Autistic traits are associated with lower perceived executive function but not poorer executive function task performance in the general population: complementary meta-analytic evidence.

Abstract

Background: Autistic individuals generally exhibit real-world executive function (EF) difficulties and perform poorly on EF tasks. However, while autistic traits are distributed continuously throughout the general population, the relationships between autistic traits and EF among nonclinical individuals remain unclear. Here, we conducted complementary meta-analyses to clarify the relationships between autistic traits and various aspects of EF in the general population.

Methods: A literature search was conducted using PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science on July 11, 2025. After screening by two independent reviewers, 39 articles that reported 40 studies were included. These studies either compared EF between groups with high and low autistic traits, based on a cutoff, or investigated the relationships between continuous measures of autistic traits and EF.

Results: We found significant negative associations between autistic traits and EF among nonclinical individuals across EF processes. Notably, these relationships were observed only when EFs were measured using questionnaires rather than behavioral tasks. Specifically, random-effects and robust Bayesian meta-analyses revealed significant, strong correlations between higher autistic traits and poorer ratings on EF questionnaires, with primarily substantial evidence supporting the presence than absence of relationships. In contrast, the meta-analyses indicated nonsignificant, very weak correlations between higher autistic traits and poorer performances on EF tasks, with primarily substantial evidence supporting the absence than presence of relationships.

Limitations: These findings were mainly based on self-reported measures of autistic traits in adults and derived from single studies without follow up or replication.

Conclusions: Autistic traits are associated with lower perceived real-world EF behavior rather than poorer EF task performance in the general population. These findings underscore the importance of paying closer attention to addressing the concerns of individuals with high autistic traits and their parents regarding their own and their children's EF behavior. Based on the available evidence, we construct a picture of the relationships between autistic traits and EF across the trait's continuum.

Registration: This study was preregistered at https://osf.io/zncv3 .