Is Social Categorization the Missing Link Between Weak Central Coherence and Mental State Inference Abilities in Autism? Preliminary Evidence from a General Population Sample.
We explore the relationship between the 'theory of mind' (ToM) and 'central coherence' difficulties of autism. We introduce covariation between hierarchically-embedded categories and social information--at the local level, the global level, or at both levels simultaneously--within a category confusion task. We then ask participants to infer the mental state of novel category members, and measure participants' autism-spectrum quotient (AQ). Results reveal a positive relationship between AQ and the degree of local/global social categorization, which in turn predicts the pattern of mental state inferences. These results provide preliminary evidence for a causal relationship between central coherence and ToM abilities. Implications with regard to ToM processes, social categorization, intervention, and the development of a unified account of autism are discussed.
['Skorich|Daniel P|DP|', 'May|Adrienne R|AR|', 'Talipski|Louisa A|LA|', 'Hall|Marnie H|MH|', 'Dolstra|Anita J|AJ|', 'Gash|Tahlia B|TB|', 'Gunningham|Beth H|BH|']
D000293:Adolescent D000328:Adult D000368:Aged D001321:Autistic Disorder D005260:Female D006801:Humans D008297:Male D008875:Middle Aged D060685:Sense of Coherence D056345:Theory of Mind D013850:Thinking D055815:Young Adult
Social categorization Categorization Weak central coherence Autism Theory of mind Self-categorization