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  • Independence of Hot and Cold Executive Function Deficits in High-Functioning Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

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    ZimmermanPUB2455.pdf (521.1Kb)
    Author(s)
    Zimmerman, David L
    Ownsworth, Tamara
    O'Donovan, Analise
    Roberts, Jacqueline
    Gullo, Matthew J
    Griffith University Author(s)
    O'Donovan, Analise
    Zimmerman, David L.
    Ownsworth, Tamara
    Roberts, Jacqueline M.
    Gullo, Matthew J.
    Year published
    2016
    Metadata
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    Abstract
    Individuals with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) display diverse deficits in social, cognitive and behavioral functioning. To date, there has been mixed findings on the profile of executive function deficits for high-functioning adults (IQ > 70) with ASD. A conceptual distinction is commonly made between “cold” and “hot” executive functions. Cold executive functions refer to mechanistic higher-order cognitive operations (e.g., working memory), whereas hot executive functions entail cognitive abilities supported by emotional awareness and social perception (e.g., social cognition). This study aimed to determine the independence ...
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    Individuals with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) display diverse deficits in social, cognitive and behavioral functioning. To date, there has been mixed findings on the profile of executive function deficits for high-functioning adults (IQ > 70) with ASD. A conceptual distinction is commonly made between “cold” and “hot” executive functions. Cold executive functions refer to mechanistic higher-order cognitive operations (e.g., working memory), whereas hot executive functions entail cognitive abilities supported by emotional awareness and social perception (e.g., social cognition). This study aimed to determine the independence of deficits in hot and cold executive functions for high-functioning adults with ASD. Forty-two adults with ASD (64% male, aged 18–66 years) and 40 age and gender matched controls were administered The Awareness of Social Inference Test (TASIT; emotion recognition and social inference), Letter Number Sequencing (working memory) and Hayling Sentence Completion Test (response initiation and suppression). Between-group analyses identified that the ASD group performed significantly worse than matched controls on all measures of cold and hot executive functions (d = 0.54 − 1.5). Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that the ASD sample performed more poorly on emotion recognition and social inference tasks than matched controls after controlling for cold executive functions and employment status. The findings also indicated that the ability to recognize emotions and make social inferences was supported by working memory and response initiation and suppression processes. Overall, this study supports the distinction between hot and cold executive function impairments for adults with ASD. Moreover, it advances understanding of higher-order impairments underlying social interaction difficulties for this population which, in turn, may assist with diagnosis and inform intervention programs.
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    Journal Title
    Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
    Volume
    10
    Issue
    24
    DOI
    https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2016.00024
    Copyright Statement
    © 2016 Zimmerman, Ownsworth, O'Donovan, Roberts and Gullo. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
    Subject
    Educational Psychology
    Neurosciences
    Psychology
    Cognitive Sciences
    Publication URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/10072/142096
    Collection
    • Journal articles

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