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Free keywords:
joint attention, spontaneous facial mimicry, empathy, gaze-based social interaction, autism
Abstract:
Joint attention (JA) and spontaneous facial mimicry (SFM) are
fundamental processes in social interactions, and they are closely
related to empathic abilities. When tested independently, both of these
processes have been usually observed to be atypical in individuals with
autism spectrum conditions (ASC). However, it is not known how these
processes interact with each other in relation to autistic traits. This
study addresses this question by testing the impact of JA on SFM of
happy faces using a truly interactive paradigm. Sixty-two neurotypical
participants engaged in gaze-based social interaction with an
anthropomorphic, gaze-contingent virtual agent. The agent either
established JA by initiating eye contact or looked away, before looking
at an object and expressing happiness or disgust. Eye tracking was used
to make the agent's gaze behavior and facial actions contingent to the
participants' gaze. SFM of happy expressions was measured by
Electromyography (EMG) recording over the Zygomaticus Major muscle.
Results showed that JA augments SFM in individuals with low compared
with high autistic traits. These findings are in line with reports of
reduced impact of JA on action imitation in individuals with ASC.
Moreover, they suggest that investigating atypical interactions between
empathic processes, instead of testing these processes individually,
might be crucial to understanding the nature of social deficits in
autism. (C) 2015 The Authors Autism Research published by Wiley
Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Society for Autism Research
