First Advisor
David Beversdorf
Date of Award
6-16-2021
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Biology and University Honors
Department
Biology
Language
English
Subjects
Spatial ability, Visual perception, Attention, Autistic people, Autism spectrum disorders
DOI
10.15760/honors.1115
Abstract
Objective: We investigated visuospatial processing in individuals with autism using bisection and quadrisection tasks to evaluate the presence of a possible downward vertical spatial bias that could provide insights into the preference for attending to the mouth in ASD populations.
Methods: Twenty participants with ASD and 20 age, IQ, and sex-matched control participants were recruited (ages 6-23). Participants were asked to bisect, quadrisect from the top, and quadrisect from the bottom vertical lines placed in their left, center, and right visual spaces. Distance from the true midpoint and quadripoint were calculated and compared between the two groups.
Results: No significant difference was found between the ASD and control groups for vertical line bisections or bottom quadrisections. However, ASD participants had a greater deviation above the true top quadripoint than control participants for top quadrisections (t(37)=1.74, p=0.045).
Conclusion: Our results indicate that there is no downward spatial bias in ASD populations, and thus attentional biases are likely not contributing to the mouth preference exhibited by individuals with ASD. Rather, for the top quadrisections there is an upward bias in the ASD group. This may be due to the more local attentional demands of the quadrisection task but needs further investigation.
Rights
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Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/35763
Recommended Citation
Steigerwald, Alisha, "Where to Draw the Line: Evaluating Visuospatial and Attentional Processing in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders" (2021). University Honors Theses. Paper 1088.
https://doi.org/10.15760/honors.1115
Included in
Cognition and Perception Commons, Cognitive Neuroscience Commons, Other Psychiatry and Psychology Commons
Comments
An undergraduate honors thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Science in University Honors and Biology & Public Health Studies: Pre-Clinical Health Science.