More than just another face in the crowd: Evidence for an angry superiority effect in children with and without autism

摘要

The angry superiority effect refers to more efficient way individuals detect angry relative to happy faces in a crowd. Given their socio-emotional deficits, children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) may be impervious to this effect. Thirty children with ASD and 30 matched-typically developing children were presented with a visual search task, in which they were to detect a happy or angry target face in a crowd. A significant angry superiority effect was found for children with and without ASD. Results are discussed in light of perceptual, cognitive and social mechanisms underlying this effect in children with ASD.