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A bibliometric analysis of executive functions in autism spectrum disorder

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Abstract

Executive Functions (EFs) is one of the pervasive areas of cognitive science that has received much attention in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Given the importance as well as the breadth and complexity of the various disciplines involved, the present study examined EFs literature over a period of thirty years. EFs research indexed in the Web of Science (WOS) between 1990 and 2019 were analyzed using the bibliometric method. Results showed that 5514 documents had a significant citation average (citations per document = 30.6). Analysis indicated that the United States had the largest number of publications (2519) in this field and excelled in most bibliometric indicators, followed by UK (819), Canada (394), and Australia (362). The largest number of documents have been published by authors affiliated with the University of London (386). Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders published the biggest share of documents (508 documents, 9.21% of all publications). Finally, the result of the correlation between bibliometric indicators and the global prevalence rate of ASD in high prevalence countries showed a moderate and significant relationship between ASD prevalence rates with two indicators: Citations per Document/CPD (rKTB = .39, p ≤ .05), and Relative Specialization Index/RSI (rKTB = .429, p ≤ .05).

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Data Availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available in the Web of Science, http://www.webofknowledge.com/

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology and Special Education, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

    Masoud Shekarro

  2. Department of Knowledge and Information Science, Faculty of Management, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

    Mohsen Fazeli-Varzaneh

  3. Department of Pediatrics, Norton Children’s Autism Center affiliated with University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY, USA

    Grace M. Kuravackel

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  1. Masoud Shekarro
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  2. Mohsen Fazeli-Varzaneh
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  3. Grace M. Kuravackel
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Correspondence to Mohsen Fazeli-Varzaneh.

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Shekarro, M., Fazeli-Varzaneh, M. & Kuravackel, G.M. A bibliometric analysis of executive functions in autism spectrum disorder. Curr Psychol 42, 6117–6130 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-01947-6

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