An eye-tracking study of dynamic threatening and non-threatening emotional faces in children with autism spectrum disorders
10.3760/cma.j.cn371468-20211231-00763
- VernacularTitle:孤独症谱系障碍儿童动态威胁与非威胁情绪面孔的注视特征研究
- Author:
Yifan ZHANG
1
;
Dandan LI
;
Hong LI
;
Tingting YANG
;
Chunyan ZHU
Author Information
1. 安徽医科大学精神卫生与心理科学学院，合肥 230022
- Keywords:
Autism spectrum disorder;
Emotional face;
Eye-tracking technology;
Threatening emotion
- From:
Chinese Journal of Behavioral Medicine and Brain Science
2022;31(9):787-792
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To investigate the gaze characteristics of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) on dynamic threatening (fear, anger) and non-threatening emotional (sadness, happiness) faces, and to explore the correlation between their eye-tracking data and autism symptomatology scores to provide a basis for the treatment and rehabilitation of children with ASD.Methods:From November 2020 to June 2021, 26 children with ASD and 30 age-and sex-matched normally developing children (typical developmental, TD) who met the enrollment criteria were included, and children with ASD were assessed for symptoms by the childhood autism rating scale (CARS). The SMI-red portable eye-tracking recording system was used to record the eye-movement gaze characteristics of children in both groups during free viewing of dynamic threatening and non-threatening emotional face segments.Statistical processing was performed by SPSS 21.0 software.The independent sample t-test and chi square test were used for the data conforming to the normal distribution, and the non parametric test was used for the data not conforming to the normal distribution, and Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between eye-tracking data and symptomatology scores. Results:The total CARS score of the ASD group was (32.64±7.42). The eye tracking data for children with ASD showed gaze aversion characteristics.Children with ASD spent significantly less time gazing at the eye area of threatening emotional faces in fear (2.41(0.26, 10.65)s) and anger (2.17(0.13, 6.13)s) than children with TD (8.81(2.54, 12.11)s, 5.21(3.80, 12.49)s), with statistically significant differences (fear: Z=-2.252, P<0.05.anger: Z=-2.793, P<0.01). Children with ASD spent significantly less time gazing at the mouth area of all four emotional faces (sad: 3.56(0.44, 7.16)s, fear: 2.68(0.42, 4.78)s, anger: 2.13(0.35, 4.20)s, happiness: 2.93(0.46, 5.71)s) than children with TD (sad: 11.43(6.97, 14.22) s, fear: 6.73(3.65, 10.10)s, anger: 6.86(4.55, 12.33)s, happiness: 11.72(7.22, 14.39)s), with statistically significant differences (sad: Z=-4.502, P<0.01.fear: Z=-3.493, P<0.01.anger: Z=-4.025, P<0.01.happiness: Z=-4.699, P<0.01). Correlation analysis revealed that the time spent gazing at emotional faces in children with ASD was negatively correlated with the total CARS score ( r=-0.476, P<0.05), and further analysis of different emotional faces revealed that the time spent gazing at fearful faces in children with ASD was negatively correlated with the total CARS score ( r=-0.455, P<0.05). Conclusions:Eye tracking in children with ASD show a gaze profile with less gaze time to threatening emotional faces compared with TD children, and the more severe the symptoms in children with ASD, the less gaze time to fearful faces.
