title: Brief report: perceptual load and the Autism Spectrum in typically developed individuals.
abstract: A fundamental task of the cognitive system is to prioritize behaviourally relevant sensory inputs for processing at the expense of irrelevant inputs. In a study of neurotypical participants (n = 179), we utilized a brief flanker interference task while varying the perceptual load of the visual display. Typically, increasing perceptual load (i.e., with greater numbers of search items) reduces interference from a competing peripheral distractor. We show that individuals who score above average on the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) show stronger interference at high perceptual load than individuals with below-average AQ scores. This is consistent with recent findings in individuals with autism spectrum conditions, and supports the idea that the cognitive style of the autistic brain is reflected in a broader phenotype across the population.
authors.affiliation: McElwain Building, School of Psychology, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia. a.bayliss@uq.edu.au
authors.forename: Andrew P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Bayliss
authors.forename: Ada
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kritikos
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D003071:Cognition; D003142:Communication; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D010641:Phenotype; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D012919:Social Behavior; D013239:Stereotyped Behavior