Discomfort ratings to facial emotional expressions under natural and forced viewing conditions in autistic and typically developing participants, with TAS-20 and AQ measures

Dataset Description This dataset contains behavioral and questionnaire data collected in a study investigating discomfort responses to facial emotional expressions under different viewing conditions. Participants included both autistic individuals and typically developing (TD) controls. Study design and data collection Participants rated their level of discomfort in response to facial expressions depicting different emotional conditions. Ratings were collected under two experimental conditions: natural viewing and manipulated (forced viewing), allowing comparison of spontaneous versus experimentally constrained perceptual processing. Participants The dataset includes data from: Autistic participants Typically developing participants Demographic information is provided for all participants, including relevant background variables collected during recruitment. Measures included In addition to behavioral discomfort ratings, the dataset includes questionnaire data: TAS-20 (Toronto Alexithymia Scale): measures difficulties in identifying and describing emotions AQ (Autism-Spectrum Quotient): measures autistic traits in adults Data structure The dataset includes: Discomfort ratings for facial expressions across emotional categories Condition labels (natural viewing vs forced viewing) Participant group (autistic vs TD) TAS-20 scores AQ scores Demographic variables (e.g., age, gender, and other collected background information) Notes on usage This dataset can be used to examine: Emotional processing differences between autistic and TD individuals Effects of viewing constraints on emotional perception Relationships between discomfort ratings, alexithymia, and autistic traits