Theory of Mind Performance in Younger and Older Adults with Elevated Autistic Traits

Stewart, Gavin R.; Wallace, Gregory L.; Cottam, Martha and Charlton, Rebecca A. 2020. Theory of Mind Performance in Younger and Older Adults with Elevated Autistic Traits. Autism Research, 13(5), pp. 751-762. ISSN 1939-3792 [Article]

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Abstract or Description

Little is known about the impact of aging with Autism Spectrum Disorder on theory of mind (ToM). While ToM difficulties appear to abate with age in older autistic populations, this has yet to be explored in the Broad Autism Phenotype (BAP). The current study examined ToM performance among younger (n = 49, aged 18–46) and older adults (n = 47, aged 60–91) who were classified as on the BAP (younger n = 18; older n = 21) or not (younger n = 31; older n = 26) using the BAP Questionnaire. ToM was assessed using the ecologically valid Strange Stories Film Task (SSFT) and the dynamic Happé–Frith Triangle Animations task (TA). A 2 × 2 analysis of variance examined the effects of autistic traits (BAP vs. non‐BAP) and age (young vs. old). For both SSFT and TA, results showed autistic trait main effects on task performance (non‐BAP > BAP). Age main effects were observed for some but not all metrics on TA (younger better than older), with no differences in SSFT. An interaction of autistic traits and age was observed in TA Intentionality, with younger non‐BAP and younger BAP performing similarly but older non‐BAP performing better than older BAP. Results show that younger and older adults with elevated autistic traits show poorer ToM performance. Despite ToM difficulties being common in later life in the general population, this effect was not observed when using a ToM task designed to reflect real‐world scenarios. However, results suggest that autistic traits and age could interact to increase risk for poor ToM performance in older adults who endorse elevated autistic traits.

Item Type:

Article

Identification Number (DOI):

https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.2206

Keywords:

theory of mind, ageing, broad autism phenotype, autism, adulthood

Departments, Centres and Research Units:

Psychology

Dates:

DateEvent
22 August 2019Accepted
14 September 2019Published Online
May 2020Published

Item ID:

26976

Date Deposited:

24 Sep 2019 09:08

Last Modified:

14 Sep 2021 01:26

Peer Reviewed:

Yes, this version has been peer-reviewed.

URI:

https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/26976

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