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We have a new paper out in @FrontPsychol!
We wanted to learn about rapport in autistic, non-autistic, & mixed autistic/non-autistic interactions.
We were interested in experiences of rapport & how external observers perceive rapport
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.586171/full
THREAD
[1/14]
We wanted to learn about rapport in autistic, non-autistic, & mixed autistic/non-autistic interactions.
We were interested in experiences of rapport & how external observers perceive rapport
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.586171/full
THREAD
[1/14]
Rapport is a feeling of co-ordination and harmony when youāre interacting with another person. Itās about the interaction between two people (this makes it different from a lot of other psychological constructs that relate to an individual). [2/14]
It can be quite a tricky thing to measure. You can either ask people to rate their own experience of rapport, or ask observers to watch people interacting and to rate their perception of their rapport.
We did both! [3/14]
We did both! [3/14]
In Study 1, we looked at self-rated rapport ā peoples own experiences. Pairs of people completed tasks together & afterwards rated their rapport.
Pairs were either two autistic people, two non-autistic people, or a mixed pair of one autistic & one non-autistic person [4/14]
Pairs were either two autistic people, two non-autistic people, or a mixed pair of one autistic & one non-autistic person [4/14]
Mixed pairs had lower rapport than both autistic pairs and non-autistic pairs. Non-autistic pairs had higher rapport than autistic pairs.(We talk about the possible reasons for this effect in the paper. I canāt quite squeeze it into a tweet!) [5/14]
![Mixed pairs had lower rapport than both autistic pairs and non-autistic pairs. Non-autistic pairs had higher rapport than autistic pairs.(We talk about the possible reasons for this effect in the paper. I canāt quite squeeze it into a tweet!) [5/14]](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ElBGUyrXgAArsHw.png "Mixed pairs had lower rapport than both autistic pairs and non-autistic pairs. Non-autistic pairs had higher rapport than autistic pairs.(We talk about the possible reasons for this effect in the paper. I canāt quite squeeze it into a tweet!) [5/14]")
In Study 2, we videoed autistic, non-autistic, and mixed pairs chatting.
Autistic & non-autistic observers watched the videos & rated each pairsā rapport.
We wanted to know how observers perceived rapport, and if autistic & non-autistic observer perceptions differed [6/14]
Autistic & non-autistic observers watched the videos & rated each pairsā rapport.
We wanted to know how observers perceived rapport, and if autistic & non-autistic observer perceptions differed [6/14]
Autistic pairs were rated by observers as having the highest rapport. 
Their rapport was higher than non-autistic pairs - and mixed pairs had the lowest rapport. Autistic and non-autistic observers didnāt differ in their ratings [7/14]
![Autistic pairs were rated by observers as having the highest rapport. Their rapport was higher than non-autistic pairs - and mixed pairs had the lowest rapport. Autistic and non-autistic observers didnāt differ in their ratings [7/14]](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ElBGWAoWAAEz52i.jpg "Autistic pairs were rated by observers as having the highest rapport. Their rapport was higher than non-autistic pairs - and mixed pairs had the lowest rapport. Autistic and non-autistic observers didnāt differ in their ratings [7/14]")
(Again, if you want to know more about why we might have found this effect, hop on over to the paper, where we cover it in the discussion) [8/14]
Our take home message is that self & observer-rated rapport is lower in mixed pairs.
This suggests that rapport-building difficulties arenāt due to autistic social ādeficitsā, and instead arise within interactions with non-autistic people.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.586171/full [9/14]
This suggests that rapport-building difficulties arenāt due to autistic social ādeficitsā, and instead arise within interactions with non-autistic people.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.586171/full [9/14]
Huge thanks to all our participants, to wonderful collaborators & co-authors @dewropargmailc1, @axbey, @SueReviews , @EgfEmma & Martha Sharp, to our funders @TempletonWorld, and to our excellent peer reviewers @KristenBott and @JacdenHouting [10/14]
This paper is part of a @FrontPsychol collection on innovations & future directions in psychological autism research organised by @LauraMayCrane et al. Iām looking forward to see what else comes out in this collection! Hereās the link [11/14]
https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/11742/autism-innovations-and-future-directions-in-psychological-research#articles
https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/11742/autism-innovations-and-future-directions-in-psychological-research#articles
P.S. If you like this, you might also want to learn about information transfer between autistic and non-autistic people. Our paper on this is hereā¦ [12/14] https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1362361320919286
P.P.S....and if youād like some more in-depth info about how autistic people describe their relationships with autistic and non-autistic family and friends, we have a qualitative paper hereā¦[13/14] https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1362361320908976
Anyway, have a lovely day, and I hope if you read the paper that you enjoy it. A mega thanks to all involved again ā youāre all a delight. Iām off to celebrate with a cuppa (WILD, I know). [14/14]
