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Eye Contact Modulates Cognitive Processing Differently in Children With Autism
Author(s) -
FalckYtter Terje,
Carlström Christoffer,
Johansson Martin
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1467-8624
pISSN - 0009-3920
DOI - 10.1111/cdev.12273
Subject(s) - psychology , eye contact , autism , cognition , eye tracking , gaze , eye movement , developmental psychology , joint attention , cognitive psychology , facilitation , cognitive development , social cognition , attention span , neuroscience , physics , psychoanalysis , optics
In humans, effortful cognitive processing frequently takes place during social interaction, with eye contact being an important component. This study shows that the effect of eye contact on memory for nonsocial information is different in children with typical development than in children with autism, a disorder of social communication. Direct gaze facilitated memory performance in children with typical development ( n = 25, 6 years old), but no such facilitation was seen in the clinical group ( n = 10, 6 years old). Eye tracking conducted during the cognitive test revealed strikingly similar patterns of eye movements, indicating that the results cannot be explained by differences in overt attention. Collectively, these findings have theoretical significance and practical implications for testing practices in children.