Accession Number:

ADA566833

Title:

Receptive Vocabulary Knowledge in Low-Functioning Autism as Assessed by Eye Movements, Pupillary Dilation, and Event-Related Potentials

Descriptive Note:

Annual rept. 1 Jun 2011-31 May 2012

Corporate Author:

JOHNS HOPKINS UNIV BALTIMORE MD

Personal Author(s):

• Gordon, Barry
• Ledoux, Kerry

Report Date:

2012-06-01

Pagination or Media Count:

21.0

Abstract:

We have been testing the hypothesis that relatively implicit measures of cognitive processing eye movements, pupillary dilation monitoring, and the N400 component of event-related potentials will prove sensitive to receptive vocabulary knowledge, even in the absence of more traditional behavioral responses. We have sought to first demonstrate the use of these measures in three populations in whom behavioral responses are expected to be reliable normal adults, normally developing children, and higher-functioning individuals with autism. In all three groups, the implicit measures differentiated known from unknown words eye movements were faster to a named picture for known words pupillary dilation from baseline was greater in the unknown condition and an N400 congruency effect was observed for known but not unknown words. Our results also suggest that these measures similarly differentiate known from unknown words in lower-functioning individuals with autism, even in the absence of a behavioral response. These results suggest that these measures may be used as valid measures of comprehension, even in nonverbal, non-responding individuals.

Descriptors:

• *MENTAL DISORDERS
• ADULTS
• BEHAVIOR
• CHILDREN
• COGNITION
• EYE MOVEMENTS
• RESPONSE(BIOLOGY)
• VOCABULARY
• WORDS(LANGUAGE)

Subject Categories:

• Anatomy and Physiology
• Medicine and Medical Research

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE