Stereotypy, Social Responsiveness, and Arousal in a Case of Catatonia

Observations have been made on the stereotyped behaviours of a group of autistic children by means of one-way mirrors; Hutt and Hutt (1965) systematically varied the complexity of the situations in which the children were placed and noted the incidence and severity of the stereotyping.

Abstract

Observations have been made on the stereotyped behaviours of a group of autistic children by means of one-way mirrors; Hutt and Hutt (1965) systematically varied the complexity of the situations in which the children were placed and noted the incidence and severity of the stereotyped behaviours exhibited. Jones (1965) also attempted the quantification and classification of stereotyped behaviours in a group of adult schizophrenic patients. In this experiment the observer was present in the same room. In both experiments the stereotyped behaviours were shown to be responsive to social influences.