Investigating the role of timing processes in autism
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Investigating the role of timing processes in autism
IRAS ID
239548
Contact name
Luke Jones
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Manchester
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 8 months, 31 days
Research summary
Investigating time perception and timing processes in autistic adults
Our sense of timing is essential in how we perceive and interact with the world around us. For instance, when crossing the road we know how long we might expect to wait for the green man to appear. Based on anecdotal reports, it has been suggested that problems with timing and time perception are a key characteristic of autism. These could contribute to some of the symptoms of autism, such as interactions with others, difficulties coordinating movements and reactivity to everyday sensory stimulation. However, psychological experiments investigating the perception of time have yielded mixed results. One issue is that there are a range of different timing behaviours. At a basic level, we can examine how sensitive people are to time using the different senses such as vision and hearing. At an intermediate level, we can ask how well people can perceive duration, that is how long an event lasts for. Finally, we can examine how people think and reason about time; that is knowing where you are in time, understanding the past and planning for the future.
The present study is a comprehensive investigation of timing in autism. This will comprise a number of experiments in which we will compare the performance of autistic adults (aged 18-40) and non-autistic control participants. The experimental tasks will measure timing ability using simple flashes and beeps presented for short durations (less than two seconds). Additionally, we will measure understanding of time and other symptoms of autism, including motor control and sensory processing using questionnaires.
There are two principle research questions:
a) Which timing behaviours are affected in autism?
b) Do timing abilities map onto any of the other symptoms of autism?REC name
North West - Greater Manchester East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/NW/0221
Date of REC Opinion
10 Jun 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion