Autistic children and control children use similar strategies when answering false belief questions

• DOI: 10.1515/ip-2024-0003
• Publication Date: 2024-02-23T08:51:20Z
• Authors: Leena Mäkinen; Katja Dindar; Ilaria Gabbatore; Aija Kotila; Maria Frick; Hanna Ebeling; Soile Loukusa
• Keywords: False belief

Abstract Difficulties in false belief reasoning are associated with autism spectrum. False tasks tend to be easy administer and code, thus often used for testing purposes. However, the amount of information that can gleaned from this type assessment task goes beyond correct/wrong score attribution. Instead, fine-grained may derive a detailed qualitative analysis content answers, as well strategies produce them. Moreover, situation contains other interesting aspects, such child’s orientation task. Therefore, we examined both qualitatively quantitatively various ways children (15 autistic 15 control children; mean age 7;5 years) responded question. The question was more difficult than children, but there no statistically significant difference among answering between groups. were mostly similar Autistic preferred use nouns or locative pro-adverbs while answering, whereas versatile even though length answers did not differ When considering ongoing task, had longer reaction times did. Some needed researcher’s support focus on general, expressions uncertainty commenting during frequent children. results study utilized deepening our understanding abilities individuals develop sensitive assess