Atypical social modulation of imitation in autism spectrum conditions.
High-functioning adults with autism copy actions fine, but friendly social cues do not increase their imitation like they do for typical adults.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Goodwin et al. (2012) asked adults with high-functioning autism to copy hand moves.
First they saw either a friendly face or a plain shape. Then they copied the moves.
Typical adults copy more after seeing a friendly face. The test checked if autism changed that boost.
What they found
Adults with autism copied the moves the same amount no matter what they saw first.
Controls copied more after the friendly face. Social context did not nudge imitation in autism.
How this fits with other research
Crippa et al. (2013) got the same result with kids. Emotional faces did not boost their copying either.
Diemer et al. (2023) shows the problem is not in watching the move. Autistic adults encoded the motion fine. The hitch comes later, when social cues should tune the output.
Treffert (2014) meta-analysis says big imitation gaps appear only when you score both form and end-point. Pure end-point copying looks normal. Together the papers say: basic copying can look okay, but social tuning is still missing.
Why it matters
When you run social skills groups, do not assume clients will naturally mimic your model more because you smile first. You may need extra prompts, extra reps, or direct reinforcement to get the imitation you want. Check form, not just completion.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Appropriate modulation of imitation according to social context is important for successful social interaction. In the present study we subliminally primed high-functioning adults with ASC and age- and IQ-matched controls with either a pro- or non- social attitude. Following priming, an automatic imitation paradigm was used to acquire an index of imitation. Whereas imitation levels were higher for pro-socially primed relative to non-socially primed control participants, there was no difference between pro- and non- socially primed individuals with ASC. We conclude that high-functioning adults with ASC demonstrate atypical social modulation of imitation. Given the importance of imitation in social interaction we speculate that difficulties with the modulation of imitation may contribute to the social problems characteristic of ASC.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2012 · doi:10.1016/S0149-7634(01)00014-8