Difficulties with multi-sensory fear conditioning in individuals with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract

BackgroundClassical conditioning represents a fundamental aspect of learning, allowing us to infer relationships between coinciding events in our environment. However, recent evidence has suggested this fundamental form of learning may be compromised in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The present study utilized galvanic skin responses to examine classical conditioning in individuals with ASD across sensory modalities. MethodFifteen individuals diagnosed with ASD and 16 age-, gender-, and IQ-matched individuals with typical development participated in this study. Using a differential fear conditioning paradigm, participants were presented with a series of colors and sounds. A subset of these colors and sounds was paired with an aversive loud noise. Learning the contingency between the color and/or sound and the aversive noise was measured by changes in skin conductance. Following this task, an explicit-knowledge test probed participant’s awareness of these contingencies. ResultsResults indicated that individuals with ASD had a general impairment in fear conditioning compared to individuals with typical development. Additionally, participants with ASD who showed greater explicit awareness of the contingencies showed conditioned responses more similar to participants with typical development. ConclusionsImplications for theories of the neurobiological mechanisms associated with learning and social impairments in ASD are discussed.