Cognition of Awkwardness in People with ASD: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

This study analyzed how people with typical development (TD) perceive awkwardness during different stages of life and contrasted these perceptions with cognitions about people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Participants (ns＝214 people with TD, 111 people with ASD, ages 9–60) were asked when they felt awkward. Their responses were grouped into 12 categories and analyzed. The results showed that elementary school-aged TD participants felt awkward when another person's opinions or feelings opposed their own. High school students felt awkward in interpersonal relationships. Meanwhile, ASD participants ages 16 and older failed to understand the relationship between themselves and others, or to immediately sense the atmosphere of other people. ASD participants were especially less perceptive of awkwardness in the contexts of conversations and facial or non-verbal cues. However, they tended to feel awkward when they could not handle an issue on their own. The discussion concerned the characteristics and development of cognitions of awkwardness that people with ASD perceive in comparison to people with TD.