Correlates of Emotion Recognition Task
Performance in Autism: A Meta-Analysis
Dominic Trevisan (dtrevisa@sfu.ca) and Elina Birmingham (ebirming@sfu.ca), Faculty of Education, SFU
Background
!
•  The ability to infer the emotional state of others is thought to be
crucial for successful social interaction (Izard et al., 2001).
•  Most developmental theories of ASD describe a closely linked
relationship between emotional and social competence (Gaigg,
2012).
•  Surprisingly little empirical research exists to provide support for
these theoretical associations.
Purpose of study
•  The main purpose of this meta-analysis was to build a
comprehensive nomological network of the construct of emotion
recognition by summarizing the extent to which the ability to infer
emotions from facial expressions is associated with theoretically
related constructs.
Method
•  871 prospective articles were retrieved from recently published
review articles and meta-analyses, and databases such as ERIC,
PsycINFO and PsycARTICLES.
•  Database searches included combinations of search terms including
“autism,” “emotion recognition,” and “affect recognition.”
Inclusion criteria
•  Accessed for free and published in English.
•  Contained an experiment that required participants to infer the
emotion being expressed from face stimuli.
•  *Reported a Pearson’s r correlation coefficient for associations
between task performance and another variable of interest.
•  Reported the correlation specifically for participants with an ASD
diagnosis (studies that grouped ASD and neurotypical participants
for correlational analyses were excluded).
*Note. In rare cases, r was converted from other statistics including chi-square and
p-values. In other rare cases, partial correlations were reported when Pearson’s r was
not reported. Spearman’s rank and Pearson’s rho coefficients were excluded.
Data Analysis
•  We used a random effects model to combine studies within each
subgroup.
•  Q-values of all outcome measures were nonsignificant (ps > .1)
indicating heterogeneity within subgroups cannot be attributed to
effects other than random sampling. Therefore, moderator analyses
were not conducted.
•  No overall effect size is reported to maintain statistical independence.
•  In total, 69 correlation coefficients from 35 separate studies are
summarized according to outcome variable in the following table.
results
Outcome variables and measurement tools
Correlations!between!emotion!recognition!performance!and!outcome!variables!
Outcome(Variable(
Theory(of(Mind(
Pearson’s(r(
(((((0.55**(
95%(CI(
(
Lower&&&&&Upper&
(((0.40(((((((((((0.67(
SE(
.03(
Shared(
Method(
Variance((
Yes(
k(
((N(
5(
126(
1) Theory of Mind. Picture Sequencing Measure, False belief tasks,
Strange Stories, NEPSY-II Theory of Mind subtest.
Verbal(IQ(
(((((0.51**(
(((0.40(((((((((((0.61(
.02(
Yes(
14(
333(
Nonverbal(IQ(((
(((((0.45**(
(((0.30(((((((((((0.59(
.03(
Yes(
10(
187(
Adaptive(Functioning( (((((0.55**(
(((0.38(((((((((((0.68(
.07(
No(
4(
(97(
Age(
(((0.20(((((((((((0.53(
.04(
No(
8(
149(
(((((0.38**(
3) Nonverbal IQ. Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children, Weschler
Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence, Raven’s Matrices.
4) Adaptive Functioning. Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Adaptive
Behavior Assessment System–II.
Alexithymia(
((((T0.37*(
((T0.56(((((((((T0.14(
.05(
No(
4(
(78(
ASD(symptomology(
((((T0.34**(
((T0.43(((((((((T0.26(
.01(
No(
10(
662(
Social(competence(
(((((0.28**(
(((0.15(((((((((((0.39(
.02(
No(
10(
266(
Empathy(
(((((0.17*(
(((0.05(((((((((((0.29(
.07(
No(
4(
397(
Forest Plot
**p!<(.001,(*p!<(.01(
Study name
Outcome
Correlation
Adaptive functioning
Adaptive functioning
Adaptive functioning
Adaptive functioning
Adaptive functioning
Age
Age
Age
Age
Age
Age
Age
Age
Age
Alexithymia
Alexithymia
Alexithymia
Alexithymia
Alexithymia
ASD symptomology
ASD symptomology
ASD symptomology
ASD symptomology
ASD symptomology
ASD symptomology
ASD symptomology
ASD symptomology
ASD symptomology
ASD symptomology
ASD symptomology
Empathy
Empathy
Empathy
Empathy
Empathy
PIQ
PIQ
PIQ
PIQ
PIQ
PIQ
PIQ
PIQ
PIQ
PIQ
PIQ
Social skill
Social skill
Social skill
Social skill
Social skill
Social skill
Social skill
Social skill
Social skill
Social skill
Social skill
ToM
ToM
ToM
ToM
ToM
ToM
VIQ
VIQ
VIQ
VIQ
VIQ
VIQ
VIQ
VIQ
VIQ
VIQ
VIQ
VIQ
VIQ
VIQ
VIQ
BravermanFein1989_1
FeinLucci1992_4
Garcia-VillamisarRojahn2010
WallaceCase2011_3
Adaptive
Adaptive
Adaptive
Adaptive
functioning
functioning
functioning
functioning
BuitelaarWees1999_4
FeinLucci1992_5
GepnerGelder_1986
GolanBaron-Cohen2008_3
KatsyriSaalasti2008_4
LawSmith_2010
OzonoffPennington1991_3
RumpGiovannelli_2009
Age
Age
Age
Age
Age
Age
Age
Age
CookBrewer2013_1
KatsyriSaalasti2008_3
KliemannRosenblau2013_2
LombardoBarnes2007
Alexithymia
Alexithymia
Alexithymia
Alexithymia
BuitelaarVanderWees1997_1
CookBrewer2013_2
GolanBaron-Cohen2006_1
GroveBaillie2014
HumphreysMinshew2007_1
KliemannRosenblau2013_1
Pohlig2007_3
TanakaWolf2012_2
TardifLaine2007
WallaceCase2011_1
ASD symptomology
ASD symptomology
ASD symptomology
ASD symptomology
ASD symptomology
ASD symptomology
ASD symptomology
ASD symptomology
ASD symptomology
ASD symptomology
AshwinBrosnan2010_2
EversSteyaert2015_2
SucksmithAllison_2013
YirmayaSigman1992_3
Empathy
Empathy
Empathy
Empathy
BravermanFein1989_3
BuitelaarWees1999_2
DyckPiek2006_2
FeinLucci1992_1
HumphreysMinshew2007_3
KatsyriSaalasti2008_2
Pohlig2007_2
TantamMonaghan_2006_1
TeunissedeGelder2001_1
WallaceColeman2008_2
PIQ
PIQ
PIQ
PIQ
PIQ
PIQ
PIQ
PIQ
PIQ
PIQ
AshwinBrosnan2010_1
BalHarden2010
EversSteyaert2015_1
FeinLucci1992_2
Hobson1986_3
Pohlig2007_4
RiceWall2015_2
Russo-PonsaranMcKown2015_
TeunissedeGelder2001_2
WallaceCase2011_2
Social skill
Social skill
Social skill
Social skill
Social skill
Social skill
Social skill
Social skill
Social skill
Social skill
BuitelaarVanderWees1997_2
BuitelaarWees1999_3
DyckPiek2006_3
HeereyKeltner2003
RiceWall2015_1
ToM
ToM
ToM
ToM
ToM
BravermanFein1989_2
BuitelaarWees1999_1
DyckPiek2006_1
FeinLucci1992_3
GolanBaron-Cohen2008_1
HumphreysMinshew2007_2
KatsyriSaalasti2008_1
LovelandBachevalier2008_1
OzonoffPennington1991_1
Pohlig2007_1
TeunissedeGelder2001_3
WallaceColeman2008_1
WallaceColeman2008_3
YirmayaSigman1992_1
VIQ
VIQ
VIQ
VIQ
VIQ
VIQ
VIQ
VIQ
VIQ
VIQ
VIQ
VIQ
VIQ
VIQ
Statistics for each study
0.708
0.758
0.370
0.420
0.545
0.300
0.570
-0.030
0.540
0.240
0.530
0.040
0.330
0.375
-0.457
-0.210
-0.265
-0.430
-0.370
-0.350
-0.202
-0.070
-0.320
-0.520
-0.550
-0.338
-0.390
-0.770
-0.179
-0.338
0.360
-0.060
0.160
0.680
0.166
0.510
0.390
0.260
0.700
0.490
0.330
0.720
0.570
0.321
0.220
0.444
0.210
0.540
0.170
0.100
0.530
0.010
0.530
0.160
0.498
0.140
0.273
0.400
0.430
0.740
0.490
0.520
0.550
0.481
0.340
0.570
0.800
0.520
0.520
0.360
0.520
0.280
0.780
0.390
0.470
0.340
0.500
0.515
Lower
limit
0.408
0.402
-0.101
0.129
0.378
-0.164
0.082
-0.766
0.164
-0.559
0.127
-0.410
-0.146
0.204
-0.777
-0.797
-0.604
-0.684
-0.557
-0.555
-0.634
-0.478
-0.409
-0.782
-0.780
-0.687
-0.557
-0.932
-0.461
-0.405
-0.187
-0.333
0.050
0.312
0.067
0.113
-0.063
-0.111
0.293
0.061
-0.488
0.395
-0.093
-0.189
-0.183
0.310
-0.339
0.013
-0.114
-0.435
0.151
-0.446
0.216
-0.155
0.023
-0.175
0.151
-0.052
-0.015
0.518
0.118
0.203
0.407
0.074
-0.121
0.264
0.488
0.137
0.101
-0.462
0.339
-0.186
0.505
-0.112
0.101
-0.209
0.043
0.426
Upper
limit
0.870
0.915
0.706
0.644
0.677
0.655
0.838
0.740
0.779
0.808
0.783
0.474
0.682
0.524
0.050
0.581
0.155
-0.083
-0.146
-0.105
0.326
0.362
-0.224
-0.101
-0.188
0.137
-0.193
-0.351
0.136
-0.267
0.736
0.222
0.266
0.871
0.261
0.767
0.710
0.567
0.892
0.766
0.839
0.885
0.883
0.694
0.560
0.561
0.652
0.832
0.428
0.582
0.773
0.462
0.745
0.446
0.790
0.429
0.387
0.716
0.733
0.869
0.742
0.738
0.666
0.750
0.680
0.772
0.931
0.768
0.782
0.849
0.664
0.643
0.911
0.733
0.725
0.726
0.784
0.595
Correlation and 95% CI
Z-Value
p-Value
3.850
3.435
1.554
2.760
5.630
1.276
2.243
-0.060
2.702
0.547
2.504
0.165
1.371
4.119
-1.779
-0.477
-1.244
-2.390
-3.151
-2.759
-0.738
-0.306
-6.293
-2.376
-2.834
-1.407
-3.729
-3.061
-1.115
-8.849
1.306
-0.412
2.846
3.211
3.278
2.453
1.698
1.383
3.004
2.210
0.767
3.631
1.713
1.245
1.073
5.983
0.738
2.004
1.177
0.348
2.639
0.040
3.123
0.995
2.045
0.869
4.303
1.747
1.896
4.939
2.514
3.050
6.513
2.285
1.460
3.365
3.806
2.577
2.376
0.843
5.057
1.186
4.181
1.541
2.446
1.227
2.127
9.722
0.000
0.001
0.120
0.006
0.000
0.202
0.025
0.952
0.007
0.584
0.012
0.869
0.170
0.000
0.075
0.634
0.213
0.017
0.002
0.006
0.460
0.760
0.000
0.017
0.005
0.159
0.000
0.002
0.265
0.000
0.192
0.680
0.004
0.001
0.001
0.014
0.090
0.167
0.003
0.027
0.443
0.000
0.087
0.213
0.283
0.000
0.460
0.045
0.239
0.728
0.008
0.968
0.002
0.320
0.041
0.385
0.000
0.081
0.058
0.000
0.012
0.002
0.000
0.022
0.144
0.001
0.000
0.010
0.017
0.399
0.000
0.236
0.000
0.123
0.014
0.220
0.033
0.000
5) Age. Chronological age.
6) Alexithymia. Toronto Alexithymia Scale–20, Externally Oriented
Thinking subscale of German TAS-26.
7) ASD symptomology. Autism Diagnostic Observation Scale, Autism
Diagnostic Interview – Revised, Children Autism Rating Scale, Autism
Quotient.
Forest plot
Group by
Outcome
2) Verbal IQ. Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children, Stanford-Binet
Intelligence Test, Kauffman Brief Intelligence Test, Peabody Picture
Vocabulary Test, Groninger Intelligentie Test.
8) Social competence. Social Responsiveness Scale, Children’s
Handicaps, Behavior and Skills, Social Information processing vignettebased interviews, Social Intelligence subscale of Social Interpretation
List, Clinical observation of structured play session.
9) Empathy. Empathy Quotient, Feshbach and Powell Audiovisual Test
for Empathy.
Discussion and Implications
•  All correlations were significant in the expected direction.
•  In general, correlations with emotion recognition task performance
were highest for performance-based outcome measures indicating
method variance may contribute to the strength of correlations.
•  The two weakest correlates were social skill and empathy, despite
being strongly emphasized in developmental theory.
•  Preliminary results provide support for the construct validity of
emotion recognition, but given the paucity of research in this area,
more studies are needed to fully understand the developmental
significance of this skillset.
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