Local bias and local-to-global interference without global deficit: A robust finding in autism under various conditions of attention, exposure time, and visual angle

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Wang, L., Mottron, L., Peng, D., Berthiaume, C., & Dawson, M. (2007). Local bias and local-to-global interference without global deficit: A robust finding in autism under various conditions of attention, exposure time, and visual angle. Cognitive Neuropsychology, 24(5), 550-574. https://doi.org/10.1080/13546800701417096

Publication date: 1 Jul 2007 Added to AutiHub: 3 Jul 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
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Authors

Publication authors
5
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 5 (20.0%)
  1. Lixin Wang
  2. Laurent Mottron
  3. Danling Peng
  4. Claude Berthiaume
  5. Michelle Dawson *

Abstract

A wide variety of paradigms have shown that autistic individuals present with superior performance on visual tasks. Here, the impact of task constraints on visual hierarchical processing in autism was investigated. By employing free- and forced-choice procedures, global and local processing of Navon-type hierarchical numerals was examined in 15 autistic persons (13 males, 2 females) and a comparison group. In the free-choice condition, autistics chose global and local targets randomly, though they were faster responding to local than to global targets, regardless of visual angle and exposure duration. In contrast, the comparison group exhibited a global advantage in naming time, which was evident only for shorter exposures, as well as effects of visual angle. In the forced-choice condition, autistics presented with a more important local-to-global interference than global-to-local interference, whereas the comparison group exhibited global advantage and bidirectional interference. Overall, the autistic participants presented with atypical local-to-global interference and local advantage in incongruent conditions (where global and local targets differ), in naming time as well as accuracy. The relative insensitivity of local bias to task constraints in autistics, in comparison to nonautistic participants, indicates that local bias, with local-to-global interference, is a key and characteristic feature of autistic visual cognition and a strong candidate for the "endophenotype" of autism.

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Cited references
59
Total cited references integrated for this publication.
Cited references with an identified autistic author
2 / 59 (3.4%)
Cited author occurrences identified as autistic
2 / 171 (1.2%)
Among occurrences linked to AutiHub author records: 2 / 49 (4.1%). Distinct cited authors identified as autistic: 1 / 133 (0.8%).
Cited author occurrences linked to AutiHub author records
49 / 171 (28.7%)
Distinct linked cited authors: 25 / 133 (18.8%)
Linked cited-author occurrences not identified as autistic
47 / 49 (95.9%)
Among linked cited-author occurrences only. Across all cited-author occurrences: 47 / 171 (27.5%). Distinct linked cited authors not identified as autistic: 24 / 25 (96.0%).
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