Self‐Rated Social Skills Predict Visual Perception: Impairments in Object Discrimination Requiring Transient Attention Associated with High Autistic Tendency

Abstract

Autism is usually defined by impairments in the social domain but has also been linked to deficient dorsal visual stream processing. However, inconsistent findings make the nature of this relationship unclear and thus, we examined the role of stimulus-driven transient attention, presumably activated by the dorsal stream in autistic tendency. Contrast thresholds for object discrimination were compared between groups with high and low self-rated autistic tendency utilizing the socially based Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ). Visual stimuli were presented with either abrupt or with ramped contrast onsets/offsets in order to manipulate the demands of transient attention. Larger impairments in performance of abrupt compared with ramped object presentation were established in the high AQ group. Furthermore, self-reported social skills predicted abrupt task performance, suggesting an important visual perception deficiency in autism-related traits. Autism spectrum disorder may be associated with reduced utilization of the dorsal stream to rapidly activate attention prior to ventral stream processing when stimuli are transient.

Attention Orienting in Response to Non-conscious Hierarchical Arrows: Individuals with Higher Autistic Traits Differ in Their Global/Local Bias

“…Supporting the interpretation of non-emotional perceptual detection anomalies in ASD, we have recently demonstrated that a neurotypical population with higher autistic traits was relatively impaired in a visual object discrimination task (Laycock et al, 2014). Contrast threshold required for object discrimination was used to assess non-social object (e.g., chair, blender) processing in ‘abrupt’ and ‘ramped’ presentation conditions.…”

Associations between Autistic-like Traits and Imagery Ability

“…The social skill subscale of the AQ has been shown to predict several perceptual issues, including superior EFT performance [ 39 , 40 ] and reliance on high-spatial frequency features [ 33 ], which are understood as local processing biases. It also predicts impairment in abrupt object discrimination, which is attributed to reduced utilization of the dorsal stream to rapidly activate attention prior to ventral stream processing [ 41 ]. Further, it is indicative of a narrow temporal window and deficiency in multisensory integration [ 34 ].…”

“…As cited above, it is notable that studies on the effectiveness of AQ subscales for the perceptual characteristics commonly observed, irrespective of varied subscales, a tendency typified by a detail-focused processing bias [ 33 ], including a narrow temporal window [ 34 ], an advantage in processing detail [ 39 ], a tendency to focus more on details [ 35 ], a local processing bias [ 33 , 34 , 39 , 40 ], and reduced utilization of the dorsal stream [ 41 , 45 ]. Our review here suggests that the “attention to detail” mechanism operates negatively for imagination, social skills, communications, and attention-switching, after the manner of AQ subscales, and would be a core basis of ASD.…”

Autism Traits and Cognitive Performance: Mediating Roles of Sleep Disturbance, Anxiety and Depression

“…Thus, the present study sought to examine the possibility that common comorbidities may mediate this relationship between ASD and core cognitive, social, and perceptual anomalies. As a first step to systematically control for the heterogeneity and common comorbidities in ASD, this study adopted the dimensional view of autism and examined autistic traits in the general population (Austin, 2005 ; Baron-Cohen et al, 2001a , 2001b ; Landy & Chouinard, 2016 ; Laycock et al, 2014 ). This approach of researching the broader autism spectrum suggests that autism traits are normally distributed throughout the general population, with those with a diagnosed ASD forming one end of this spectrum.…”