Author:
Jassim Nazia,Owen Adrian M.,Smith Paula,Suckling John,Lawson Rebecca P.,Baron-Cohen Simon,Parsons Owen
Abstract
AbstractDiscriminating between similar figures proves to be a remarkably demanding task due to the limited capacity of our visual cognitive processes. Here we examine how perceptual inference and decision-making are modulated by differences arising from neurodiversity. A large sample of autistic (n = 140) and typical (n = 147) participants completed two forced choice similarity judgement tasks online. Each task consisted of “match” (identical figures) and “mismatch” (subtle differences between figures) conditions. Signal detection theory analyses indicated a response bias by the autism group during conditions of uncertainty. More specifically, autistic participants were more likely to choose the “mismatch” option, thus leading to more hits on the “mismatch” condition, but also more false alarms on the “match” condition. These results suggest differences in response strategies during perceptual decision-making in autism.
Funder
Newnham College, University of Cambridge
NSERC Discovery Grant
Canada Excellence Research Chairs, Government of Canada
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
CIFAR
NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre
Autistica
Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine
Wellcome Trust Henry Dale Fellowship
Wellcome Trust
Medical Research Council
Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking
Autism Centre of Excellence
Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative
Templeton World Charitable Fund
National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration East of England
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC