Autism Traits Predict Self-reported Executive Functioning Deficits in Everyday Life and an Aversion to Exercise
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Autism Traits Predict Self‑reported Executive Functioning Deficits in Everyday Life and an Aversion to Exercise Lauren A. Mason1,2 · Brandon M. Zimiga1 · Regina Anders‑Jefferson1 · Kenneth R. Paap1 Accepted: 28 September 2020 © The Author(s) 2020
Abstract Are Autism Quotient (AQ) scores related to executive functioning (EF)? We sampled 200 students of normal intelligence and examined the relationship between AQ scores and: (a) 5 self-ratings of EF, (b) 5 performance-based measures of EF, and (c) 5 types of activities or experiences that are assumed to recruit EF and sometimes enhance EF. Our findings reveal that as AQ scores increase, self-rated EF ability decreases. AQ scores and self-reported EF measures do not correlate with objective EF task performance. Furthermore, AQ scores were shown to be negatively associated with many specific types of physical activity. As AQ scores increase, individuals report fewer positive reasons for exercise and more rationalizations for not engaging in more exercise. Keywords Autism traits · Autism quotient · Executive functioning · Exercise The diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (American Psychiatric Association 2013) is comprised of two main categories. The first set of symptoms include deficits in: social–emotional reciprocity, nonverbal communication, and the development, maintenance, and understanding of relationships. The second set includes the presence of repetitive patterns of behavior, inflexible adherence to routines, and highly restricted and fixated interests. The DSM-5 diagnosis spans three levels of severity; this is consistent with the view that autism symptoms can be viewed as a cluster of behavioral tendencies that vary continuously along a spectrum.
* Lauren A. Mason [email protected] Brandon M. Zimiga [email protected] Regina Anders‑Jefferson [email protected] Kenneth R. Paap [email protected] 1
San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, USA
Present Address: Department of Psychology, Tufts University, 490 Boston Ave., Medford, MA 02155, USA
2
Autism and the Executive Dysfunction Hypothesis Many of the categorical deficits observed in autism appear to be closely related to symptoms observed among individuals experiencing executive dysfunction. The concept of executive function (EF) has evolved over time and continues to do so. Luria (1966) has been credited for the idea of EF as a cognitive system responsible for intentionality, formulation of thoughts and actions, identification of goal-appropriate routines, and evaluation of outcomes. Further contributions to the literature categorized future-oriented processes, such as planning, as a part of EF (Denckla 1996). In more recent years, EF has been observed as a key, overarching component to the integration and management of more basic cognitive processes, such as sensation, attention, or memory (Eslinger 1996, 2008; Jurado and Rosselli 2007; Kodituwakku et al. 2001). In short, EF can be
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