Generativity and imagination in autism spectrumdisorder: Evidence from individual differences inchildren's impossible entity drawings

摘要

This study examined the cognitive underpinnings of spontaneous imagination in autismspectrum disorder (ASD) by way of individual differences. Children with ASD (N = 27)and matched typically developing (TD) children were administered Karmiloff-Smith's(1990) imaginative drawing task, along with measures that tapped, specific executivefunctions (generativity, visuospatial planning, and central coherence processing style)and false belief theory of mind (ToM) understanding. The ASD group drawings displayeddeficits in imaginative content and a piecemeal pictorial style. ASD participants alsoshowed group deficits in generativity, planning and ToM, and exhibited weak coherence.Individual differences in generativity were related to imaginative drawing content inthe ASD group, and the association was mediated through planning ability. Variationsin weak coherence were separately related to a piecemeal drawing style in the ASDgroup. Variations in generativity were also linked with imaginative drawing content inthe TD group; the connection unfolded when it received pooled variance fromreceptive language ability, and thereupon mediated through false belief reasoning tocue imaginative content. Results are discussed in terms of how generativity plays abroad and important role for imagination in ASD and typical development, albeit indifferent ways.