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Proneness to Self-Conscious Emotions and Theory of Mind in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders
The ability to conceptualize, reflect upon and understand one’s own emotions and the emotions of others is central to emotional competence. Some emotions, such as self-conscious emotions, are thought to require more cognitive self-reflection than others (Tracy & Robins, 2008). Moreover, self-conscious emotions facilitate our social interactions and relationships by motivating us to adhere to social norms as well as personal standards (Else-Quest et al., 2012). Although once thought to be disruptive, self-conscious emotions are now theorized to be fundamentally involved in the regulation of social behavior.
Objectives:
Despite the importance of self-conscious emotions (embarrassment, pride, guilt, shame), most studies explore basic emotion (e.g., fear) processing. The purpose of this research was to examine proneness to self-conscious emotions in adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) with neurotypical adults. Given the potential links between self-conscious emotions and behavioral regulation, it is crucial to evaluate these relations in individuals with ASD.
Methods:
Adults with ASD and neurotypical adults were recruited through online listservs, including those providing services to adults with ASD. Currently, 30 neurotypical adults (NT-A), and 12 adults with ASD (ASD-A) have participated. All individuals completed the Social Responsiveness Scale-2 (SRS-2; Constantino, 2012). Measures assessing self-conscious emotions included the Test of Self-Conscious Affect (TOSCA; Tangney et al., 2002), and Embarrassment Scenarios (Sabini et al., 2001). Additional measures assessed Theory of Mind (Faux Pas Task; Stone, et al., 1998) and negative evaluation (Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale; Leary, 1983). The online measures took approximately 45 minutes to complete.
Results:
Preliminary analyses demonstrated significant differences between adult groups. Assessments of shame were higher for adults with ASD on the TOSCA, t(40) = -2.90, p = .006, MASD-A = 3.28, SDASD-A = 0.72, MNT-A = 2.62, SDNT-A = .65, and on the Embarrassment Scenarios, t(40) = -2.644, p = .012, MASD-A = 5.37, SDASD-A = 1.34, MNT-A = 4.03, SDNT-A = 1.53. Additional differences between groups were found in fear of negative evaluation, t(40) = -4.536, p < .001, MASD-A = 37.17, SDASD-A = 6.46, MNT-A = 27.13, SDNT-A = 6.48. These differences could not be accounted for by differences in Theory of Mind, t(36) = .81, p = .425, MASD-A = 34.92, SDASD-A = 6.72, MNT-A = 36.35, SDNT-A = 4.15.
Conclusions:
Adults with ASD showed greater proneness to shame and embarrassment, and demonstrated more fear of negative evaluation, than neuroptypical adults. These findings are compelling, given that past research has found that adults with ASD show limitations in perceiving emotions (e.g., Boraston et al., 2007). The experience of emotion, however, may differ in individuals with ASD. For example, recent research has shown that individuals with ASD perceived subtle displays of emotion as being more intense than neurotypical individuals (Tell, Davidson & Camras, 2013). ToM abilities, however, did not underlie the present findings. We are currently exploring the origins of these findings.