The Effect of Verbalization on the Face Perception of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Minje Kim Graduate Program in Psychology The Ohio State University 2019 Thesis Committee Marc J. Tassé, Ph.D., Advisor Luc Lecavalier, Ph.D. Susan Havercamp, Ph.D. 1 Copyrighted by Minje Kim 2019 2 Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine whether giving verbal description of the face can enhance the face recognition ability of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Participants in the current study were 18 individuals with ASD and 18 typically developing individuals (TD) with their full-scale IQ and age matched. The computerized experiment, which consisted of three experimental conditions, was conducted. Participants were exposed to three experimental conditions for a minute in a counterbalance order: 1) verbalization: giving verbal descriptions of the target faces 2) Navon: reporting global letters of the Navon stimuli 3) control: watching the video clip of a man riding a snowboard. The results showed a significant interaction effect between groups and conditions. Further analysis revealed that individuals with ASD reported higher accuracy in discriminating targets in the verbalization and Navon conditions than in the control condition. This result suggests that the face recognition ability of the individuals with ASD can be enhanced via verbal description of the face. Clinical implication and limitation of the study are further discussed. ii Vita 2014 …………………………… B.A. Psychology, B.A. Business Administration, Korea University 2016 …………………………… M.A. Clinical Psychology, Yonsei University 2017 to Present ……………… Doctoral Program in Intellectual and Developmental Disability, The Ohio State University Publications Chung, K. M., Kim, M., Koo, Y. Y., Ko, C. K., Kim, D. H., & Kim, S. J. (2016) Effects of Intensive and House Tutoring on Math Grade of College Students. Journal of Research in Curriculum & Instruction, 20(6), 459-469. Kim, M., & Chung, K. M. (2016). A Review of Behavior Interventions for Joint Attention in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Korean Journal of Clinical Psychology, 35(2), 557-583. Fields of Study Major Field: Psychology iii Acknowledgements This thesis was completed as the graduation requirement of graduate program in psychology in Yonsei University, South Korea, with the advisor, Kyong-mee, Chung, Ph.D. iv Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Vita ..................................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ iv Table of Contents ................................................................................................................ v List of Tables .................................................................................................................... vii List of Figures .................................................................................................................. viii Chapter 1. Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1 Social cognition .............................................................................................................. 1 Face perception ............................................................................................................... 2 Weak central coherence model ....................................................................................... 3 Strategies for enhancing face recognition: Navon letters ............................................... 4 Strategies for enhancing face recognition: Verbalization ............................................... 4 Research Questions ......................................................................................................... 5 Chapter 2. Method .............................................................................................................. 6 2.1 Participants ................................................................................................................ 6 2.2 Measurements ........................................................................................................... 7 2.2.1 Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2; ADOS-2...................................... 7 2.2.2 Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised; ADI-R .................................................. 7 2.2.3 Korean-Wechsler Intelligence Scale – IV.......................................................... 8 2.2.4 General Health Questionnaire ............................................................................ 8 2.3 Materials and Apparatus ........................................................................................... 8 2.3.1 Apparatus ........................................................................................................... 8 2.3.2 Stimuli ................................................................................................................ 9 2.4 Design and Procedure ............................................................................................. 10 2.4.1. Experimental Design ....................................................................................... 10 v 2.4.2. Experimental Procedure .................................................................................. 10 2.5. Data Analysis ......................................................................................................... 12 Chapter 3. Results ............................................................................................................ 13 3.1. Analysis of Mean Accuracy ................................................................................... 13 3.2. Analysis of Mean Reaction Time .......................................................................... 13 Chapter 4. Discussion ....................................................................................................... 14 Bibliography ..................................................................................................................... 28 vi List of Tables Table 1. Demographic Characteristics of Participants ...................................................... 20 Table 2. Comparison of Demographic Characteristics ..................................................... 20 Table 3. Interaction Effect and Post-hoc Analysis on Mean Accuracy of the Face Recognition Task .............................................................................................................. 21 Table 4. Repeated measures ANOVA on Mean Accuracy of Face Recognition Task. .... 21 Table 5. Interaction Effect and Post-hoc Analysis Mean Reaction Time on the Face Recognition Task .............................................................................................................. 22 Table 6. Repeated measures ANOVA on Mean Reaction Time of Face Recognition Task ........................................................................................................................................... 22 vii List of Figures Figure 1. Recruiting Procedure ......................................................................................... 23 Figure 2. Example of Face Stimuli ................................................................................... 24 Figure 3. Example of Navon Stimuli ................................................................................ 24 Figure 4. Example of Control Stimuli............................................................................... 24 Figure 5. Experimental Procedure .................................................................................... 25 Figure 6. Repeated measures ANOVA on Mean Accuracy of the Face Recognition Task ........................................................................................................................................... 26 Figure 7. Repeated measures ANOVA for Mean Reaction Time of the Face Recognition Task ................................................................................................................................... 27 viii Chapter 1. Introduction Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in social interaction and communication, along with the presence of restricted and repetitive behaviors and limited interests (DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Deficits in social interaction and communication include trouble with understanding and communicating appropriately in a variety of social contexts (Landry & Loveland, 1989), difficulties in communicating via conventional nonverbal cues (Mundy, Sigman, Ungerer, & Sherman, 1986), and lack of social-emotional reciprocity (McIntosh, Reichmann-Decker, Winkielman, & Wilbarger, 2006) (DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Social cognition Social cognition, defined as a mental process involving perceiving, remembering, and understanding people in a social context (Brothers, 1990; Moskowitz, 2005), has gained attention from researchers as a main mechanism for deficits in social interaction and communication in the ASD group (Adolphs, Sears, & Piven,