Article

Recognition memory and source memory in autism spectrum disorder: A study of the intention superiority and enactment effects

Details

Citation

Grainger C, Williams D & Lind S (2017) Recognition memory and source memory in autism spectrum disorder: A study of the intention superiority and enactment effects. Autism, 21 (7), pp. 812-820. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361316653364

Abstract
It is well established that neurotypical individuals generally show better memory for actions they have performed than actions they have observed others perform or merely read about, a so-called ‘enactment effect’. Strikingly, research has also shown that neurotypical individuals demonstrate superior memory for actions they intend to perform in the future (but have not yet performed), an effect commonly known as the ‘intention superiority effect’. Although the enactment effect has been studied among people with autism spectrum disorder, this study is the first to investigate the intention superiority effect in this disorder. This is surprising given the potential importance this issue has for general theory development, as well as for clinical practice. As such, this study aimed to assess the intention superiority and enactment effects in 22 children with autism spectrum disorder, and 20 intelligence quotient/age-matched neurotypical children. The results showed that children with autism spectrum disorder demonstrated not only undiminished enactment effects in recognition and source memory, but also (surprisingly for some theories) typical intention superiority effects. The implications of these results for theory, as well as clinical practice, are discussed.

Keywords
action monitoring; autism spectrum disorder; enactment effect; episodic foresight; intention superiority effect; motor encoding; recognition memory; source memory

Journal
Autism: Volume 21, Issue 7

StatusPublished
Publication date31/10/2017
Publication date online22/06/2016
Date accepted by journal13/05/2016
URLhttp://hdl.handle.net/1893/23799
PublisherSAGE
ISSN1362-3613