Baron - Cohen

studies the theory of mind - ability to understand mental/emotional states of others and understand that they're different from your own

studies autism and theory of mind, and if there is a valid test to identify autism

tests ability of young children to understand that not all people are good

used to identify adults with AS/HFA

50 questions and a 4-point scale, score of 32 or higher indicates significant level of autistic traits

two word choices, giving 50% chance of guessing correctly (fixed by four word choices)

foil and semantic words were exact opposites of each other (fixed by foils not being opposite of semantic)

more female faces than male faces (fixed by making them equal)

parents of children with AS/HFA scored the same level as the kids themselves (fixed by making the test more difficult by adding word choices and items)

ceiling effect - too many people scored too high on the test (fixed by making the test more difficult by adding word choices and items)

gazing - some times were guessed from gaze (fixed by removing cards where the person was gazing)

comprehension - not understanding words (fixed by giving participants a glossary)

to test whether the revised eye test will fix the problems of the 1997 test and if it can identify AS/HFA

to see if females will score better on the eyes test than males

to see if a negative correlation exists between the AQ test and eyes test

The AS/HFA group will score lower on the eyes test

The AS/HFA group will score higher on the AQ test

Females will score higher on the eyes test than males

Males will score higher than females on the AQ test

Scores on the eyes test and the AQ test will be negatively/inversely correlated

groups of people: AS/HFA (experimental), normal females, normal males, neuronormal (control)

scores on the AQ test and eyes test

• Quasi study - laboratory experiment but IV is naturally occurring so independent measures must be used

• Independent measures

• Scores will give data on the DV

• Matched pairs were used to eliminate intelligence as a participant variable

eye test and AQ test

15 adult males with AS/HFA volunteer sampled with advertising through magazine and support groups

122 normal adults opportunity sampled from educational classes and public libraries around Cambridge and Exeter

53 male, 50 female randomly sampled from Cambridge University; assumed to be highly intelligent, with 71 majoring in science

14 adults with matched IQs to Group, randomly selected from general population

All pictures will be in black and white and only of the eye region of the face, taken from magazines

Each card will have 4 words placed in the corners of the card, with each word based on how the person is thinking/feeling as it relates to their eye region

Words on the card will be selected by two of the authors to eliminate bias

Eight judges will review all 40 cards, 5 out of the 8 judges must agree to use the word choices in order for them to stay on the card

No more than 2 out of 8 judges could pick the same wrong word on the card for the card to stay

50% or more of the people from Groups 2 and 3 had to select the correct word of a card or it would be thrown out

All participants in all groups will complete the revised eye test in a quiet room by themselves. Group 1 will be asked to identify the gender of the person on each card

Groups 1, 3 and 4 will take the AQ test, all participants are asked to go through the glossary and they will have access to it throughout the test

The mean scores for the eyes test were 21.9 (Group 1), 26.2 (Group 2), 28 (Group 3), and 30.9 (Group 4)

The mean scores of the AQ test were 34.4 (Group 1), 18.3 (Group 3) and 18.9 (Group 4)

Females in both Groups 2 and 3 scored insignificantly higher on the eyes test

Males in Group 3 scored insignificantly higher on the AQ test

There was a -0.53 correlation between the eyes and AQ tests

The lowest score on the eyes test was 17, the highest was 35, and the mode was 25

All aims and hypotheses were supported

Since the data fits into a normal curve, the modifications of the 2001 test improved upon the 1997 test

The revised test was able to replicate the findings of the 1997 test and was able to identify significant impairment in the AS/HFA group

This test is now validated in identifying adults with AS/HFA

Informed consent was obtained without use of deception. Confidentiality was maintained. Baron-Cohen doesn’t state that protection from harm was violated, it can be argued that participants may have been stressed by their scores

The procedure is standardized, allowing for easy replication

The experiment being in a laboratory makes it highly controlled

The use of matched pairs controls for intelligence as a participant variable

The use of the AQ test is a reliable and valid measure against the eyes test

The glossary allowed minimization of blind guessing and allowed participants to comprehend word choices

The numerous validity checks on the eyes test gave it high construct validity

The pictures are in black and white, non-diverse, static, and only of the eye region, making the task lack mundane realism

The experiment was in a laboratory, lowering ecological validity

Only a simple majority was needed to approve word choices for the eyes test

The correlation between the tests does not prove causation

Despite the use of the glossary, participants might not have understood words

There is a still a 25% of participants guessing correctly

• to creating therapies for improving social communication and social emotional skills

• to schools for providing extra support in understanding emotions and reading faces