Michelle Dawson posts

Post published on Bluesky on 6 Dec 2024 12:47

Bluesky DOI work crossref Extract quoted in the post External link integrated into the post Autism terms

Researchers predicted that unpredictable (vs predictable) situations "would be more challenging" for autistic compared to non-autistic adults--"but the effect was opposite to our expectations" onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... cognitive flexibility vs predictability, online study, free

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Adeline Lacroix, Emma Torija, Alexander Logemann, Monica Baciu, Renata Cserjesi, Frédéric Dutheil, Marie Gomot, Martial Mermillod (2025). Cognitive flexibility in autism: How task predictability and sex influence performances. Autism Research, 18(2), 281-294. Wiley.

Publication date
5 Dec 2024
Identifier
10.1002/aur.3281
Authors
Adeline Lacroix, Emma Torija, Alexander Logemann, Monica Baciu, Renata Cserjesi, Frédéric Dutheil, Marie Gomot, Martial Mermillod
Source
Autism Research
Details
18(2), 281-294
Reference type
article
Publisher
Wiley
Metadata source
crossref

Abstract

Abstract While cognitive flexibility challenges are frequently reported in autistic individuals, inconsistencies in the findings prompt further investigation into the factors influencing this flexibility. We suggest that unique aspects of the predictive brain in autistic individuals might contribute to these challenges, potentially varying by sex. Our study aimed to test these hypotheses by examining cognitive flexibility under different predictability conditions in a sample including a similar number of males and females. We conducted an online study with 263 adults (127 with an autism diagnosis), where participants completed a flexibility task under varying levels of predictability (unpredictable, moderately predictable, and predictable). Our results indicate that as task predictability increases, performance improves; however, the response time gap between autistic and non‐autistic individuals also widens. Moreover, we observe significant differences between autistic males and females, which differ from non‐autistic individuals, highlighting the need to consider sex differences in research related to the cognition of autistic individuals. Overall, our findings contribute to a better understanding of cognitive flexibility and sex differences in autism in light of predictive brain theories and suggest avenues for further research.

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