Project
Investigating strategies of emotion recognition in individuals with
autism.
This study seeks to investigate the strategies used by individuals with
autism to recognize emotions from facial expressions. It is commonly reported
that individuals with autism have a tendency to recognise emotions better
from the mouth and to fixate gaze on the mouth rather than the eyes –
a strategy that is the opposite of findings in typically developing individuals.
Is this strategy associated with the core deficits of autism or is it
associated with low emotion recognition abilities regardless of autism
status? In order to improve emotion recognition do we need to teach individuals
with autism to focus on the eyes or rather harness the ability they have
to recognise emotions from the mouth?
The initial aim of my PhD project is to investigate these questions using
eye tracking techniques. It is anticipated that this will provide a better
understanding of the mechanisms giving rise to deficits in emotional recognition
experienced by individuals with autism. |
Additional Research Interests
I am currently employed in the Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory administering
psychophysiological and psychometric tests. I have a strong interest in
child development, sleep disorders and the functional brain deficits associated
with psychopathology. |
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Conference Presentations
Sawyer, A., Clark, C. R., & Keage, H. (December, 2007). Understanding
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and sleep problems: A new approach.
Australasian Society for Psychophysiology 17th Annual Conference. Brisbane,
Australia. |
Contact Details
School of Psychology
Flinders University of South Australia
GPO Box 2100
Adelaide, South Australia 5001
Office: 222 Social Sciences North
Phone: (+61 8) 8201 7920
Fax: (+61 8) 8201 3877
Email: alyssa.sawyer@flinders.edu.au
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