Frith U
MRC Cognitive Development Unit, London, UK.
Acta Paediatr Suppl. 1996 Oct;416:63-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1996.tb14280.x.
A brief review of the theory of mind account of autism is presented. A lack of theory of mind in autism is well supported by empirical studies and can explain quite specifically the nature of the social communication impairments. Other characteristic behavioural features of autism, in particular perseveration and rigidity, are tackled by the hypothesis of executive function deficits. The theory of weak central coherence attempts to explain the uneven pattern of intellectual abilities seen in autistic individuals, proposing that they adopt a distinctive cognitive style. It is likely that a number of separate cognitive deficits will be identified and that these will provide clues to the underlying brain abnormalities in autism.
本文简要回顾了自闭症的心理理论。自闭症患者缺乏心理理论这一观点得到了实证研究的有力支持，并且能够非常具体地解释社交沟通障碍的本质。自闭症的其他典型行为特征，尤其是重复行为和刻板行为，则由执行功能缺陷假说进行解释。弱中央统合理论试图解释自闭症患者智力能力的不均衡模式，提出他们采用了一种独特的认知风格。很可能会识别出一些独立的认知缺陷，并且这些缺陷将为自闭症潜在的大脑异常提供线索。
