Fig. 2.

Maximal information coefficients between physiological and communicative reactivity in each group. Note. ASD = Autism Spectrum Disorder group; TD = Typically Developing group. Findings in the preschooler sample are consistent with the Pearson’s correlation analyses shown in Table 2 (emotion concordance with vocal expressions in TD, no emotional concordance in ASD). With the school-aged sample, findings in TD also are consistent with the Pearson’s correlation analyses shown in Table 2, and specify these reactions are driven by peak, and not mean heart rate. Findings of the ASD school-aged sample here reveal relationships between all expression types (vocal, facial, bodily) and both mean and peak heart rate, in contrast with the original analyses which only found significant emotion concordance with vocal expressions and peak heart rate. However, Maximal Information Coefficients do not show directionality and are not subject to a significance level. Taking this into account, therefore these findings are also consistent with the Pearson’s correlation analyses in terms of magnitude of associations, and the Pearson’s correlation analyses provides more cues to interpretation (directionality, significance level). In sum, this Maximal Information Coefficients analyses largely confirm the original analyses