When the social mirror breaks: deficits in automatic , but not voluntary , mimicry of emotional facial expressions in autism.

McIntosh, D.N., Reichmann-Decker, A., Winkielman, P., & Wilbarger, J.L. (2006)

Developmental Science 9:3 295-302.

KRO ideas from this   empathy as a form of mimicry

Lundquist & Dimberg, 1995 Facial expressions are contagious Journal of Psychophysiology, 9, 203-211.  

Method

ASD  & control group

Viewed happy and angry expressions ( KRO is this sufficient ? - doesn't it have to be real a point that needs to be explored before finalising rationale for PhD)

Compared automatic mimicry ( just watch) and voluntary 'make an expression like this one' ( KRO -ehem)

Used EMG to collect data  zgomotor and corrugator ( no rationale given for these two muscles shouldn't they consider some controls eg frontalis and ocularis ) 

Worth checking out the EMG recording   & analysis details , article in PhD folder - social imitation autism also the following references

Fridlund & Cacioppo (1986) Guidelines for human EMG research Psychophysiology, 23, 567-589.

Tassinary, L.G., & Cacioppo, J.T. (2000) 

Analysis EMG response classified as either congruent or incongruent based on which muscle was activated in  response to a particular picture.

Results

Compared to normal functioning ASD did not exhibit as much automatic mimicry.

ASD & typical participants provided similar response patterns in the voluntary situation.