A study conducted in Japan has found that individuals exhibiting strong autistic traits are often inclined towards dichotomous thinking. The research suggests that these autistic traits might lead to a heightened intolerance of uncertainty, subsequently increasing the propensity for dichotomous thinking. The study was published in Scientific Reports.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition characterized by a wide range of symptoms and challenges. Individuals with autism spectrum disorder typically have restricted interests, difficulties in social interaction and communication. The severity of these challenges can vary greatly from person to person. Some individuals with ASD may have significant language delays and struggle with everyday social interactions, while others may have milder symptoms and excel in certain areas, such as mathematics or art.
Aside from atypical social functioning, autistic individuals tend to exhibit a thinking pattern known as dichotomous, “black-and-white”, or binary thinking. This is a form of cognitive distortion wherein an individual perceives things in a binary way – either black or white, good or bad. There is no middle zone or space for any nuances. The result of this thinking pattern is that the person oversimplifies very complex issues, leading often to inappropriate or obviously poor decisions.
Researchers Noi Suzuki and Masahiro Hirai aimed to explore the potential connection between autistic traits and dichotomous thinking via a psychological characteristic termed as intolerance of uncertainty. Intolerance of uncertainty propels individuals to gather ample information to predict unpredictable outcomes while also exhibiting a strong adverse reaction to unforeseen or unfamiliar events.
“I have been studying the cognitive profiles of autistic people and found difficulty in taking other’s perspective and a high dependence on proprioception,” explained Hirai, an associate professor of cognitive and psychological sciences at Nagoya University in Japan. “Recently, a hypothetical cognitive model for autistic individuals has been proposed, showing that uncertainty intolerance mediates dichotomous thinking in this model (Stark et al., 2021).”
Prior research had indicated that those with pronounced autistic traits often display a higher intolerance of uncertainty. Nonetheless, a direct connection to dichotomous thinking remained unestablished. To this end, the researchers organized two online surveys.
The preliminary survey involved 153 students from Nagoya University in Japan, rewarding them with Amazon gift cards valued at 400 yen (approximately $2.67) for their participation. Out of these, 73 were male, with the average age being 21. The subsequent main survey comprised 500 young adults aged between 20 and 22, who were recruited via an online survey platform.
Both study groups underwent evaluations for autistic traits (using the Adult AQ), intolerance of uncertainty (via the Short Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale), and their predisposition to dichotomous thinking (assessed by the Dichotomous Thinking Inventory).
The results indicated a clear correlation between autistic traits and intolerance of uncertainty. Additionally, there were minor correlations between certain elements of dichotomous thinking and autistic traits. A more notable association was observed between intolerance of uncertainty and dichotomous thinking. To put it simply, those with significant autistic traits were more likely to display intolerance of uncertainty, which in turn made them more susceptible to dichotomous thinking.
“We found that high autistic trait per se do not lead to dichotomous thinking, but are mediated by uncertainty intolerance, which in turn leads to dichotomous thinking,” Hirai told PsyPost.
The researchers formulated and tested a statistical model suggesting that autistic traits can lead to intolerance of uncertainty, which then results in dichotomous thinking. They also proposed a possible direct relationship between autistic traits and dichotomous thinking.
Statistical findings support the idea that autistic traits could heighten the likelihood of dichotomous thinking by intensifying intolerance of uncertainty. Interestingly, a direct connection between autistic traits and dichotomous thinking was also identified, although this was considerably weaker and negative.
Summarizing their findings, the researchers stated, “The pilot and main studies indicate that higher autistic traits were associated with higher intolerance of uncertainty in a non-clinical population of university students and general adults. This is consistent with a study that found that autistic children reported higher intolerance of uncertainty than those without autism spectrum disorder. In addition, we demonstrated that autistic traits in non-clinical populations are positively correlated with intolerance of uncertainty.”
The study makes a valuable contribution to the scientific study of autism spectrum disorder. However, it also has limitations that need to be considered. Notably, study participants were almost exclusively 21-22-year-olds. Results on other age groups might not be the same. Additionally, although study authors tested the plausibility of cause-and-effect models, the design of the study does not allow any cause-and-effect conclusions to be derived from the results.
The paper, “Autistic traits associated with dichotomic thinking mediated by intolerance of uncertainty”, was authored by Noi Suzuki and Masahiro Hirai.