Brunel University, London, UK.
J Autism Dev Disord. 2010 Jan;40(1):30-8. doi: 10.1007/s10803-009-0820-6. Epub 2009 Jul 25.
Lack of pretense in children with autism has been explained by a number of theoretical explanations, including impaired mentalising, impaired response inhibition, and weak central coherence. This study aimed to empirically test each of these theories. Children with autism (n = 60) were significantly impaired relative to controls (n = 65) when interpreting pretense, thereby supporting a competence deficit hypothesis. They also showed impaired mentalising and response inhibition, but superior local processing indicating weak central coherence. Regression analyses revealed that mentalising significantly and independently predicted pretense. The results are interpreted as supporting the impaired mentalising theory and evidence against competing theories invoking impaired response inhibition or a local processing bias. The results of this study have important implications for treatment and intervention.
自闭症儿童缺乏伪装，这可以用多种理论解释，包括心理理论受损、反应抑制受损和中央统合功能较弱。本研究旨在对这些理论进行实证检验。在解释伪装行为时，自闭症儿童（n = 60）明显比对照组（n = 65）差，这支持了能力缺陷假说。他们还表现出心理理论和反应抑制受损，但局部加工能力较强，表明中央统合功能较弱。回归分析显示，心理理论能显著且独立地预测伪装行为。研究结果支持心理理论受损理论，对援引反应抑制受损或局部加工偏向理论的竞争性理论构成挑战。本研究的结果对治疗和干预具有重要意义。
