Arbitrary Cue-Target Association on a Visual Orienting Task Is Enhanced in Individuals with Higher Autism Quotient Scores

Background:   The Broader Autism Phenotype (BAP) refers to a subclinical presentation of behaviours, preferences, and cognitive style that resembles autism. There are a growing number of studies that find that certain cognitive profiles vary as a function of the BAP, particularly visual attention. Visual attention is typically measured using a Posner task, where attention is cued using a simple cued target detection task. When cues are congruent with the target location, reaction times are faster than when cues are incongruent. Peripheral cues (i.e., a brief flash) elicit an involuntary orienting response, whereas central arrow cues direct attention away from the arrow to the location indicated by the arrow. Past research has found that individuals with autism show a typical response to peripheral cues, but an impaired response to central arrow cues. Previous research examining visual orienting in the BAP suggests similar patters, but research is limited. 

Objectives:   To examine performance on visual orienting as a function of the BAP using a central arrow cue (i.e., the direction condition), peripheral cue, and an arbitrary cue. The arbitrary cue was not explained to participants and thus in order to demonstrate an orienting effect, participants would have to learn the cue’s meaning over the course of the experiment. 

Methods:   Thirty university undergraduate students completed the Autism Quotient questionnaire, which measured their autistic-like traits, and a Posner-type visual orienting task under the three cuing conditions: peripheral, directional (central arrow), and arbitrary colour cues. 

Results:   Overall, participants demonstrated orienting on all three conditions. Autism Quotient scores ranged from 5 to 37, and were correlated with orienting magnitude on the arbitrary condition only (r > 0.4). The correlation was positive, indicating that higher Autism Quotient scores were associated with larger orienting effects on this condition, and thus enhanced efficiency at learning this novel cue-target association. 

Conclusions:   The positive association of high AQ and enhanced efficient at learning the arbitrary cue contingency suggests a potential enhancement of visually-based associative learning in high AQ individuals. Future studies will need to explore the potential advantage of having a higher AQ without clinically significant impairment. Mapping the cognitive profile associated with the BAP may provide clues to the causes and underlying mechanisms that are associated with the impairments found in individuals with autism.