ERIC Number: EJ984967
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012-Dec
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
Reference Count: 61
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0162-3257
Cognitive Control of Intentions for Voluntary Actions in Individuals with a High Level of Autistic Traits
Poljac, Edita; Poljac, Ervin; Yeung, Nick
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, v42 n12 p2523-2533 Dec 2012
Impairments in cognitive control generating deviant adaptive cognition have been proposed to account for the strong preference for repetitive behavior in autism. We examined if this preference reflects intentional deficits rather than problems in task execution in the broader autism phenotype using the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ). Participants chose between two tasks differing in their relative strength by indicating first their voluntary task choice and then responding to the subsequently presented stimulus. We observed a stronger repetition bias for the harder task in high AQ participants, with no other differences between the two groups. These findings indicate that the interference between competing tasks significantly contributes to repetitive behavior in autism by modulating the formation of task intentions when choosing tasks voluntarily. (Contains 2 figures and 2 tables.)
Descriptors: Autism, Behavior Patterns, Symptoms (Individual Disorders), Cognitive Processes, Cognitive Ability, Behavior Disorders, Intention, Pervasive Developmental Disorders, Bias, Difficulty Level
Springer. 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-348-4505; e-mail: service-ny@springer.com; Web site: http://www.springerlink.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers: N/A

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