Children on the autism spectrum update their behaviour in response to a volatile environment
نویسندگان
چکیده
Typical adults can track reward probabilities across trials to estimate the volatility of the environment and use this information to modify their learning rate (Behrens et al., 2007). In a stable environment, it is advantageous to take account of outcomes over many trials, whereas in a volatile environment, recent experience should be more strongly weighted than distant experience. Recent predictive coding accounts of autism propose that autistic individuals will demonstrate atypical updating of their behaviour in response to the statistics of the reward environment. To rigorously test this hypothesis, we administered a developmentally appropriate version of Behrens et al.'s (2007) task to 34 cognitively able children on the autism spectrum aged between 6 and 14 years, 32 age- and ability-matched typically developing children and 19 typical adults. Participants were required to choose between a green and a blue pirate chest, each associated with a randomly determined reward value between 0 and 100 points, with a combined total of 100 points. On each trial, the reward was given for one stimulus only. In the stable condition, the ratio of the blue or green response being rewarded was fixed at 75:25. In the volatile condition, the ratio alternated between 80:20 and 20:80 every 20 trials. We estimated the learning rate for each participant by fitting a delta rule model and compared this rate across conditions and groups. All groups increased their learning rate in the volatile condition compared to the stable condition. Unexpectedly, there was no effect of group and no interaction between group and condition. Thus, autistic children used information about the statistics of the reward environment to guide their decisions to a similar extent as typically developing children and adults. These results help constrain predictive coding accounts of autism by demonstrating that autism is not characterized by uniform differences in the weighting of prediction error.
منابع مشابه
Designing Learning Spaces for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Although the problems and disabilities caused by autism spectrum disorders are constant companions to these individuals, timely treatment interventions can provide the necessary grounds for their empowerment., However, one thing that deserves attention is that regular learning environments are not often designed to meet the needs and moods of children with autism spectrum disorder. Likewise, a...
متن کاملEducational Facial Emotion Recognition in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Clinical Trial Study
Objective: The disability to recognize facial emotions is one of the behavioral problems in autistic children. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of education on the promotion of face recognition. Methods: This single-blind clinical trial study was conducted on children with autism. The participants were allocated with random sampling to the two groups. Autistic children in the int...
متن کاملOmid Early Intervention Programme for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Families in Iran
Child development research has established the importance of support and services for children with special needs and their families at very early stages after the diagnosis. These services offered in the form of the early intervention programmes. There is a dearth of early intervention programmes for children with autism spectrum disorders and their families in Iran. A parent based early inter...
متن کاملComparison of Motor Skills in At-risk with Autism Spectrum Disorder Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Typical Development Children
Background: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex developmental disorder characterized by repetitive and stereotypical patterns, and difficulties with social communication and interaction in early childhood. Motor development and dysfunction in children with ASD has been the subject of study in recent years and has attracted much of the attention of researchers. As motor dysfunctions can ...
متن کاملIranian Parents’ perceptions on physical activity for their children with autism spectrum disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic
Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic is a remarkable health crisis that enforced most of people to stay at home and quarantined for a period of time and seems to be having negative impacts on physical activity and mental health worldwide. Autism spectrum disorders, is a neurodevelopmental disorder with deficit in social interaction characteristics, relationship and stereotyped behaviors. This study...
متن کامل