Baron-Cohen et al. (Eye test)

theory of mind

the ability to determine the mental states of ourself and other people

→ people with ASD do not have a fully developed TOM → TOM deficit

social sensitivity

the ability to identify and understand social cues and contexts when interacting with others

→ how you understand other people’s feelings

background [2]

• In 1997, the “reading the mind in the eyes” test was developed to assess theory of mind to discriminate between adults with Asperger's syndrome (AS) or high-functioning autism (HFA) adults and control adults 

• Researchers were unhappy with elements of og study so they upgraded their measures

changes to the test [6]

General aims

To investigate whether scores on the Autism Quotient and the Revised Eyes Test scores are negatively correlated

Aims for ASD Ps [2]

To investigate whether:

• ASD adults score lower on the eyes test than other groups, as with previous version of the test

• ASD adults score higher on the AQ test

Aims for neurotypical adults [2]

To investigate whether:

• females score higher than males on the RET

• males score higher than females on the AQ

research method

laboratory experiment

research design

independent measures, correlation

data collection technique

questionnaire: AQ test and RET test

IV

whether Ps have:

• ASD or not

• male or female

DV/co-variable

score on RET and AQ

Sample [4]

G1: ASD adults

• 15 male

• volunteer sample

G2: general population control

• 122 neurotypical

• opportunity sample from education classes and libraries

G3: students

• 103 students from cambridge uni → opportunity sample

• 53M & 50F

G4: IQ matched

• 14 with IQ matched with G1

• random sampling

procedure: eye test development [5]

• 8 independent judges trial the test

• items were accepted if target word is selected by 5/8 judges

• items were rejected if the foil is selected by >2 judges

• test were trialled on G2 & G3, items were accepted if >50% selected target word & <25% picked the same foil

• 4 items were rejected → 36 items on the RET

procedure: taking the test [4]

• Ps take the RET individually in a quiet room

• no time limit

• G1, 2, 4 completed the AQ then read through the glossary and they can ask question if needed

• G1 also identify the gender

controls [2]

• test were administered in the same way (quiet condition + glossary)

• all items are in the same size, black n white, with 4 options & three foils

ethical issues [2]

• lack of understanding in the words/emotions can lead to distress

• Ps in G2-4 may need referall for more detailed assessment if received extreme scores

results [6]

• negative correlation (-0.53) between the AQ scores and the RET for all 3 groups

• G1 scores significantly lower in the RET than other groups

• no impairments in gender identification for G1

• G1 scores significantly higher in AQ than G3 and 4

• males scores higher on AQ than females

• females score higher on RET than males

conclusions [2]

the RET is:

• a more sensitive test for social intelligence than og test

• can be used as measure for severity of autistic traits due to negative correlation to AQ

strengths [2]

• reliability: high controls & standardisation

• validity: due to changes made to the Eyes test- 4 options, equal female and male eye pairs shown, glossary provided to Ps

weaknesses [2]

• validity: low mundane realism → in real-life, the eyes are not static and the picture do not reflect human emotions

• generalisability: only males were used in the ASD group, this means that the study may not be able to generalise to females with ASD

I&D: individual vs situational

Supports individual side

-> ASD is an individual difference that can affect the performance of one person on the RET

I&D: Application

The RET can be used in schools to identify students who struggle with theory of mind skill -> suitable intervention to improve this skill