Cite as:
Wallace S, Bailey A, Coleman M, 2001, "Different strategies at detecting direction of eye gaze: comparing individuals with autism or Asperger's syndrome to IQ-matched controls" Perception 30 ECVP Abstract Supplement

Different strategies at detecting direction of eye gaze: comparing individuals with autism or Asperger's syndrome to IQ-matched controls

S Wallace, A Bailey, M Coleman

Baron-Cohen [1995 Mindblindness: An Essay on Autism and Theory of Mind (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press)] has argued that the detection of eye gaze is triggered by an innate, reflexive mechanism. He proposed a modular eye-direction detector (EDD) system. The purpose of this experiment was to test the ability of individuals with autism and Asperger's syndrome (AS), compared to a matched control sample, at detecting gaze direction. Stimuli consisted of whole faces, the eye region, and pairs of arrows. Participants responded according to the direction the eyes were looking or the arrows were pointing (right, left, straight ahead). Stimuli were presented for 40, 70, or 100 ms. Overall, the clinical group were significantly less accurate compared to the control group at detecting direction of eye gaze, while no such group differences were found when judging the direction of arrows. When the two face conditions were analysed in more detail, significant group differences remained for the whole face but not for the eyes-alone condition. The current study presents evidence that individuals with autism and AS may use different strategies, compared to a control sample, when judging direction of eye gaze.

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