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Prediction in Typical and Atypical Development
Uppsala University, Disciplinary Domain of Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology.
2020 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

Forming predictions about what is going to happen next is a crucial ability that develops early in life. Theory and some empirical evidence suggest that predictive abilities may be impaired in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The overarching aim of this thesis is to investigate early measures of prediction in relation to concurrent and later outcomes in typical and atypical development, with a particular focus on ASD and related behavioral problems.

In Study I, we used motion capture technology to examine prospective motor control and its relationship to executive functions in typically developing 18-month-olds. Our findings showed that motor control is associated with executive functioning in infancy.

Study II investigated motor control in infants at low and elevated likelihood for ASD and examined how these measures relate to later development. We found group differences as well as similarities in motor control in 10-months-olds with and without a familial history of ASD. Early motor measures were related to general developmental level, but not ASD symptomatology in toddlerhood.

Using eye tracking, Study III examined how infants with later ASD and neurotypical infants form predictions about visual object motion. Our findings indicated that infants with later ASD were able to form predictions about object motion and adapt to simple changes in motion patterns, and that their performance did not differ from the performance of neurotypical infants.

In Study IV, we surveyed parents about their experiences during participation in an infant sibling study of ASD as a first step to understanding the benefits and risks associated with this type of research. Parents were generally positive about their experiences both from their own perspective as well as, the child’s perspective.

This thesis illustrates the potential of using advanced technology, such as motion tracking and eye tracking, to study and compare prediction in typical and atypical development. It points to the important role of prediction and motor control for child development, but fails to find a specific link to ASD.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Uppsala: Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis, 2020. , p. 81
Series
Digital Comprehensive Summaries of Uppsala Dissertations from the Faculty of Social Sciences, ISSN 1652-9030 ; 179
Keywords [en]
Prediction; Infancy; Developmental Psychology; Motor Development; Motor Control; Motion Tracking; Executive Functions; Embodied Cognition; Eye Tracking; Visual Motion; Predictive Coding; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Infant Siblings
National Category
Psychology (excluding Applied Psychology)
Research subject
Psychology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-408579ISBN: 978-91-513-0940-8 (print)OAI: oai:DiVA.org:uu-408579DiVA, id: diva2:1422711
Public defence
2020-06-02, Humanities Theatre, Campus Engelska parken, Thunbergsvägen 3, Uppsala, 10:15 (English)
Opponent
Supervisors
Available from: 2020-05-12 Created: 2020-04-08 Last updated: 2020-06-17
List of papers
1. An Embodied Account of Early Executive-Function Development: Prospective Motor Control in Infancy Is Related to Inhibition and Working Memory
Open this publication in new window or tab >>An Embodied Account of Early Executive-Function Development: Prospective Motor Control in Infancy Is Related to Inhibition and Working Memory
Show others...
2016 (English)In: Psychological Science, ISSN 0956-7976, E-ISSN 1467-9280, Vol. 27, no 12, p. 1600-1610Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

The importance of executive functioning for later life outcomes, along with its potential to be positively affected by intervention programs, motivates the need to find early markers of executive functioning. In this study, 18-month-olds performed three executive-function tasksinvolving simple inhibition, working memory, and more complex inhibitionand a motion-capture task assessing prospective motor control during reaching. We demonstrated that prospective motor control, as measured by the peak velocity of the first movement unit, is related to infants' performance on simple-inhibition and working memory tasks. The current study provides evidence that motor control and executive functioning are intertwined early in life, which suggests an embodied perspective on executive-functioning development. We argue that executive functions and prospective motor control develop from a common source and a single motive: to control action. This is the first demonstration that low-level movement planning is related to higher-order executive control early in life.

Keywords
prospective motor control, motor development, executive functions, reaching, infancy
National Category
Psychology
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-314054 (URN)10.1177/0956797616667447 (DOI)000390582500006 ()
Funder
EU, European Research Council, 312292
Available from: 2017-01-26 Created: 2017-01-26 Last updated: 2020-04-08Bibliographically approved
2. Motor Atypicalities in Infancy are Associated with General Developmental Level at Two Years, but Not Autistic Symptoms
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Motor Atypicalities in Infancy are Associated with General Developmental Level at Two Years, but Not Autistic Symptoms
(English)In: Article in journal (Refereed) Accepted
National Category
Psychology (excluding Applied Psychology)
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-408578 (URN)
Available from: 2020-04-08 Created: 2020-04-08 Last updated: 2020-04-08
3. Updating Expectations about Unexpected Object Motion in Infants Later Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Updating Expectations about Unexpected Object Motion in Infants Later Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder
2021 (English)In: Journal of autism and developmental disorders, ISSN 0162-3257, E-ISSN 1573-3432, Vol. 51, no 11, p. 4186-4198Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

In typical development, infants form predictions about future events based on incoming sensory information, which is essential for perception and goal-directed action. It has been suggested that individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) make predictions differently compared to neurotypical individuals. We investigated how infants who later received an ASD diagnosis and neurotypical infants react to temporarily occluded moving objects that violate initial expectations about object motion. Our results indicate that infants regardless of clinical outcome react similarly to unexpected object motion patterns, both in terms of gaze shift latencies and pupillary responses. These findings indicate that the ability to update representations about such regularities in light of new information may not differ between typically developing infants and those with later ASD.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Springer Nature, 2021
Keywords
Infants, Autism spectrum disorder, Visual motion, Prediction, Eye tracking, Tolerance for uncertainty
National Category
Psychology (excluding Applied Psychology)
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-408576 (URN)10.1007/s10803-021-04876-2 (DOI)000613092100003 ()33517525 (PubMedID)
Funder
Riksbankens Jubileumsfond, NHS14-1802:1Swedish Research Council, 2018-06232
Available from: 2020-04-08 Created: 2020-04-08 Last updated: 2023-07-12Bibliographically approved
4. Parents' experiences from participating in an infant sibling study of autism spectrum disorder
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Parents' experiences from participating in an infant sibling study of autism spectrum disorder
2020 (English)In: Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, ISSN 1750-9467, E-ISSN 1878-0237, Vol. 69, article id 101454Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Background:

Prospective longitudinal studies of infant siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) play an important role in advancing our knowledge about early developmental pathways in ASD. Despite this clear benefit, currently little is known about potential risks or disadvantages for participating families. As a first step in addressing this issue, we asked parents about their experiences from participating in an infant sibling study.

Method:

Eighty-eight families responded to a questionnaire examining parents' experiences from participating in an infant sibling study. The questions assessed parents' satisfaction with the study, the child's perceived satisfaction, and the parents' motivation for participating. The study included parents of two groups, (1) infants with an older sibling diagnosed with ASD (HR, high risk, n = 43) and (2) infants with no familial history of ASD (LR, low risk, n = 21).

Results:

The results indicated that parents are generally positive about study participation and few disadvantages were reported. This pattern was mirrored when splitting parents' responses into the two groups. There was no indication for group differences between parents of infants at high risk and low risk for ASD.

Conclusion:

Our findings present a first step into understanding parents' experiences from participating in an infant sibling study. Most parents were satisfied with participation in the study and only few disadvantages were reported. Our results have implications for ethical discussions about benefits and risks regarding infant sibling studies in various fields.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Elsevier BV, 2020
Keywords
Autism spectrum disorder, Infant siblings, Early identification, Ethics, Risk factors
National Category
Psychology (excluding Applied Psychology) Psychiatry
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-400748 (URN)10.1016/j.rasd.2019.101454 (DOI)000501403800001 ()
Funder
Riksbankens Jubileumsfond, NHS14-1802:1Swedish Research Council, 2015-03670
Available from: 2020-01-03 Created: 2020-01-03 Last updated: 2021-09-01Bibliographically approved

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