Is the role of facial mimicry in emotion recognition influenced by differing levels of autistic traits?
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1
Monash University, Faculty of Education, Australia
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2
Monash Alfred Psychiatric Research Centre, Australia
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3
Monash University, Krongold Centre, Faculty of Education, Australia
Background
Facial emotion processing is important for social understanding. Recognition of emotion is facilitated by facial mimicry, attributed to the mirror neuron system. Blocking mimicry impairs the ability to accurately recognise emotion in neurotypical individuals, resulting in difficulties akin to those seen in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study sought to investigate the extent to which individuals with differing levels of autistic traits rely on facial mimicry to recognise emotion.
Method
50 healthy adult females aged 19 to 60 completed the Adult Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) and a Facial Emotion Recognition Task, comprising facial images displaying fear, surprise, and morphed expressions of fear and surprise. Participants completed the facial emotion task while mimicry was blocked or not blocked. To block mimicry participants bit down on five tongue depressors, a technique used to disrupt the production of meaningful muscle signals thought to facilitate facial mimicry.
Results
Results indicated a significant interaction between condition (blocking vs. non-blocking) and emotion, p=.019. Further analysis found a significant difference between blocking and control conditions for the morphed fear expression, p=.015, with participants with high autistic traits demonstrating poorer accuracy of recognition of morphed fear when mimicry was blocked. No significant results were identified for low or medium autistic traits.
Discussion
While there is evidence for reduced facial mimicry in ASD, these findings suggest that individuals with high (but sub-clinical) levels of autistic traits do rely on mimetic processes. Impaired emotion recognition when mimicry was disrupted might indicate that the mirror neuron system is more vulnerable to disruption in these individuals. Those with lower level of autistic traits may not rely on mimetic processes to the extent previously thought, and may in fact engage alternate strategies to supplement mimetic processes in the recognition of facial emotion.
Keywords:
mimicry,
autism,
emotion recognition,
Empathy,
Facial mimicry
Conference:
ACNS-2013 Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Society Conference, Clayton, Melbourne, Australia, 28 Nov - 1 Dec, 2013.
Presentation Type:
Oral
Topic:
Emotion and Social
Citation:
Caulfield
HA,
Anderson
A and
Enticott
PG
(2013). Is the role of facial mimicry in emotion recognition influenced by differing levels of autistic traits?.
Conference Abstract:
ACNS-2013 Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Society Conference.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2013.212.00127
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Received:
15 Oct 2013;
Published Online:
25 Nov 2013.
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Correspondence:
Miss. Hayley A Caulfield, Monash University, Faculty of Education, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia, hacau1@student.monash.edu.au