Is the contextual effect weak in people with Williams syndrome? An investigation of information integration ability using pictures.

Previous studies have shown that deficiencies in visuospatial perception and semantic processing in people with Williams syndrome (WS) are due to deficient central cohesiveness. Unlike previous studies that used abstract stimuli, this study used pictures to determine the relative ability of people with WS to integrate contextual information with the aim of exploring the nature of central coherence in people with WS. Participants were sequentially presented with a leading background picture followed by a single-item target picture and required to assess the congruence of the two pictures. The results showed that our participants with WS performed the same pattern as controls matched by chronological age (CA) and mental age (MA), demonstrating a contextual effect between congruent and incongruent conditions. Using concrete pictures, contextual integration was successfully induced in people with WS. There were differences between groups in response latencies and accuracy percentages, suggesting that contextual integration in information processing normally develops from childhood to adulthood, but is delayed in people with WS.