National Institute of Mental Health 5R01MH138421-02

Investigation into the role of value learning in core features of autism in toddlers

This award funds research to study how value learning affects social attention differences in toddlers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by examining responses to social and nonsocial stimuli and reinforcers. The goal is to understand early autism biomarkers and their impact on neural development and social cognition.

Description

The proposal aims to investigate the role of stimulus and reinforcer type (social versus nonsocial) in value learning and to reveal if autism-specific alterations in value learning are present at the earliest time when autism can be reliably diagnosed, and if the individual differences in value learning associate with core attentional and behavioral features of autism. The study explores mechanisms underlying differences in social attention, focusing on value learning, which is an implicit process where neutral stimuli paired with reinforcers gain salience. The research involves examining how social and nonsocial stimuli and reinforcers influence value learning in toddlers with ASD, typical development, and developmental delays, using gaze-contingent eye-tracking tasks. The project will analyze the effects of stimulus and reinforcer types on value learning indices, and how these relate to social attention and autism severity, in children aged 18-30 months.

View original record