UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

When the world becomes 'too real': A Bayesian explanation of autistic perception

Pellicano, L; Burr, D; (2012) When the world becomes 'too real': A Bayesian explanation of autistic perception. Trends in Cognitive Sciences , 16 (10) pp. 504-510. 10.1016/j.tics.2012.08.009. Green open access

[thumbnail of Pellicano_TiCS_autism_final accepted.pdf]
Preview
Text
Pellicano_TiCS_autism_final accepted.pdf

Download (717kB) | Preview

Abstract

Perceptual experience is influenced both by incoming sensory information and prior knowledge about the world, a concept recently formalised within Bayesian decision theory. We propose that Bayesian models can be applied to autism – a neurodevelopmental condition with atypicalities in sensation and perception – to pinpoint fundamental differences in perceptual mechanisms. We suggest specifically that attenuated Bayesian priors – ‘hypo-priors’ – may be responsible for the unique perceptual experience of autistic people, leading to a tendency to perceive the world more accurately rather than modulated by prior experience. In this account, we consider how hypo-priors might explain key features of autism – the broad range of sensory and other non-social atypicalities – in addition to the phenomenological differences in autistic perception.

Type: Article
Title: When the world becomes 'too real': A Bayesian explanation of autistic perception
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2012.08.009
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2012.08.009
Language: English
Additional information: © 2012. This manuscript version is published under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial Non-derivative 4.0 International licence (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). This licence allows you to share, copy, distribute and transmit the work for personal and non-commercial use providing author and publisher attribution is clearly stated. Further details about CC BY licences are available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0.
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Social Research Institute
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1476122
Downloads since deposit
5,083Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item