Cognition, Behavior, and Memory
Author: Iair Embon | Email: iairembon@gmail.com
Iair Embon 1°, Sebastián Cukier 3°, Alberto Iorio 4°, Pablo Barttfeld 2°, Guillermo Solovey 1°
1° Instituto de Cálculo, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, UBA-CONICET, Buenos Aires CP: 1428, Argentina
2° Cognitive Science Group, Instituto de Investigaciones Psicológicas (IIPsi, CONICET-UNC), Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba CP: 5000, Argentina
3° Programa Argentino para Niños, Adolescentes y Adultos con Condiciones del Espectro del Autismo, Buenos Aires CP: 1640, Argentina
4° Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental, Laboratorio de Biología del Comportamiento, CONICET, Buenos Aires CP: 1428, Argentina
Metacognition, the human capacity to recognize accurate decision-making, represents a pivotal cognitive process intertwined with learning and personal development. Recent investigations have delved into the intricate association between metacognition and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). However, the body of evidence remains inconclusive. While some studies suggest diminished levels of metacognitive sensitivity in individuals with ASD, others do not substantiate this claim. Capitalizing on the presence of autistic traits within the broader population, our research explores the interplay between visual metacognition and autistic traits across a cohort of 360 neurotypical participants. Our assessment of metacognition hinged on the alignment between individuals’ confidence and the accuracy of their choices within a visual two-alternative forced-choice task. Concurrently, we gauged autistic traits using the Autism-spectrum Quotient (AQ) score. Through a regression analysis, our findings revealed no statistically significant correlation between autistic traits and metacognition or the level of confidence in the task. Furthermore, an examination of AQ sub-scales also yielded no discernible link with metacognition. In sum, our research does not substantiate the hypothesis asserting an association between autistic traits and metacognition in the broader population.