Autistic-Like Traits and Positive Schizotypy as Diametric Specializations of the Predictive Mind

Abstract

According to the predictive-processing framework, only prediction errors (rather than all sensory inputs) are processed by an organism’s perceptual system. Prediction errors can be weighted such that errors from more reliable sources will be more influential in updating prior beliefs. It has previously been argued that autism-spectrum conditions can be understood as resulting from a predictive-processing mechanism in which an inflexibly high weight is given to sensory-prediction errors that results in overfitting their predictive models to the world. Deficits in executive functioning, theory of mind, and central coherence are all argued to flow naturally from this core underlying mechanism. The diametric model of autism and psychosis suggests a simple extension of this hypothesis. If people on the autism spectrum give an inflexibly high weight to sensory input, could it be that people with a predisposition to psychosis (i.e., people high in positive schizotypy) give an inflexibly low weight to sensory input? In this article I argue that evidence strongly supports this hypothesis. An inflexibly low weight given to sensory input can explain such disparate features of positive schizotypy as increased exploratory behavior, apophenia, hyper theory of mind, hyperactive imagination, attentional differences, and having idiosyncratic worldviews.

Systematic review and meta‐analysis of the visual mismatch negativity in schizophrenia

“…The PPF suggests that a reduced weight on sensory information and overreliance on one's own prediction may explain the positive symptoms of SSD, such as delusions, hallucinations and false beliefs (McCleery et al, 2018). Within the schizophrenia spectrum, schizotypy, comprising a set of personality traits or symptoms, shares similarities with schizophrenia but is observable in the general population (Andersen, 2022). The assumption is that positive manifestations of SSD, including the positive schizotypy, can be explained in clinical or subclinical populations by over-precise, top-down priors that are not updated when confronted with information that should be trusted.…”

“…This input is proposed to be perceived as noise, leading to a reduction in prediction error and a failure to update the predictive model. (Andersen, 2022; Fletcher & Frith, 2009; McCleery et al, 2018; van Schalkwyk et al, 2017; Wacongne, 2016).…”

Antivax attitude in the general population along the autism-schizophrenia continuum and the impact of socio-demographic factors

“…Crucially, there are clinical/sub-clinical manifestations in which the decision-making process leans overly toward priors or sensory evidence. For example, the autism-schizophrenia continuum model (Tarasi et al, 2022b) posits that autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) would be associated with a different weight assigned to top-down and bottom-up information (Tarasi et al, 2021;Andersen, 2022;Ursino et al, 2022), resulting in behavioral/cognitive patterns pointing in opposite directions. Specifically, whereas prior information would be overweighted in positive SSD, input-based information would be the core upon which ASD relies in decision making.…”

Systematic review and meta-analysis of the visual mismatch negativity in Schizophrenia

“…This input is proposed to be perceived as noise, leading to a reduction in prediction error and a failure to update the predictive model. (Andersen, 2022;McCleery et al, 2018;van Schalkwyk et al, 2017;Wacongne, 2016).…”