TY - JOUR
T1 - Top-down modulation of the perception of other people in schizophrenia and autism
AU - Cook, Jennifer
AU - Barbalat, Guillaume
AU - Blakemore, Sarah-Jayne
PY - 2012
Y1 - 2012
N2 - Accurately and efficiently perceiving social cues such as body movements and facial expressions is important in social interaction. Accurate social perception of this kind does not solely rely on "bottom-up" visual processing but is also subject to modulation by "top-down" signals. For example, if instructed to look for signs of happiness rather than fear, participants are more likely to categorize facial expressions as happy-this prior expectation biases subsequent perception. Top-down modulation is also important in our reactions to others. For example, top-down control over imitation plays an important role in the development of smooth and harmonious social interactions. This paper highlights the importance of top-down modulation in our perception of, and reactions to, others. We discuss evidence that top-down modulation of social perception and imitation is atypical in Autism Spectrum Conditions and in schizophrenia, and we consider the effect this may have on the development of social interactions for individuals with these developmental disorders.
AB - Accurately and efficiently perceiving social cues such as body movements and facial expressions is important in social interaction. Accurate social perception of this kind does not solely rely on "bottom-up" visual processing but is also subject to modulation by "top-down" signals. For example, if instructed to look for signs of happiness rather than fear, participants are more likely to categorize facial expressions as happy-this prior expectation biases subsequent perception. Top-down modulation is also important in our reactions to others. For example, top-down control over imitation plays an important role in the development of smooth and harmonious social interactions. This paper highlights the importance of top-down modulation in our perception of, and reactions to, others. We discuss evidence that top-down modulation of social perception and imitation is atypical in Autism Spectrum Conditions and in schizophrenia, and we consider the effect this may have on the development of social interactions for individuals with these developmental disorders.
U2 - 10.3389/fnhum.2012.00175
DO - 10.3389/fnhum.2012.00175
M3 - Article
C2 - 22715325
SN - 1662-4548
VL - 6
SP - 175
JO - Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
JF - Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
ER -