Abstract
This study examined brain activity in college students with the broad autism phenotype (BAP) while viewing facial expressions. Quantitative Electroencephalogram assessments were conducted in the temporal lobe area in the brains of 38 college students declared as Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) majors. Participants were divided into BAP+ versus BAP- groups based on their scores on the Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire (BAPQ). Findings revealed that individuals categorized as BAP+ demonstrated a higher alpha relative power score and a higher T4 relative to T3 coherence Z score when looking at expressive faces than when looking at neutral faces when compared to the BAP- individuals. Also, participants classified as BAP+ had significantly lower social adjustment than those classified as BAP-. Findings discuss the possibility of using QEEG BAP+ brain markers as an objective measure of social impairments in at-risk college students.
Keywords: Broad Autism Phenotype (BAP), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Electroencephalography (EEG), alpha activity, face processing
","abstract_html":"<p>Abstract</p> <p>This study examined brain activity in college students with the broad autism phenotype (BAP) while viewing facial expressions. Quantitative Electroencephalogram assessments were conducted in the temporal lobe area in the brains of 38 college students declared as Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) majors. Participants were divided into BAP+ versus BAP- groups based on their scores on the Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire (BAPQ). Findings revealed that individuals categorized as BAP+ demonstrated a higher alpha relative power score and a higher T4 relative to T3 coherence Z score when looking at expressive faces than when looking at neutral faces when compared to the BAP- individuals. Also, participants classified as BAP+ had significantly lower social adjustment than those classified as BAP-. Findings discuss the possibility of using QEEG BAP+ brain markers as an objective measure of social impairments in at-risk college students.</p> <p><em>Keywords: Broad Autism Phenotype (BAP), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Electroencephalography (EEG), alpha activity, face processing</em></p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Beaver, Amy Gaylord"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy - School Psychology","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Human Services","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Luis Aguerrevere, Ph.D.","Jillian Dawes, Ph.D.","Nina Ellis-Hervey, Ph.D."],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2018,"date_issued":"2018-12-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2018-12-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:30:22Z","subjects":["Broad Autism Phenotype (BAP)","Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)","Electroencephalography (EEG)","alpha activity","face processing","School Psychology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/223","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Luis Aguerrevere, Ph.D.","Jillian Dawes, Ph.D.","Nina Ellis-Hervey, Ph.D."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Beaver, Amy Gaylord"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2018-12-16T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Human Services"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Philosophy - School Psychology"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Broad Autism Phenotype (BAP)","Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)","Electroencephalography (EEG)","alpha activity","face processing","School Psychology"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/223"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Abstract
This study examined brain activity in college students with the broad autism phenotype (BAP) while viewing facial expressions. Quantitative Electroencephalogram assessments were conducted in the temporal lobe area in the brains of 38 college students declared as Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) majors. Participants were divided into BAP+ versus BAP- groups based on their scores on the Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire (BAPQ). Findings revealed that individuals categorized as BAP+ demonstrated a higher alpha relative power score and a higher T4 relative to T3 coherence Z score when looking at expressive faces than when looking at neutral faces when compared to the BAP- individuals. Also, participants classified as BAP+ had significantly lower social adjustment than those classified as BAP-. Findings discuss the possibility of using QEEG BAP+ brain markers as an objective measure of social impairments in at-risk college students.
Keywords: Broad Autism Phenotype (BAP), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Electroencephalography (EEG), alpha activity, face processing
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This study examined brain activity in college students with the broad autism phenotype (BAP) while viewing facial expressions. Quantitative Electroencephalogram assessments were conducted in the temporal lobe area in the brains of 38 college students declared as Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) majors. Participants were divided into BAP+ versus BAP- groups based on their scores on the Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire (BAPQ). Findings revealed that individuals categorized as BAP+ demonstrated a higher alpha relative power score and a higher T4 relative to T3 coherence Z score when looking at expressive faces than when looking at neutral faces when compared to the BAP- individuals. Also, participants classified as BAP+ had significantly lower social adjustment than those classified as BAP-. Findings discuss the possibility of using QEEG BAP+ brain markers as an objective measure of social impairments in at-risk college students.
Keywords: Broad Autism Phenotype (BAP), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Electroencephalography (EEG), alpha activity, face processing
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/223"],"dc:subject":["Broad Autism Phenotype (BAP)","Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)","Electroencephalography (EEG)","alpha activity","face processing","School Psychology"],"dc:title":["Brain Activity in College Students with the Broad Autism Phenotype"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Human Services"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Philosophy - School Psychology"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:30:22Z"}