Abstract
This preliminary study examined persons with autism’s perspective taking abilities. Participants were 28 persons with autism and 27 controls. Among the persons with autism, 15 presented the Asperger Syndrome that was described in the DSM4. Scenarios in which persons were about to buy a piece of clothing were presented to participants who assessed the extent to which these persons were going to buy it as a function of suitability and price (situational factors), and what is known about their purchasing habits (the personality factor). In the same way as controls, participants with autism were able to integrate personality information into their judgments. However, only participants presenting the Asperger Syndrome described in the DSM4 were, in the same way as controls, able to vary, as a function of personality information, the importance given to situational factors during the judgment process.
Highlights
This preliminary study examined persons with autism’s perspective taking abilities
No significant difference was found between the three groups regarding the way they used the judgment scale
Consistent with Rogé and Mullet’s (2011) findings, all participants understood the task at hand
Summary
Adults aged 17 to 34 years and 27 persons of about the same chronological age without autism. The material was composed of 12 scenarios describing a situation in which a person was shopping for a piece of clothing Each of these scenarios contained three pieces of information: (a) the suitability of this piece of clothing (does not suit the person very well vs suits the person very well), (b) the price of the piece of clothing under consideration (high, average or low), and (c) this person’s purchasing habits (extravagant vs thrifty consumer). The salesperson proposes a shirt which color is not of the kind that suits David very much. Do you think that David is going to buy this shirt?” Responses were given on a continuous 0-10 response scale ranging from “Sure that he will not buy it” to “Sure that he will buy it”. (The complete set of scenarios is available from the authors.)
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