BYU professor Garrett Cardon is using art to foster empathy between neurotypical and autistic individuals.
Cardon is an audiologist, cognitive neuroscientist and communication disorders instructor. His original project began about two years ago and focused on the study of empathy.
"The idea was to do both quantitative and qualitative research and then rigorously, scientifically analyze those data, and then give them to artists to then represent artistically," he said.
Cardon hypothesized that people with different neurological patterns would be able to better understand each other using visuals.
"If you and I have a hard time seeing each other's mind, naturally, if we can get it out of our minds and onto a canvas or onto a film screen or something like that, then maybe it's easier for you and I to see each other," he said.
Cardon recently hosted a session where two individuals met in the BYU Museum of Art, observed a piece of artwork and were given time to discuss it. Facilitating discussions about art and emotion in this way appeared to be an effective communication tool.
"It was cool because we were monitoring (their conversation) from a different room," Anna Lewis, a research assistant in Cardon's lab, said. "They finished talking about the art and then they just kind of launched into getting to know each other, and it was cool to see them just talk about random subjects."
Cardon hopes to expand his findings by creating a larger, more immersive experience.
"Now we want to take it to the next step, which is probably making some sort of a museum-based experience where people go and experience the art, and then we're going to evaluate whether that art can facilitate empathy or not," Cardon said.
Cardon also hopes to use storytelling as an artistic way to help people connect.