Autistic-like traits in children are associated with enhanced performance in a qualitative visual working memory task

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) exhibit varied cognitive profiles, with challenges in executive function but strengths in visual processing.
• This heterogeneity creates conflicting predictions for visuospatial working memory (VWM) in ASD and the broader autism phenotype (BAP).
• Research on VWM in ASD and BAP populations is limited, particularly concerning the visual features of stimuli.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between individual differences in VWM and autistic-like traits (ALTs) within the BAP.
• To assess high-fidelity feature representation in VWM using the Visual Just Noticeable Difference task.
• To explore the relationship between systemizing and empathy quotients and VWM performance.

Main Methods:

• Seventy-six children completed the Visual Just Noticeable Difference task to measure VWM fidelity.
• Autistic-like traits (ALTs) were assessed using the Children's Empathy Quotient and Systemizing Quotient.
• Statistical analyses examined correlations between VWM performance and ALTs.

Main Results:

• A significant positive correlation was found between Systemizing Quotient scores and VWM performance.
• Children with higher levels of ALTs performed relatively well on the visual feature memorization task.
• The findings suggest VWM may not be universally compromised in individuals with ALTs.

Conclusions:

• Individual differences in VWM are associated with autistic-like traits, specifically systemizing, in the broader autism phenotype.
• The results align with studies showing efficient visual processing in ASD and challenge assumptions of general memory deficits.
• Further research is needed on the working memory-long-term memory interface in ASD and BAP populations, focusing on task-specific performance.