Table 3.
Studies examining peripheral arousal responses in ASD.
| Reference | Participant groups | N | Matching | Stimuli/paradigm | DVs | Results |
||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mag. | diff. | |||||||||||||
| STUDIES EXAMINING RESPONSES TO SIMPLE SENSORY STIMULI | ||||||||||||||
| Stevens and Gruzelier (1984) | ASD; TD; DD | 20; 20; 20 | CA; NVA | Tones of different amplitude | GSR | = | ↓ | |||||||
| James and Barry (1984) | ASD; TD; DD | 40; 40; 40 | CA; FSA | Tone vs. white squares | CA; GSR; RP | ↑ | ↓ | |||||||
| van Engeland (1984) | ASD; TD; DD; psychiatric | 35; 45; 20; 38 | CA; | Tone | GSR | ↑ | = | |||||||
| Barry and James (1988) | ASD; TD; DD | 32; 32; 32 | CA; FSA | Tones of different amplitudes; white squares of different sizes | CA; GSR; RP | =/↑ | ↓ | |||||||
| van Engeland et al. (1991) | ASD; TD; psychiatric | 20; 20; 40 | CA; NVA | Meaningless black-white patterns of different complexity; target detection paradigm | GSR | ↓ | = | |||||||
| Schoen et al. (2009) | ASD; SMD*; TD | 38; 31; 33 | Not specified | Tone, flash, siren, smell, touch, chair tip | GSR | ↓Smell and touch | ||||||||
| Bernier et al. (2005) | ASD; TD | 14; 14 | CA; FSA; anxiety | Simple fear conditioning paradigm | EMG | = | ||||||||
| Gaigg and Bowler (2007) | ASD; TD | 14; 14 | CA; VA; NVA; FSA | Differential fear conditioning | GSR | ↓ | ↓ | |||||||
| South et al. (2011) | ASD; TD | 36; 36 | CA; VA; NVA; FSA | Simple fear conditioning paradigm | GSR | = | = | |||||||
| Correlation: ↑fear acquisition/↓ADOS | ||||||||||||||
| STUDIES EXAMINING RESPONSES TO EMOTIONALLY SALIENT STIMULI/SITUATIONS | ||||||||||||||
| Ben Shalom et al. (2003) | ASD; TD | 10; 10 | CA; ≠VA; NVA; FSA | Rate pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral photographs | GSR | = | = | |||||||
| Salmond et al. (2003) | ASD; TD | 14; 18 | CA | Startle response modulation by emotional photographs | EMG | = | = | |||||||
| Ben Shalom et al. (2006) | ASD; TD | 10; 10 | CA | Rate pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral photographs | GSR | = | = | |||||||
| Johnson et al. (2006) | ASD; TD | 15; 14 | CA; FSA, VA, NVA | Iowa Gambeling Task | GSR | ↓ | NA | |||||||
| De Martino et al. (2008) | ASD; TD | 14; 15 | CA; FSA, VA, NVA | Decide whether to choose a certain or uncertain monetary gain/loss | GSR | ↑ | ↓ | |||||||
| Bölte et al. (2008) | ASD; TD | 10; 10 | CA; NVA | Rate pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral photographs | CA; BP | = | ↓ | |||||||
| Gaigg and Bowler (2008) | ASD; TD | 18; 18 | CA; VA; NVA; FSA | Study neutral and emotionally salient words for memory test | GSR | = | = | |||||||
| Wilbarger et al. (2009) | ASD; TD | 14; 14 | CA; VA | Startle response modulation by emotional photographs | EMG | = | ↓ | |||||||
| Dichter et al. (2010) | ASD; TD | 20; 37 | ≠CA | Startle response modulation by emotional photographs | EMG | = | ↓ | |||||||
| Maras et al. (2012) | ASD; TD | 19/24; 19/24 in two Exp. | CA; VA; NVA; FSA | Memory test for narrated slide-show or video varying in emotional content | GSR; CA | = | = | |||||||
| STUDIES EXAMINING RESPONSES TO SOCIAL STIMULI | ||||||||||||||
| Palkovitz and Wiesenfeld (1980) | ASD; TD | 10; 10 | CA | Tone vs. speech | CA; GSR | ↑ | = | |||||||
| Corona et al. (1998) | ASD; DD | 22; 22 | CA; FSA, VA | Simulated distress of adult | CA | ↓ | NA | |||||||
| Blair (1999) | ASD; TD; DD | 20; 20; 20 | CA; VA | Distress, threat, and neutral photographs | GSR | = | =/↓ | |||||||
| Willemsen-Swinkels et al. (2000) | ASD; TD; DD | 32; 19; 19 | CA; FSA, VA, NVA | Separation vs. reunion with parent | CA | = | =/↑ | |||||||
| Hirstein et al. (2001) | ASD; TD | 37; 25 | Not specified | Eye-contact with mother vs. papercup | GSR | ↓ | ↓ | |||||||
| Sigman et al. (2003) | ASD; DD | 22; 22 | CA; FSA, VA | Video of crying vs. playing infant; interaction with mother; separation vs. reunion with mother | CA | = | =/↓ | |||||||
| Kylliäinen and Hietanen (2006) | ASD; TD | 12; 12 | CA; NVA | Detect direct vs. averted gaze | GSR | = | =/↑ | |||||||
| Naber et al. (2007) | ASD; DD | 11; 9 | CA; FSA | Separation vs. reunion with parent | CA; cortisol | Number of autistic symptoms predicted lower cortisol response | ||||||||
| Hubert et al. (2009) | ASD; TD | 16; 16 | CA | Identify angry vs. happy faces | GSR | ↓ | ↓ | |||||||
| Bal et al. (2010) | ASD; TD | 17; 38 | CA; VA; NVA; FSA | Identify dynamic facial expressions as quickly as possible | CA | ↑ | NA | |||||||
| Riby et al. (2012) | ASD; WS; TD | 12; 13; 25 | CA | Watch live or videoed dynamic happy, sad, or neutral facial expressions | GSR | = | ↓ | |||||||
| STUDIES EXAMINING RESPONSES TO STRESSORS | ||||||||||||||
| Jansen et al. (2003) | ASD; DD; TD | 10; 10; 12 | CA; FSA | 5 Min public speaking (social stress test) | CA; cortisol | ↓CA | NA | |||||||
| Toichi and Kamio (2003) | ASD; TD | 20;20 | CA; VA; NVA | Rest vs. mental arithmetic | CA | = | =/↓ | |||||||
| Corbett et al. (2006) | ASD; TD | 12; 10 | CA; ≠FSA | 20 Min mock MRI scan | Cortisol | ↑ | NA | |||||||
| Corbett et al. (2008) | ASD; TD | 22; 22 | CA; ≠FSA | 20 Min mock MRI scan followed by real scan for subgroup | Cortisol | = | = | Higher variability in ASD group | ||||||
| Corbett et al. (2009) | ASD; TD | 22; 22 | Not specified but statistically controlled | 20 Min mock MRI scan | Cortisol | = | = | Higher variability in ASD group | ||||||
| Jansen et al. (2006) | ASD; TD | 10; 14 | CA; VA; NVA; FSA | 10 Min public speaking (social stress test) | CA; cortisol; adrenalin | ↓CA | NA | |||||||
| Levine et al. (2012) | ASD; TD | 19; 11 | CA; FSA | 10 Min public speaking and other exercises (trier social stress test) | CA; cortisol | ↓Cortisol | = | |||||||
ASD, autism spectrum disorder; HFA, high functioning autism; TD, typically developing; DD, developmental delay; CA, chronological age; VA, verbal ability; NVA, non-verbal ability; FSA, full; CA as a dependent variable, cardiac activity; GSR, galvanic skin responses; EMG, elecromyogramm; BP, blood pressure; RP, respiratory pause.
↓, Decreased response magnitude or differentiation in ASD; ↑, increased response magnitude or differentiation in ASD; =/↑ and =/↓, indicate that responses were atypical in relation to only a subset of stimuli and/or in only a subgroup of participants. NA, not applicable.