About the Project
The term ‘intelligence’ doesn’t just mean scoring well on a specific test or exams. It can also refer to the ability to function successfully in a social capacity. This might include understanding someone else’s intentions or motives, knowing when to speak and when to not speak and appreciating the social context of an interaction, for example, talking to a close friend compared to a stranger. Most studies on autistic people posit that due to social communication deficits, autistic people are not as socially intelligent as non-autistic people. However, evidence is now suggesting that autistic people communicate as well with each other as non-autistic people communicate with other non-autistic people. One study that found this was conducted by Catherine Crompton and Sue Fletcher-Watson at the University of Edinburgh between 2018 and 2020. This study found that autistic people and non-autistic people communicate similarly well when they are with other people of the same neurotype, but when the groups were a mixture of autistic and non-autistic people, breakdowns in communication began to occur. You can read more about the original study here. This current project will replicate the 2018 study across three sites in three countries – the University of Edinburgh (Scotland), the University of Nottingham (England), and The University of Texas at Dallas (USA). The aim is to repeat the study in a larger and more diverse sample to see if the same results are found. The original study had a major impact not only in the field of autism research but within the autistic community itself. It is hoped that this study will lead to improvements in the lives of autistic people and their non-autistic friends and family.
Why is the Study Being Repeated?
One of the main tenets of science is that experiments need to be replicable. This means that any researcher (whether involved in the original study or not) should be able to repeat a study with a different sample of participants and see the same effect(s). If results can be successfully replicated, researchers can be much more confident in generalizing them to the larger population. This study is being repeating in a much larger sample and across three different sites to see if the same results as the original study are found. By doing so, we can learn more about autistic and non-autistic interaction and whether there are robust effects of social context on how people communicate.
The Current Study
The current study will run between 2022 and 2024. At the University of Texas at Dallas, we are looking to recruit 108 participants. This will involve filling in an online questionnaire, some participants may have the option to complete a 45-minute intake to determine study eligibility and will be provided with a $10 pre-loaded gift card following intake completion and attending a Research Day (about 2-3 hours long) in person. On each Research Day, we’ll invite six participants to attend. In Dallas, this will be at the University of Texas at Dallas, Green Hall. On some Research Days, all participants will be autistic; on some, all participants will be non-autistic; and on some, three participants will be autistic and three will be non-autistic. Sometimes other participants will be told if you are autistic or not, and sometimes this information will not be provided. Each Research Day will involve doing several tasks (with lots of breaks!). Some of these tasks will be with another person, and some will be individual. These are designed to help us understand how information is shared between autistic and non-autistic people. As a thank you for taking part, we would like to give you a pre-loaded gift card with $45 or $7.50 per completed half hour of research if you withdraw early. Participants earning Sona credits will receive .5 credits for beginning the study and an additional 2.5 credits for completing it, for a total of 3 credits.
Diversity in Social Intelligence
Exploring how autistic and non-autistic people learn from one another.
These videos provide information about the study and what to expect during a testing date if you choose to participate.
You can take the first step to participate in the study by completing a Qualtrics survey on the instructions page!
You can also find information on where to park and how to get parking paid for at our testing site on the directions page!