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Modulation of Global and Local Processing Biases in Adults with Autistic-like Traits

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Abstract

Previous work shows that doing a continuous performance task (CPT) shifts attentional biases in neurotypical individuals towards global aspects of hierarchical Navon figures by selectively activating right hemisphere regions associated with global processing. The present study examines whether CPT can induce similar modulations of attention in individuals with high levels of autistic traits who typically show global processing impairments. Participants categorized global or local aspects of Navon figures in pre- and post-CPT blocks. Post-CPT, high trait individuals showed increased global interference during local categorization. This result suggests that CPT may be useful for temporarily enhancing global processing in individuals with high levels of autistic traits and possibly those diagnosed with autism.

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Funding

This research was supported by Australia Research Council Discovery Project grants to TAWV (DP120102313) and MTM (DP120104713). Funding was also provided to MCWE by The University of Western Australia through an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship.

Author Contributions

Conceived and designed the study: MCWE, TAWV. Performed the study: MCWE. Analyzed the data: MCWE. Wrote the paper: MCWE, MTM and TAWV.

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  1. School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia

    Michael C. W. English, Murray T. Maybery & Troy A. W. Visser

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  1. Michael C. W. English
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  2. Murray T. Maybery
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  3. Troy A. W. Visser
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Correspondence to Michael C. W. English.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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English, M.C.W., Maybery, M.T. & Visser, T.A.W. Modulation of Global and Local Processing Biases in Adults with Autistic-like Traits. J Autism Dev Disord 47, 2757–2769 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3198-x

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