The human visual system is engaged in an active search for structure in the visual environment, which allows us to interpret visual information in its context. Organising principles, so-called Gestalt laws, influence how visual elements are aggregated into coherent units. The cognitive profile of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has been shown to be characterised by deficits as well as superior visuo-spatial skills (Falter, Plaisted, & Davis, 2008), which suggest abnormal visual integration mechanisms. Indeed, children with ASD and matched typically-developing children have been shown to differ in their Gestalt grouping patterns: children with ASD showed a strong bias towards proximity grouping when this was in competition with similarity grouping, while typically-developing children could group by both proximity and similarity (Falter, Plaisted Grant & Davis, 2010). The chronology of perceptual grouping has been investigated in an event-related potential study (Han, Ding and Song, 2002) and has been shown to diverge between Gestalt principles. Using MEG, we are currently investigating whether differences in the chronology of proximity and similarity grouping in ASD might contribute to their Gestalt grouping deficits. This project is generously funded by the Baily Thomas Charitable Trust and the DFG (German Research Foundation). Contact: autism.research(at)psych.ox.ac.uk or christine.falter(at)psych.ox.ac.uk

Falter, C.M., Plaisted, K. C., & Davis, G. (2010). Object-based attention reveals selective abnormalities of visual integration in autism. Autism Research, 3 (3), 128-136.

Falter, C.M., Plaisted, K., & Davis, G. (2008). Visuo-spatial Processing in Autism – Testing the Predictions of Extreme Male Brain Theory. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 38, 507-515.

Han, S., Ding, Y., & Song, Y. (2002). Neural mechanisms of perceptual grouping in humans as revealed by high density event related potentials. Neuroscience Letters, 319, 29-32.