Main description:

Thinking, Reasoning, and Decision Making in Autism provides fresh insights into the cognitive processes that underlie some of the typical characteristics of autism. Autism has long been considered an enigma, and no single theory so far has been able to explain, or even fully describe, the key characteristics of the autistic mind. From the interdisciplinary perspective of new research in cognitive psychology, linguistics, philosophy, and neuroscience, this book explores thinking, reasoning, and decision making in autism.

The new cognitive approaches challenge some of the existing assumptions of the nature of thought in autism, including presumed areas of impairments. Instead, this book focuses on the nuanced array of cognitive signatures that characterize the autistic mind, and in many cases it reveals the possibility of intact performance alongside instances of remarkably enhanced thinking. The book considers the implications of these characteristics, providing in-depth analyses of specific areas of cognitive functioning, and their everyday manifestations.

Featuring contributions from world-leading researchers from the fields of cognitive science and autism research, this volume will be essential reading for advanced students and researchers, as well as those working with individuals with autism spectrum disorders.

Contents:

Chapter 1

How do Individuals with Autism Think?

Kinga Morsanyi and Ruth M.J. Byrne

Chapter 2

The Dual Process Theory of Autism

Chris Ashwin and Mark Brosnan

Chapter 3

Decision-Making Processes of High-Functioning Adults on the Autism Spectrum

Irwin P. Levin, Gary J. Gaeth, Aron M. Levin, and Eleanor V. Burke

Chapter 4

Analogical Reasoning in Autism: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Kinga Morsanyi, Dusan Stamenkovic, & Keith J. Holyoak

Chapter 5

Counterfactual and False-Belief Reasoning in Individuals with Autism

Celia Rasga, A. Cristina Quelhas, and Ruth M.J. Byrne

Chapter 6

Pragmatic Reasoning in Autism

Bart Geurts, Mikhail Kissine, and Bob van Tiel

Chapter 7

Reasoning and Discourse Coherence in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Keith Stenning and Michiel Van Lambalgen