Social and Non-Social Stimuli in Children:

In this study, we are interested in the expectation toward social and non-social stimuli in young kids, both neurotypical and with Autism Spectrum Disorder. For this experiment, your child will take part in various cognitive and social assessments, as well as undergo an EEG to measure their brain waves in response to some videos.

Now recruiting both neurotypical children and children who have been diagnosed with autism, that are 3-4 years old.

For more information, please email xil239@ucsd.edu. 

Fill out our signup form to participate!

How do Adults Process Social Information?

In this 45-minute study in the DN Lab EEG room, we are exploring how adults interpret and respond to different types of social cues. During the session, participants will view a variety of visual stimuli while we record brain activity using noninvasive EEG. This study helps us better understand patterns of social processing in adults with autism.

Recruitment begins Winter 2026. Adults (Age 18-22)

For more information, email: j1cervantes@ucsd.edu or naschafer@ucsd.edu

How Does Face Perception Develop in Children With Autism?

In this online study, your child will see two faces on the screen. The top parts of the faces will either be the same or different. Your child will be asked to decide whether the top halves of the faces are the same or different. At the end, we will ask you to fill out some questionnaires about your child’s diagnosis. This study will help us better understand the development of face perception in kids with autism.
 
This study is through Children Helping Science! Parents, you will need to make an account first, and then you can access the study any time! You can find the study here! For more information, email: annapusok@ucsd.edu

Face Processing in Adults With Autism?

In this online study, you will see faces and we will ask you various questions about the faces. This study helps us better understand how autistic adults process faces and how they recognize emotions. If you’re interested in participating, email: annapusok@ucsd.edu

Adult Social Implicit Learning

This study examines implicit learning with social and nonsocial stimuli in a healthy adult population. It involves participants learning to predict the outcome of social and nonsocial cues. This study tests a novel paradigm adapted from the Weather Prediction Task. 
 
For more information, please email: wphartwell@ucsd.edu

Social and Nonsocial Implicit Learning

This study examines social and nonsocial implicit learning in autistic and neurotypical children ages 7-11. Participants predict the social and nonsocial outcomes of social and nonsocial cues. This experiment adapts the Weather Prediction Task to create a social version of the task and a matching nonsocial version.

For more information, please email: wphartwell@ucsd.edu