Cognitive control of intentions for voluntary actions in individuals with a high level of autistic traits

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders

Volumn 42, Issue 12, 2012, Pages 2523-2533

  Poljac, Edita ^a   Poljac, Ervin ^b,c   Yeung, Nick ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD   (United Kingdom)

^b UNIVERSITY OF LEUVEN   (Belgium)

^c INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SARAJEVO   (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Author keywords

Autism; Autism Spectrum Quotient; Cognitive control; Perseveration; Repetitive behavior; Voluntary task switching

Indexed keywords

ARTICLE; ASPERGER SYNDROME; AUTISM; COGNITION; COGNITIVE DEFECT; COMPULSION; CONTROLLED STUDY; EXECUTIVE FUNCTION; FEMALE; HUMAN; HUMAN EXPERIMENT; MALE; NORMAL HUMAN; PHENOTYPE; PRIORITY JOURNAL; RESPONSE TIME; STIMULUS; TASK PERFORMANCE; ADULT; BEHAVIOR; DECISION MAKING; MOTIVATION; NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL TEST; PHYSIOLOGY; PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECT; PSYCHOMOTOR PERFORMANCE; QUESTIONNAIRE;

ADULT; AUTISTIC DISORDER; CHOICE BEHAVIOR; COGNITION; FEMALE; GOALS; HUMANS; INTENTION; MALE; NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS; PSYCHOMOTOR PERFORMANCE; QUESTIONNAIRES;

EID: 84876496650     PISSN: 01623257     EISSN: 15733432     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1007/s10803-012-1509-9     Document Type: Article

References (61)

1. Allport, D. A.; Styles, E. A.; Hsieh, S. (1994). Shifting intentional set: Exploring the dynamic control of tasks. In C. Umilta & M. Moscovitch (Eds.), Attention and performance XV (pp. 421-452). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
2. American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.
3. Aron, A. R.; Monsell, S.; Sahakian, B. J.; Robbins, T. W. (2004). A componential analysis of task-switching deficits associated with lesions of left and right frontal cortex. Brain, 127, 1561-1573.
4. Arrington, C. M. (2008). The effect of stimulus availability on task choice in voluntary task switching. Memory and Cognition, 36, 991-997.
5. Arrington, C. M.; Logan, G. D. (2004). The cost of a voluntary task switch. Psychological Science, 15, 610-615.
6. Arrington, C. M.; Logan, G. D. (2005). Voluntary task switching: chasing the elusive homunculus. Journal of Experimental Psychology. Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 31, 683-702.
7. Arrington, C. M.; Yates, M. M. (2009). The role of attentional networks in voluntary task switching. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 16, 660-665.
8. Auyeung, B.; Baron-Cohen, S.; Ashwin, E.; Knickmeyer, R.; Taylor, K.; Hackett, G. (2009). Fetal testosterone and autistic traits. British Journal of Psychology, 100, 1-22.
9. Baron-Cohen, S.; Wheelwright, S.; Skinner, R.; Martin, J.; Clubley, E. (2001). The Autism- Spectrum Quotient (AQ): Evidence from Asperger syndrome/high- functioning autism, males and females, scientists and mathematicians. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 31, 5-17.
10. Bayliss, A. P.; di Pellegrino, G.; Tipper, S. P. (2005). Sex Differences in Eye Gaze and Symbolic Cueing of Attention. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 58, 631-650.
11. Bishop, D. V. M.; Maybery, M.; Maley, A.; Wong, D.; Hill, W.; Hallmayer, J. (2004). Using self-report to identify the broad phenotype in parents of children with autistic spectrum disorders: A study using the Autism-Spectrum Quotient. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 45, 1431-1436.
12. Boucher, J. (1988). Word fluency in high-functioning autistic children. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 18, 637-645.
13. Bowler, D. M.; Matthews, N. J.; Gardiner, J. M. (1997). Asperger's syndrome and memory: Similarity to autism but not amnesia. Neuropsychologia, 35, 65-70.
14. Butler, K. M.; Arrington, C. M.; Weywadt, C. (2011). Working memory capacity modulates task performance but has little influence on task choice. Memory & Cognition, 39, 708-724.
15. Craig, J.; Baron-Cohen, S. (1999). Creativity and imagination in autism and Asperger syndrome. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 29, 319-326.
16. Fugard, A. J. B.; Stewart, M. E.; Stenning, K. (2011). Visual/verbal-analytic reasoning bias as a function of self-reported autistic-like traits: A study of typically developing individuals solving Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices. Autism, 15, 327-340.
17. Gaigg, S. B.; Gardiner, J. M.; Bowler, D. M. (2008). Free recall in autism spectrum disorder: The role of relational and item-specific encoding. Neuropsychologia, 46, 983-992.
18. Geurts, H. M.; Corbett, B.; Solomon, M. (2009). The paradox of cognitive flexibility in autism. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 13, 74-82.
19. Geurts, H. M.; Verté, S.; Oosterlaan, J.; Roeyers, H.; Sergeant, J. A. (2004). How specific are executive functioning deficits in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and autism? Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 45, 836-854.
20. Gilbert, S. J.; Shallice, T. (2002). Task switching: A PDP model. Cognitive Psychology, 44, 297-337.
21. Grinter, E. J.; Van Beek, P. L.; Maybery, M. T.; Badcock, D. R. (2009). Brief report: Visuospatial analysis and self-rated autistic-like traits. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 39, 670-677.
22. Hill, E. L. (2004a). Evaluating the theory of executive dysfunction in autism. Developmental Review, 24, 189-233.
23. Hill, E. L. (2004b). Executive dysfunction in autism. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 8, 26-32.
24. Hoekstra, R. A.; Bartels, M.; Cath, D. C.; Boomsma, D. I. (2008). Factor structure, reliability and criterion validity of the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ): A study in Dutch population and patient groups. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 38, 1555-1566.
25. Hoekstra, R. A.; Bartels, M.; Verweij, C. J. H.; Boomsma, D. I. (2007). Heritability of autistic traits in the general population. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 161, 372-377.
26. Kiesel, A.; Steinhauser, M.; Wendt, M.; Falkenstein, M.; Jost, K.; Philipp, A. M.; et al. (2010). Control and interference in task switching-a review. Psychological Bulletin, 136, 849-874.
27. Koch, I.; Gade, M.; Schuch, S.; Philipp, A. M. (2010). The role of inhibition in task switching: A review. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 17, 1-14.
28. Lai, M. C.; Lombardo, M. V.; Pasco G.; Ruigrok, A. N.; Wheelwright S. J.; Sadek S. A. et al. (2011). A behavioral comparison of male and female adults with high functioning autism spectrum conditions. PLoS One, 6, e20835, 1-10.
29. Lam, K. L.; Bodfish, J. W.; Piven, J. (2008). Evidence for three subtypes of repetitive behavior in autism that differ in familiality and association with other symptoms. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 49, 1193-2000.
30. Langen, M.; Leemans, A.; Johnston, P.; Ecker, C.; Daly, E.; Murphy, C. M.; et al. (2011). Frontostriatal circuitry and inhibitory control in autism: Findings from diffusion tensor imaging tractography. Cortex, 48, 183-193.
31. Lawson, J. (2003). Depth accessibility difficulties: An alternative conceptualisation of autism spectrum conditions. Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, 33, 189-202.
32. Lawson, J.; Baron-Cohen, S.; Wheelwright, S. (2004). Empathising and Systemising in adults with and without autism spectrum conditions. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 34, 301-310.
33. Liefooghe, B.; Demanet, J.; Vandierendonck, A. (2010). Persisting activation in voluntary task switching: It all depends on the instructions. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 17, 381-386.
34. Lien, M. C.; Ruthruff, E. (2008). Inhibition of task set: Converging evidence from task choice in the voluntary task-switching paradigm. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 15, 1111-1116.
35. Liss, M.; Fein, D.; Allen, D.; Dunn, M.; Feinstein, C.; Morris, R.; et al. (2001). Executive functioning in high-functioning children with autism. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 42, 261-270.
36. Mayr, U.; Bell, T. (2006). On how to be unpredictable: Evidence from the voluntary task-switching paradigm. Psychological Science, 17, 774-780.
37. Millington, R. S.; Poljac, E.; Yeung, N. (2012). Between-task competition for intentions and actions. Manuscript in preparation.
38. Orr, J. M.; Weissman, D. H. (2011). Succumbing to bottom-up biases on task choice predicts increased switch costs in the voluntary task switching paradigm. Frontiers in Psychology, 2, 31.
39. Ozonoff, S.; Jensen, J. (1999). Brief report: Specific executive function profiles in three neurodevelopmental disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 29, 171-177.
40. Poljac, E.; Poljac, E.; Wagemans, J. (2012). Reduced accuracy and sensitivity in the perception of emotional facial expressions in individuals with high Autism-spectrum Quotient (AQ). Manuscript in preparation.
41. Poljac, E.; Simon, S.; Ringlever, L.; Kalcik, D.; Groen, W. B.; Buitelaar, J. K.; et al. (2010). Impaired task switching performance in children with dyslexia but not in children with autism. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 63, 401-416.
42. Poljac, E.; Yeung, N.; (2012). Between-task interference modulates our intentions for voluntary action. Manuscript in preparation.
43. Ponnet, K.; Roeyers, H.; Buysse, A. (2001). Het Autismespectrum Quotient [The Autism-spectrum quotient]. Unpublished translation. Department of Psychology. Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
44. Preissler, M. A.; Carey, S. (2005). The role of inferences about referential intent in word learning: Evidence from autism. Cognition, 97, B13-B23.
45. Ridley, N. J.; Homewood, J.; Walters, J. (2011). Cerebellar dysfunction, cognitive flexibility and autistic traits in a non-clinical sample. Autism, 15, 728-745.
46. Sakai, K. (2008). Task set and prefrontal cortex. Annual Review of Neuroscience, 31, 219-245.
47. Schmitz, N.; Rubia, K.; Daly, E.; Smith, A.; Williams, S.; Murphy, D. (2006). Neural correlates of executive function in autistic spectrum disorders. Biological Psychiatry, 59, 7-16.
48. Shafritz, K. M.; Dichter, G. S.; Baranek, G. T.; Belger, A. (2008). The neural circuitry mediating shifts in behavioral response and cognitive set in autism. Biological Psychiatry, 63, 974-980.
49. Smith, B. J.; Gardiner, J. M.; Bowler, D. M. (2007). Deficits in free recall persist in Asperger's syndrome despite training in the use of list-appropriate learning strategies. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 37, 445-454.
50. Stahl, L.; Pry, R. (2002). Joint attention and set-shifting in young children with autism. Autism, 6, 383-396.
51. Stewart, M. E.; Ota, M. (2008). Lexical effects on speech perception in individuals with ''autistic" traits. Cognition, 109, 157-162.
52. Stewart, M. E.; Watson, J.; Allcock, A. J.; Yaqoob, T. (2009). Autistic traits predict performance on the block design. Autism, 13, 133-142.
53. Turner, M. (1999). Generating novel ideas: Fluency performance in high-functioning and learning disabled individuals with autism. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 40, 189-201.
54. Vandierendonck, A.; Liefooghe, B.; Verbruggen, F. (2010). Task switching: Interplay of reconfiguration and interference control. Psychological Bulletin, 136, 601-626.
55. von dem Hagen, E. A. H.; Nummenmaa, L.; Yu, R.; Engell, A. D.; Ewbank, M. P.; Calder, A. J. (2011). Autism Spectrum traits in the typical population predict structure and function in the posterior superior temporal sulcus. Cerebral Cortex, 21, 493-500.
56. Wheelwright, S.; Auyeung, B.; Allison, C.; Baron-Cohen, S. (2010). Defining the broader, medium and narrow autism phenotype among parents using the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ). Molecular Autism, 1, 10.
57. Whitehouse, A. J. O.; Maybery, M. T.; Durkin, K. (2006). Inner speech impairments in autism. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 47, 857-865.
58. Wouters, S. G. M.; Spek, A. A. (2011). The use of the Autism-spectrum Quotient in differentiating high-functioning adults with autism, adults with schizophrenia and a neurotypical adult control group. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 5, 1169-1175.
59. Yeung, N. (2010). Bottom-up influences on voluntary task switching: The elusive homunculus escapes. Journal of Experimental Psychology. Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 36, 348-362.
60. Yeung, N.; Monsell, S. (2003). Switching between tasks of unequal familiarity: The role of stimulus-attribute and response-set selection. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 29, 455-469.
61. Zinke, K.; Fries, E.; Altgassen, M.; Kirschbaum, C.; Dettenborn, L.; Kliegel, M. (2010). Visuospatial short-term memory explains deficits in tower task planning in high-functioning children with autism spectrum disorder. Child Neuropsychology, 16, 229-241.