Spontaneous instrumental approach-avoidance learning in social contexts in autism.

ABSTRACT: Individuals with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) are characterized by atypicalities in social interactions, compared to Typically Developing individuals (TD). The social motivation theory posits that these difficulties stem from diminished anticipation, reception, and/or learning from social rewards. Although learning from socioemotional outcomes is core to the theory, studies to date have been sparse and inconsistent. This possibly arises from a combination of theoretical, methodological and sample-related issues. Here, we assessed participants' ability to develop a spontaneous preference for actions that lead to desirable socioemotional outcomes (approaching/avoiding of happy/angry individuals, respectively), in an ecologically valid social scenario. We expected that learning abilities w

SUBMITTER: Beaurenaut M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11293119 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature