University of Twente Student Theses
Autism within Investigative Interviews: Examining the Impact of Procedural Information on Stress Levels
Gebker, J. (2024) Autism within Investigative Interviews: Examining the Impact of Procedural Information on Stress Levels.
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| Abstract: | Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) describes a developmental difference in neurological functions of the brain, which has significant impacts on individuals who live with this condition. Individuals with ASD often experience a high amount of stress due to their broad set of symptoms, including struggles with social interaction and communication, sensory anomalies, repetitive behaviours, and diverse degrees of intellect. These characteristics of ASD can lead to difficulties in investigative interviews, as those have a high-pressure, stressful nature and are most often designed with neurotypicals in mind. Consequently, investigative interviews can intensify symptoms of ASD, possibly leading to wrongful incrimination of autistics. Accordingly, a solution needs to be found that decreases stress levels in autistics during investigative interviews to circumvent adverse outcomes, such as autistic meltdowns and, in worse cases, incrimination due to false confessions. This study investigates if providing procedural information prior to investigative interviews can reduce stress levels in individuals with ASD during those interviews. A 2 (procedural information vs. no procedural information) x 2 (Neurotypicals vs. ASD) x 2 (pre-interview vs. post-interview) between-group experimental design was employed. In total, 43 participants (11 autistics and 32 neurotypicals) participated in the study, which involved a mock investigative interview and questionnaires about state stress levels. Depending on the group, individuals received either procedural information (N= 19) or a filler task (N= 24) before the interviews. No significant interaction effects were found in the repeated measures ANOVA, indicating no effect of procedural information on stress levels. Yet, the main effect of procedural information was significant, showing a significant difference between the two compared groups. This leaves important implications for future research, as the difference in stress levels cannot be explained by procedural information but must be due to another variable not included in this analysis. Consequently, further research needs to be conducted to explore which variable was responsible for the effect. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Bachelor) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 77 psychology |
| Programme: | Psychology BSc (56604) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/100114 |
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