BACKGROUND Difficulties in recognizing emotions and mental states are central characteristics of autism spectrum conditions (ASC). However, emotion recognition (ER) studies have focused mostly on recognition of the six 'basic' emotions, usually using still pictures of faces. METHODS This study describes a new battery of tasks for testing recognition of nine complex emotions and mental states from video clips of faces and from voice recordings taken from the Mindreading DVD. This battery (the Cambridge Mindreading Face-Voice Battery for Children or CAM-C) was given to 30 high-functioning children with ASC, aged 8 to 11, and to 25 matched controls. RESULTS The ASC group scored significantly lower than controls on complex ER from faces and voices. In particular, participants with ASC had difficulty with six out of nine complex emotions. Age was positively correlated with all task scores, and verbal IQ was correlated with scores in the voice task. CAM-C scores were negatively correlated with parent-reported level of autism spectrum symptoms. CONCLUSIONS Children with ASC show deficits in recognition of complex emotions and mental states from both facial and vocal expressions. The CAM-C may be a useful test for endophenotypic studies of ASC and is one of the first to use dynamic stimuli as an assay to reveal the ER profile in ASC. It complements the adult version of the CAM Face-Voice Battery, thus providing opportunities for developmental assessment of social cognition in autism.

中文翻译：

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剑桥儿童读心面部语音电池 (CAM-C)：有和没有自闭症谱系条件的儿童的复杂情绪识别。

背景识别情绪和精神状态的困难是自闭症谱系条件（ASC）的核心特征。然而，情绪识别 (ER) 研究主要集中在六种“基本”情绪的识别上，通常使用面部的静态图片。方法 这项研究描述了一组新的任务，用于测试从面部视频剪辑和从 Mindreading DVD 中获取的语音记录中对九种复杂情绪和心理状态的识别。该电池（Cambridge Mindreading Face-Voice Battery for Children 或 CAM-C）用于 30 名 8 至 11 岁的高功能 ASC 儿童和 25 名匹配的对照。结果 ASC 组在面部和声音的复杂 ER 上的得分明显低于对照组。特别是，患有 ASC 的参与者在九种复杂情绪中的六种都有困难。年龄与所有任务得分呈正相关，言语智商与语音任务得分相关。CAM-C 评分与父母报告的自闭症谱系症状水平呈负相关。结论 患有 ASC 的儿童在从面部和声音表达中识别复杂的情绪和精神状态方面表现出缺陷。CAM-C 可能是 ASC 内表型研究的有用测试，并且是第一个使用动态刺激作为分析来揭示 ASC 中 ER 谱的方法之一。它补充了成人版 CAM Face-Voice Battery，从而为自闭症社会认知的发展评估提供了机会。结论 患有 ASC 的儿童在从面部和声音表达中识别复杂的情绪和精神状态方面表现出缺陷。CAM-C 可能是 ASC 内表型研究的有用测试，并且是第一个使用动态刺激作为分析来揭示 ASC 中 ER 谱的方法之一。它补充了成人版 CAM Face-Voice Battery，从而为自闭症社会认知的发展评估提供了机会。结论 患有 ASC 的儿童在从面部和声音表达中识别复杂的情绪和精神状态方面表现出缺陷。CAM-C 可能是 ASC 内表型研究的有用测试，并且是第一个使用动态刺激作为分析来揭示 ASC 中 ER 谱的方法之一。它补充了成人版 CAM Face-Voice Battery，从而为自闭症社会认知的发展评估提供了机会。