Title: What you can't ignore: examining distraction in autism
Funder: Economic and Social Research Council

Abstract: Autism is a developmental condition characterised by persistent differences in how a person perceives and interacts with their surroundings. Many autistic people find everyday environments overwhelming, whereby distracting information is not effectively inhibited, causing interference with perception and cognition. These overwhelming experiences can impact on the ability to engage in society. However, research to date has not well characterised the nature of these experiences, or the mental processes which underlie them. The overarching aim of this project is to examine the role of distraction in autism. This aim can be broken down into further specific objectives: 1. Characterise distraction in autistic adults The work in this project will draw on both subjective accounts (stream 1) and experimental testing (stream 2) to capture issues with inhibiting distracting information in autistic people. Subjective accounts will provide a rich source of information about distraction, autistic people's perspectives on these experiences and how they impact their lives. Common themes, stimuli and contexts which create difficulties will be brought together. This will be complemented by experimental work in which the features of distracting stimuli will be carefully manipulated in order to measure the circumstances in which inhibition functions less effectively for autistic people. 2. Understand the mental processes underlying distraction in autism There is emerging evidence from visual perception research that the extent to which irrelevant information is inhibited can be determined by context. For instance, knowing where distracting information is likely to appear can enhance inhibition. Existing autism research has not considered the role of context in distraction. However, this would be valuable to better understand which distracting stimuli cause interference, and for developing effective interventions. In the work in stream 2, I will compare autistic and non-autistic participant's responses to distracting stimuli which appear in different contexts. Computational modelling of participant response data will provide a theoretical account of the mental processes underlying any differences in performance. This will be further supported with eye movement recordings which allow monitoring of moment-to-moment changes in the processing of distracting stimuli. Additionally, work from stream 1 will suggest at avenues for future experimental work, testing stimuli which cause problems with distraction informed more closely by autistic peoples lived experiences and better linking theory to everyday life. 3. Extend theoretical accounts of inhibition The work in this project will also provide valuable insight into theoretical accounts of distraction in the non-autistic population. A computational model of distraction will be tested and extended to assess the impact of experimental manipulations of the distracting information. Additionally, including eye movement recordings alongside modelling can provide convergent forms of evidence regarding the inhibition of distracting stimuli. This will be valuable in improving understanding of inhibition processes and will provide a framework for studying inhibition in other groups including older adults, dyslexics and schizophrenics.

Lay abstract: We have a limited capacity for processing the vast amount of sensory information available to us at any given time. To prevent being overwhelmed, the brain must inhibit irrelevant, distracting information so that information which is relevant to the task at hand can be preferentially processed. For example, in a modern, open-plan office I must inhibit a variety of irrelevant stimuli when focusing on a spreadsheet. This may include colleagues chatter and typing, activity from the street visible through the window and the aroma of perfumes, aftershaves and microwaved food. Autism is a life-long condition in which divergent brain development leads to differences in how a person perceives and interacts with the world around them. For many autistic adults, everyday environments such as offices can be over-stimulating. This can impact on an individual's ability to access the community and work. However, the experience of distraction in autism is currently poorly understood. Little is known about what distracts autistic people and why these experiences happen. The overarching aim of the work in this project is to establish the what and why of distraction in autism. This will involve identifying which stimuli and contexts cause problems for autistic people (what) and the mental processes underlying less effective inhibition (why). In order to address these aims, this project will focus on the features of distracting stimuli. This approach is relevant as not all irrelevant information is equally distracting and the extent to which we are distracted can change over time. For instance (continuing the example above), if I am moved desks to sit by the office window, I may initially find the activity on the street more difficult to suppress compared with the ambient hum of background conversation in the office. However, after a few days sitting by the window the activity outside is likely to become much less distracting. In this project I will investigate whether autistic people's experience of distraction is determined by the nature of the stimuli and context. This will be addressed by combining subjective accounts from autistic people with experimental testing to provide a comprehensive insight into the nature of distraction, drawn from the rich detail and robust measurement which will be provided by this integrated approach. I will compile subjective accounts from autistic people, which can be explored for common themes and concepts regarding distracting experiences. I will also use lab-based studies in which the participant will be asked to make judgments about a target, while presented with distracting information that they are asked to ignore. Importantly, the features of the distracting stimuli will be carefully manipulated, such as whether they include sounds or are moving, and the context in which they are presented, such as whether the distractors are likely to appear in particular locations more frequently. Measuring participant's responses, eye movements towards the distracting stimuli and computational modelling will generate novel insight into the circumstances in which inhibition is impaired in autism and the mental processes underlying these differences. The information from subjective accounts and experimental work in this project will better elucidate distractor interference in autistic adults. This will lead to a considerable theoretical advance in understanding overwhelming perceptual experiences in the condition. Findings will be used to develop tools to advise on adjustments that can be made to everyday environments so that they are more accessible for autistic people.

Research activity codes: 2.3 PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH