Social and non-social deficits in children with high-functioning autism and their cooperative behaviors

The persistent deficits in social communication and social interactions of individuals with high-functioning autism (HFA) may impair their cooperative behaviors. This study investigated the relationship between social and non-social deficits in children with HFA and the cooperative behaviors of such children. Theory of mind (ToM), executive function, and central coherence of children with HFA and typically developing (TD) children, aged 6-12 years, were investigated, and the effects of these social and non-social deficits on children's cooperativeness were examined. The classical prisoner's dilemma game (PDG) and cooperative implemental tasks were used to assess children's cooperativeness. ToM was measured using a series of classical false belief tasks and the face test. The Wisconsin Card Sorting Task (WCST) and the Embedded Figures Test (EFT) were administered to assess executive function and central coherence, respectively. The results showed that there was no significant difference in cooperation in PDG between HFA and TD children, while cooperation in children with HFA in the interruption period of the implemental tasks was significantly lower than that of TD children. Children with HFA had social deficits and had more poorly developed ToM than TD children, and executive function in children with HFA was poorer than that in TD children. Different types of deficits were predictive of HFA children's degree of cooperation on different tasks: the social perceptual component of ToM and executive function predicted children's cooperativeness in the PDG, and executive function predicted HFA children's cooperativeness during the interruption period of an implemental task. By contrast, central coherence did not predict either of the two types of cooperation. It might indicate that the two different types of cooperative tasks may require different mental abilities.