自閉症譜系障礙者的臨床症狀之一是欠缺解讀他人情緒線索的能力。過往眼動儀之相關研究以探究自閉症譜系障礙兒童在單純臉孔的情緒辨識表現為主,鮮少針對社會情境的刺激素材來了解自閉症譜系障礙兒童的眼動凝視型態。本研究的主要目的是以眼動儀了解自閉症譜系障礙兒童與一般發展兒童在靜態情境下的情緒材料的辨識力與凝視型態之表現。本研究共招募21名自閉症譜系障礙兒童作為實驗組,搭配21名學前一般發展兒童作為對照組,年齡介於四至七歲,實驗的素材為具生態特性情境下的五種情緒照片(高興、難過、生氣、害怕,以及驚訝),依變項為五種情緒之情緒辨識的正確率,以及在不同興趣區間的凝視時間。研究結果顯示:在靜態情境下的情緒辨識表現中,整體情緒及個別之高興、難過、生氣、害怕等情緒,自閉症譜系障礙組的辨識正確率皆顯著低於一般發展組;只有在驚訝的情緒辨識表現上,二組受試者的辨識正確率沒有達顯著差異。在凝視時間的表現中,自閉症譜系障礙組與一般發展組於情境中各興趣區的平均凝視總時間呈現顯著差異;但,在驚訝情緒中,組別與各興趣區則無顯著差異。最後依據研究結果與發現,提供對自閉症譜系障礙兒童的情緒辨識研究與教學之建議。
One core characteristic of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (i.e., ASD) is difficulties in social interaction, which affect their understanding of others' emotions and lead to dysfunction in social life. The present study used an eye-tracking technique to examine performance of emotional recognition and AOI gaze pattern of the emotional stimuli under the static condition among 21 children with ASD and 21 without, ranging from four to seven years of age. The dependent variables included the number of correct responses in labeling the emotions- happy, sad, anger, fear, and surprise in the static condition and their AOI gaze duration. The results revealed that when presenting the static pictures of happy, sad, angry, and fear, the mean scores of correct responses among children with ASD were significantly lower than that of their typically developing counterparts. However, no difference was found between the two groups for the emotion of surprise. Likewise, a significant difference was uncovered between the two groups in AOI gaze duration for all emotions except for the surprise emotion. The present study offers recommendations for teaching children with ASD about emotions and a new direction for future research.