Adults with autism show increased sensitivity to outcomes at low error rates during decision-making

J Autism Dev Disord. 2007 Aug;37(7):1279-88. doi: 10.1007/s10803-006-0278-8. Epub 2006 Nov 1.

Abstract

Decision-making is an important function that can be quantified using a two-choice prediction task. Individuals with Autistic Disorder (AD) often show highly restricted and repetitive behavior that may interfere with adaptive decision-making. We assessed whether AD adults showed repetitive behavior on the choice task that was unaffected by changing task demands, by examining the influence of experimenter-determined error rates on decision-making. Sixteen AD adults and 14 typically developed subjects were administered a two-choice task using three error rate conditions. Although AD subjects showed occurrences of stereotyped responding, their decision-making behavior was strongly affected by changes in task demands, especially when they experienced frequent success. Thus, behavioral paradigms that provide frequent reinforcement may be helpful in modifying decision-making abilities in AD.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Autistic Disorder / epidemiology*
  • Cognition Disorders / diagnosis
  • Cognition Disorders / epidemiology*
  • Decision Making*
  • Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Motivation
  • Sex Factors
  • Wechsler Scales