Cognitive bias in high-autistic trait individuals: An examination of attention allocation to threatening emotional stimuli

Abstract

Introduction

The study explores cognitive biases in individuals with high autistic traits (AT), particularly their attention allocation to threatening emotional stimuli. It aims to understand whether these individuals exhibit attention biases similar to those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and how this relates to event-related potentials (ERP).

Methods

Participants were screened and divided into high and low AT groups based on the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ). The dot-probe task was used to measure attention bias, with EEG recordings analyzing P1 and N170 ERP components during automatic and controlled processing stages.

Results: Both groups showed attention bias towards threatening faces, with high AT individuals demonstrating early attention orientation during both processing stages. ERP data revealed differences in P1 and N170 components, suggesting atypical processing of emotional faces in high AT individuals.

Conclusions

The study concludes that high AT individuals exhibit attention biases and neural processing differences similar to those with ASD, particularly towards threatening emotional stimuli. These findings provide insights into the cognitive mechanisms of social challenges in the autism spectrum.