Measurement of Social Reward Processing of Boys With Autism Spectrum Disorder

• In Event: New Measures, New Methods, and New Theories II

Abstract

Many of the deficits associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) represent, at their core, impairments in basic social processes. Research has yet to identify the underlying neurobiological and cognitive mechanisms that fully account for these impairments. One compelling yet understudied idea regarding the pathogenesis of autism is that deficits in social reward processing underlie many of the core symptoms of ASD. According to social reward processing theory, reduced social motivation results in less time orienting to faces and other social and media stimuli in infancy and throughout early childhood. However, this theory has not been empirically tested, due in part to a lack of appropriate measures. This experiment utilized psychophysiological measures such as facial electromyography, skin conductance, and heart rate to assess social reward processing in adolescent boys with ASD compared to typically developing boys. The results will provide direct information about the underlying mechanisms of social deficits in ASD.

Authors

• Micah Mazurek, U of Missouri

• Glenn M. Leshner, University of Oklahoma

• Paul David Bolls, Texas Tech University

• Russell Brent Clayton, Florida State U