Metacognition and Cognitive Flexibility in Autistic and Neurotypically‐Developing Populations

TL;DR

This study compares metacognition and cognitive flexibility in autistic and neurotypical individuals using a 3D mental rotation task and a trading game.

Contribution

The study reveals that ASD individuals can have superior metacognition in visuo-spatial tasks and that overconfidence, not metacognitive deficit, affects cognitive flexibility.

Findings

ASD individuals showed superior metacognition in visuo-spatial tasks compared to neurotypical individuals.

Overconfidence was found to negatively impact cognitive flexibility in both ASD and TD populations.

No differences in learning efficiency or cognitive flexibility were observed between ASD and TD individuals.

Abstract

Whether and how metacognition is altered in individuals with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) is intensely debated. Metacognitive deficit is claimed to be related to cognitive inflexibility, accounting for restrictive behaviors in ASD individuals. We wanted to test this hypothesis by measuring metacognition in ASD and in matched neurotypically developing (TD) control samples in a task that relies on visuo‐spatial cognition, in which ASD allegedly have an advantage.

We measured metacognition in a 3D mental rotation task. Additionally, we administered a trading game: players had to figure out the rules for maximizing the profit on each transaction. These rules changed in the middle of the game, which required that players modify their strategy to keep the profit at maximum. We measured both learning efficiency (how fast players extract the rules) and re‐learning speed (cognitive flexibility, how fast learners could adjust their behavioral responses after rules are changed).

TD outperform ASD individuals in terms of accuracy in mental rotation but exhibited lower metacognitive efficiency (i.e., were less aware when they were more likely to make an error). No differences in learning efficiency and cognitive flexibility between TD and ASD individuals were observed. Neither did we observe an association between cognitive flexibility and metacognition. Nevertheless, both in ASD and TD populations, overconfidence in one's decisions is negatively correlated with cognitive flexibility, but not with learning efficiency.

ASD individuals can have superior metacognition in tasks that rely on visuo‐spatial cognition. Cognitive flexibility is diminished by overconfidence, not by metacognitive deficit.

ASD individuals can have superior metacognition in the tasks that rely on visuo‐spatial cognition. Cognitive flexibility is diminished by overconfidence, not by metacognitive deficit.

Figures