A Closer Look in the Mirror: An Investigation into the Association Between Visual Processing and Mirror Neuron System Activity in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism is characterised by difficulties with social interaction. This thesis investigated whether differences in brain activity in autism might be explained by differences in what people with autism choose to look at in their social environment. Findings from this thesis showed that people with autism cast their gaze at different parts of a social scene compared to people without autism. However, these social attention differences were not related to differences in brain activity. These findings help us to understand brain differences in autism and provide a new direction for clinical neuroscience research.