The central coherence theory: what it consists of and how it explains autism.

This theory developed by Uta Frith explains different modes of brain processing.

Every moment we receive an unimaginable amount of stimuli from the environment that our brain is in charge of processing.

But how is it possible to cope with this enormous amount of information, integrating it almost instantaneously? Part of the credit goes to the theory of central coherencea concept that we are going to explore in depth in the following lines.

What is the theory of central coherence?

To talk about the theory of central coherence we must go back to 1989, when the psychologist Uta Frith, from the University College of London, coined this concept. According to Frith, our brain always looks for a line of coherence in all the stimuli that it captures from the environment through all the senses, in order to be able to integrate and group them quickly.

In this way, all the information we are bombarded with at every moment is given shape, creating sets of stimuli that have been accessed by different ways (sight, hearing, etc.) and are automatically grouped together to establish the coherence we need to establish the coherence we need to understand them. to establish the coherence we need to be able to understand the reality that takes place around us and that we perceive at all times.

Imagine for a moment how chaotic it would be if we were not able to interpret that what our sight, hearing or touch perceives, at a given moment, is part of the same stimulus, and we could not establish a connection between all this information. This occurs in some individuals, in those affected by Autism Spectrum Disorders, and this is what Dr. Frith focused her research on. We will see it in the next point.

Weak central coherence theory

What Uta Frith discovered is that people affected with autism have difficulties in applying this mechanismTherefore, what she called weak central coherence theory would apply to these individuals.

That is to say, part of the characteristics of autism spectrum disorders could be explained because these individuals would not have the capacity (or it would be more reduced) to automatically associate perceived stimuli to adapt them to common patterns.

This phenomenon often causes people suffering from autism to tend to focus their attention on very specific details of reality and not on the whole of the elements that make it up. of the elements that make it up. This has the disadvantages we have already seen, but in return it can generate a surprising effect, and that is an unthinkable capacity in the rest of individuals to process specific details.

Recall the famous scene in the movie Rain Manin which the character played by Dustin Hoffman, a man with a type of autism, sees how the waitress of the restaurant where he is, drops a box of chopsticks, scattering them all over the floor. He automatically knows that there are two hundred and forty-six, which added to the four that have not fallen, complete the two hundred and fifty that were originally there.

In this example we can clearly observe an example of the theory of weak central coherence, which instead of grouping the stimuli in sets allows the sufferer to focus on very specific details, such as the number of toothpicks on the floor, in this case. A person who did not suffer from this pathology, unless he or she has a highly developed capacity, would have had to count the toothpicks one by one to know the exact amount there were.

Revision of the concept

However, subsequent studies by psychologist Francesca Happé and Uta Frith herself in 2006 changed the original view of the concept of weak central coherence theory, put forward 15 years earlier. This revision resulted in three major changes, which are reflected in three new hypotheses in this regard. Let us review each of them to learn what these proposed changes consist of.

Local processing superiority

The first hypothesis refers to a supposed superiority of local processing (of concrete details) as opposed to central processing. In other words, the vision would change the deficit that was believed to exist in the general processing, replacing it by a superiority in the processes of local elementsThe perspective of the original question would therefore be changed.

Cognitive bias

On the other hand, the new revision of the theory of central coherence, in this weak case, affirms that people suffering from autism are not incapable of global processing of reality, but rather that have a cognitive bias that makes them predisposed to use more frequently local processing and therefore tend to focus on very specific details and not on sets of stimuli.

3. Social difficulties

The third change of perspective has to do with the difficulties in social interactions that people with ASD usually experience, and the first view of the theory of weak central coherence put this as the cause of such problems in the interaction with peers, while the new perspective presents this behavior as one more characteristic of cognition in people with autism. one more characteristic of cognition in people with autism..

Other views

But this is not the only revision that the central coherence theory has undergone. In 2010, Dr. Simon Baron-Cohen, who specializes in the study of autism, updated the vision of this concept, adapting it to new research. In this sense, the most innovative modification was to to relate the theory of central coherence to that of connectivity..

What this theory refers to is that individuals with autism spectrum disorders would have what is known as short-range hyperconnectivity rather than long-range. What does this translate into? It means that these individuals have more neural networks dedicated to local, nearby connections..

Another concept he introduces is that of sensory hypersensitivity, which would explain why some people with autism have such a highly developed capacity to find and analyze certain stimuli through the visual pathway. Here the example of Rain Man and the chopsticks that we saw at the beginning would fit perfectly. By having that sensory hypersensitivity and that abundance of neural connections, the individual can, at a glance, find and analyze certain stimuli through the visual pathway, the individual can, in a single glance, tell the exact number of chopsticks there are in a single glance..

Baron-Cohen's is not the only view different from Frith's. We would also find, for example, the work of Peter Hobson, who brings a different point of view to the central coherence theory regarding the social relationship abilities of people with autism spectrum disorders.

According to Hobson, as a general rule, all people are born with the capacity to be able to interact with our fellow human beings in an emotional way. However, subjects with autism would be born without this capacity, which would cause them the difficulties in relating that we have already mentioned. What would be failing is a process of action-reaction in which all human interactions of an affective nature are simplified..

Not having this mechanism would initiate a chain that would make it difficult for the subject, as a child, to adequately recognize the emotions and intentions of others, which would make him lack vital training to have correct social skills as an adult that would allow him to relate fluently with the rest of individuals. It should be clear that these assertions are part of Hobson's theory, and there are other points of view that diverge from them.

In conclusion

We have already explored the origins of the theory of central coherence, especially the one known as weak, as well as its different revisions and other theories related to it and even opposed to it.

The fundamental point is that this theory allows us to understand in more detail some of the behavioral characteristics of individuals with autismThis is extremely useful for all those who work or live with people belonging to this group.

However, it is a field in constant development, However, this is a field in constant development, and new articles about autism spectrum disorders are continually being published about autism spectrum disorders that mention this and other theories, so we must remain updated with the studies that are being conducted each year to be always aware of the most contrasted ideas that best explain processes as delicate and important as those we have been seeing throughout this article.

Bibliographical references:

• Baron-Cohen, S., Chaparro, S. (2010). Autism and Asperger syndrome. Alianza Editorial.
• Frith, U. (1989). A new look at language and communication in autism. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders.
• Happé, F., Frith, U. (2006). The Weak Coherence Account: Detail-focused Cognitive Style in Autism Spectrum Disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.
• Lopez, B., Leekam, S.R. (2007). Central coherence theory: a review of theoretical assumptions. Childhood and learning. Taylor & Francis.