Figure disembedding facility and reduced left visual field bias are linked to the social dimension of autistic traits

Abstract

In separate lines of work, facility in detail-focused local processing and reduced left visual field (LVF) bias have been associated with autism. Plausibly, local-processing facility and reduced LVF bias could reflect a common neurocognitive mechanism – most likely reduced right-hemisphere dominance in visual attention. To test this possibility, undergraduate students selected to differ systematically in social and non-social autistic traits completed tasks assessing local-processing facility (Leuven Embedded Figures) and LVF bias (greyscales task). Participants with more pronounced social difficulties showed greater local-processing ability and reduced LVF bias compared to participants with less pronounced social difficulties. Local-processing ability also correlated negatively with LVF bias. This is the first study to examine both LVF bias and local-processing preference in the context of autism. The finding of relationship between these two cognitive features is behavioural evidence supporting the notion of a common underlying neurocognitive mechanism and of potential alterations in right hemisphere activation as a function of autism.