Rohde, MS;
Georgescu, AL;
Vogeley, K;
Fimmers, R;
Falter-Wagner, CM;
(2018)
Absence of sex differences in mental rotation performance in autism spectrum disorder.
Autism
, 22
(7)
pp. 855-865.
10.1177/1362361317714991.
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Abstract
Mental rotation is one of the most investigated cognitive functions showing consistent sex differences. The ‘Extreme Male Brain’ hypothesis attributes the cognitive profile of individuals with autism spectrum disorder to an extreme version of the male cognitive profile. Previous investigations focused almost exclusively on males with autism spectrum disorder with only limited implications for affected females. This study is the first testing a sample of 12 female adults with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder compared to 14 males with autism spectrum disorder, 12 typically developing females and 14 typically developing males employing a computerised version of the mental rotation test. Reaction time and accuracy served as dependent variables. Their linear relationship with degree of rotation allows separation of rotational aspects of the task, indicated by slopes of the psychometric function, and non-rotational aspects, indicated by intercepts of the psychometric function. While the typical and expected sex difference for rotational task aspects was corroborated in typically developing individuals, no comparable sex difference was found in autism spectrum disorder individuals. Autism spectrum disorder and typically developing individuals did not differ in mental rotation performance. This finding does not support the extreme male brain hypothesis of autism.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Absence of sex differences in mental rotation performance in autism spectrum disorder |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1177/1362361317714991 |
| Publisher version: | http://doi.org/10.1177/1362361317714991 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. |
| Keywords: | adults, autism spectrum disorders, extreme male brain, mental rotation, sex differences, visuo-spatia |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10042420 |
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