Perspective Taking in Autism Spectrum Disorders: An Analysis of Neural Correlates and the Role of Empathy

Authors

Whitney Worsham, Brigham Young University
Dr. Michael Larson, Brigham Young University
Dr. Mikle South, Brigham Young University

Keywords

Autism Spectrum Disorders, ASD, neural correlates, empathy

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Psychology

Abstract

The purpose of this research project was to test the hypothesis that, when seeing individuals in distress, children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) displayed decreased neural activity and empathy towards others relative to typically developing children when seeing individuals in distress. In order to test this hypothesis, we utilized electroencephalogram (EEG) and eventrelated potentials (ERP) to measure the electrical activity of the brain while showing pictures of individuals in distress to children diagnosed with ASD and a sample of healthy children.

Recommended Citation

Worsham, Whitney; Larson, Dr. Michael; and South, Dr. Mikle (2014) "Perspective Taking in Autism Spectrum Disorders: An Analysis of Neural Correlates and the Role of Empathy," Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2014: Iss. 1, Article 311.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2014/iss1/311