, Medline, Proquest, PsychInfo and PubMed were used to locate published scientific studies matching our inclusion criteria. A total of 28 articles not included in Weigelt et al. met criteria for inclusion into this systematic review. Of these 28 studies, 16 were available and met criteria at the time of the previous review, but were mistakenly excluded; and twelve were recently published. Weigelt et al. found quantitative, but not qualitative, differences in face identification in individuals with ASD. In contrast, the current systematic review found both qualitative and quantitative differences in face identification between individuals with and without ASD. There is a large inconsistency in findings across the eye tracking and neurobiological studies reviewed. Recommendations for future research in face recognition in ASD were discussed.

Citing Articles

Disentangling the perceptual underpinnings of autism: Evidence from a face aftereffects experiment.

Hennig J, Doose A, Breier C, Soutschek A, Beyer N, Schweinberger S Autism Res. 2024; 18(2):349-361.

PMID: 39676584 PMC: 11826018. DOI: 10.1002/aur.3283.

Autistic adults exhibit holistic face processing: evidence from inversion and composite face effects.

Hsiung E, Chien S Front Neurosci. 2024; 18:1393987.

PMID: 39600656 PMC: 11588717. DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1393987.

Face recognition's practical relevance: Social bonds, not social butterflies.

Engfors L, Wilmer J, Palermo R, Gignac G, Germine L, Jeffery L Cognition. 2024; 250:105816.

PMID: 38908305 PMC: 11445692. DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2024.105816.

Face Recognition Characteristics in Patients with Age-Related Macular Degeneration Determined Using a Virtual Reality Headset with Eye Tracking.

Zugelj N, Peterlin L, Muznik U, Klobucar P, Jaki Mekjavic P, Vidovic Valentincic N J Clin Med. 2024; 13(2).

PMID: 38276142 PMC: 10816606. DOI: 10.3390/jcm13020636.

Sex modulation of faces prediction error in the autistic brain.

Lacroix A, Harquel S, Mermillod M, Garrido M, Barbosa L, Vercueil L Commun Biol. 2024; 7(1):127.

PMID: 38273091 PMC: 10810845. DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-05807-4.

References

Sterling L, Dawson G, Webb S, Murias M, Munson J, Panagiotides H . The role of face familiarity in eye tracking of faces by individuals with autism spectrum disorders. J Autism Dev Disord. 2008; 38(9):1666-75. PMC: 2989724. DOI: 10.1007/s10803-008-0550-1. View

Kleinhans N, Johnson L, Richards T, Mahurin R, Greenson J, Dawson G . Reduced neural habituation in the amygdala and social impairments in autism spectrum disorders. Am J Psychiatry. 2009; 166(4):467-75. DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2008.07101681. View

Speer L, Cook A, McMahon W, Clark E . Face processing in children with autism: effects of stimulus contents and type. Autism. 2007; 11(3):265-77. DOI: 10.1177/1362361307076925. View

Grelotti D, Klin A, Gauthier I, Skudlarski P, Cohen D, Gore J . fMRI activation of the fusiform gyrus and amygdala to cartoon characters but not to faces in a boy with autism. Neuropsychologia. 2005; 43(3):373-85. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2004.06.015. View

Chawarska K, Shic F . Looking but not seeing: atypical visual scanning and recognition of faces in 2 and 4-year-old children with autism spectrum disorder. J Autism Dev Disord. 2009; 39(12):1663-72. PMC: 4878114. DOI: 10.1007/s10803-009-0803-7. View

Tehrani-Doost M, Salmanian M, Ghanbari-Motlagh M, Shahrivar Z . Delayed face recognition in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders. Iran J Psychiatry. 2012; 7(2):52-6. PMC: 3428637. View

Ewing L, Pellicano E, Rhodes G . Reevaluating the selectivity of face-processing difficulties in children and adolescents with autism. J Exp Child Psychol. 2013; 115(2):342-55. DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2013.01.009. View

Reed C, Beall P, Stone V, Kopelioff L, Pulham D, Hepburn S . Brief report: perception of body posture--what individuals with autism spectrum disorder might be missing. J Autism Dev Disord. 2006; 37(8):1576-84. DOI: 10.1007/s10803-006-0220-0. View

Chawarska K, Volkmar F . Impairments in monkey and human face recognition in 2-year-old toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Developmental Delay. Dev Sci. 2007; 10(2):266-79. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-7687.2006.00543.x. View

10.

Dawson G, Carver L, Meltzoff A, Panagiotides H, McPartland J, Webb S . Neural correlates of face and object recognition in young children with autism spectrum disorder, developmental delay, and typical development. Child Dev. 2002; 73(3):700-17. PMC: 3651041. DOI: 10.1111/1467-8624.00433. View

11.

Song Y, Kawabe T, Hakoda Y, Du X . Do the eyes have it? Extraction of identity and positive expression from another's eyes in autism, probed using "Bubbles". Brain Dev. 2011; 34(7):584-90. DOI: 10.1016/j.braindev.2011.09.009. View

12.

Papagiannopoulou E, Chitty K, Hermens D, Hickie I, Lagopoulos J . A systematic review and meta-analysis of eye-tracking studies in children with autism spectrum disorders. Soc Neurosci. 2014; 9(6):610-32. DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2014.934966. View

13.

Bradshaw J, Shic F, Chawarska K . Brief report: face-specific recognition deficits in young children with autism spectrum disorders. J Autism Dev Disord. 2011; 41(10):1429-35. PMC: 4871156. DOI: 10.1007/s10803-010-1150-4. View

14.

Webb S, Merkle K, Murias M, Richards T, Aylward E, Dawson G . ERP responses differentiate inverted but not upright face processing in adults with ASD. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2009; 7(5):578-87. PMC: 3375882. DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsp002. View

15.

Bentin S, Allison T, Puce A, Perez E, McCarthy G . Electrophysiological Studies of Face Perception in Humans. J Cogn Neurosci. 2010; 8(6):551-565. PMC: 2927138. DOI: 10.1162/jocn.1996.8.6.551. View

16.

Wilkinson D, Best C, Minshew N, Strauss M . Memory awareness for faces in individuals with autism. J Autism Dev Disord. 2010; 40(11):1371-7. PMC: 3050057. DOI: 10.1007/s10803-010-0995-x. View

17.

Pierce K, Redcay E . Fusiform function in children with an autism spectrum disorder is a matter of "who". Biol Psychiatry. 2008; 64(7):552-60. PMC: 2673799. DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2008.05.013. View

18.

Rutman A, Clapp W, Chadick J, Gazzaley A . Early top-down control of visual processing predicts working memory performance. J Cogn Neurosci. 2009; 22(6):1224-34. PMC: 2842470. DOI: 10.1162/jocn.2009.21257. View

19.

Trepagnier C, Sebrechts M, Peterson R . Atypical face gaze in autism. Cyberpsychol Behav. 2002; 5(3):213-7. DOI: 10.1089/109493102760147204. View

20.

Kent P . The Evolution of the Wechsler Memory Scale: A Selective Review. Appl Neuropsychol Adult. 2013; 20(4):277-291. DOI: 10.1080/09084282.2012.689267. View