Removal of negative feedback enhances WCST performance for individuals with ASD
Section snippets
Participants
Participants used within the study included 50 high-functioning adolescents or adults with a diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome (AS), and 50 typically developing adolescents or adults. Diagnosed participants were recruited from Australian Autism support networks and organisations. Participants with AS were required to have a prior diagnosis confirmed in writing by a registered clinical psychologist, psychiatrist, or paediatrician, and have a tested IQ above 70. TD participants were recruited by
Results
There were no missing values, univariate outliers, or normality issues. Jaegar and Halliday (1998) argue that when a study is exploratory in nature (as is the present study), controlling for Type 2 error (supporting the null hypothesis when it is false) is more important for knowledge development than controlling for Type 1 error alone. By retaining the .05 alpha criterion, the present retains more power than either FWE or FDR approaches to detect a significant effect. Confidence intervals will
Discussion
The present study investigated perseveration in individuals with AS using the WCST. Feedback during the test was manipulated in order to determine the role of negative feedback in perseverative behaviour for persons with an AS. Investigation of differences into how negative feedback is processed in the AS and TD groups was guided by one broad hypothesis; that when the correct vs. blank reinforcement combination was employed, the absence of negative feedback would result in improved performance
References (59)
- et al.
Addressing working memory in children with autism through behavioural intervention
Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders
(2011) - et al.
Further analysis of the effects of positive reinforcement on working memory in children with autism
Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders
(2011) An experimental study of the social responsiveness of children with autistic behaviour
Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
(1970)- et al.
The paradox of cognitive flexibility in autism
Trends in Cognitive Science
(2009) Executive dysfunction in autism
Trends in Cognitive Science
(2004)- et al.
Evidence for executive dysfunction in autism
Neuropsychologia
(1994) - et al.
Effects of different feedback conditions on discrimination learning in schizophrenics and non-psychiatric subjects
Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behaviour
(1963) - et al.
Computerised version of the Wisconsin card sorting test in children with high-functioning autistic disorder or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder
Brain and Development
(2005) - et al.
Development and genetic influences on prefrontal function in adolescents: A longitudinal twin study of WCST performance
Neuroscience Letters
(2010) - et al.
The effects of positive verses negative feedback on information-integration category learning
Perception and Psychophysics
(2007)
Is there a language of the eyes evidence from normal adults and adults with autism or Asperger's syndrome
Visual Cognition
Intact and impaired memory functions in autism
Child Development
Asperger syndrome from childhood into adulthood
Advances in Psychiatric Treatment
Experimental alterations in the effectiveness of verbal reinforcement combinations
Journal of Experimental Psychology
The effect of verbal reinforcement combinations on conceptual learning
Journal of Experimental Psychology
Exploring behavior: An introduction to psychology
The understanding of the emotional meaning of facial expressions in people with autism
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
The social, behavioural and academic experiences of children with Asperger's syndrome
Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities
Supplementary report: The effect of verbal reinforcement combinations on learning in children
Journal of Experimental Psychology
Face perception in children in autism and asperser's syndrome
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
Common alterations in sensitivity to type but not amount of reward in ADHD and autism spectrum disorders
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
Clinical psychology: The study of personality and behaviour
Sustained attention in children with autism
Journal of Developmental Disorders
How specific are executive functioning deficits in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism?
Journal of Child psychology and Psychiatry
A behavioural analysis of degree of reinforcement and the ease of shifting to new responses in a eeigal-type card sorting problem
Journal of Experimental Psychology
Higher cognition and social behaviour: Changes in cognitive flexibility and empathy after cerebral lesions
Neuropsychology
Social and psychiatric functioning in adolescents with Asperger's syndrome compared with conduct disorder
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
Psychology VCE units 3 & 4
The weak coherence account: Detail-focused cognitive style in autism spectrum disorders
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
Cited by (7)
Working memory and autism: A review of literature
2014, Research in Autism Spectrum DisordersCitation Excerpt :At the conclusion of the sequence, the participants were asked to list the stimuli in the order in which they were initially presented, and Digit span backwards, in which, the participants had to memorize a series of numbers that were presented auditorally and then recall them backwards (Baltruschat et al., 2012). Broadbent and Stokes (2013) reported improved performance in WCST, a test of visiospatial working memory, through the use of positive feedback. The WCST consists of four stimulus cards and 128 response cards that depict various symbols (crosses, circles, triangles, or stars), in different colors (red, blue, yellow, or green) and numbers of figures displayed (one, two, three, or four).
Decision-making in autism: A narrative review
2023, AutismCategory Learning in Autism: Are Some Situations Better Than Others?
2021, Journal of Experimental Psychology: GeneralStalking, Autism, and the Law
2021, Handbook of Autism Spectrum Disorder and the LawPhonological and Visuospatial Working Memory in Autism Spectrum Disorders
2016, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders