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The effects of autistic traits and academic degree on visuospatial abilities

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Abstract

In the present study, we were interested to investigate how autistic traits (including systemizing and empathy) and academic degree influence individuals’ visuospatial abilities. To this end, 352 university students completed the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), the Empathy Quotient, the Systemizing Quotient (SQ) and visuospatial tests measuring figure disembedding and mental rotation of two-dimensional figures. Engineering-design students (architecture and engineering) were the most accurate in disembedding and mentally rotating figures, followed by students of physical sciences (computer science, chemistry, physics, etc.) and fact-based humanities (languages, classics, law); biological (psychology and neuroscience, etc.) and systems-based social scientists (economics and commerce) were the least accurate. Engineering-design students also showed higher SQ scores with respect to the other four academic degree subjects, with students of biological sciences showing lower SQ scores. Importantly, results from a path analysis revealed that SQ (but not AQ) exerted an indirect effect on figure disembedding and mental rotations through the influence of the academic degree. Thus, the present findings reveal shady differences in systemizing degree and visuospatial performance within systemizing-based degree subjects. Implications for education are discussed.

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The UNICAMPSY17 group consists of

Danilo Atripaldi, Ilenia Carlino, Maria Carrubba, Maria Rosaria Cuccaro, Michela D’Angelo, Oriana D’Anna, Dalila De Vita, Diana Di Meglio, Lorenzo Ferdinandi, Antonella Ferrara, Mariachiara Gaita, Nunzia Giustiniani, Maria Irno, Fabrizio Lamberti, Francesco Maiorano, Alessandra Marotta, Angela Nucci, Rosa Pane, Lina Panfilo, Nicola Paternosto, Gennaro Raimo, Roberto Rispo, Ines Ruggiero, Michele Ruggiero, Davide Saggese, Rosamaria Satriano, Rosa Sinatore, Giustina Vece

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Developmental Neuropsychology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Viale Ellittico 31, 81100, Caserta, Italy

    Massimiliano Conson, Vincenzo Paolo Senese, Chiara Baiano, Isa Zappullo, Lorenzo Ferdinandi, Antonella Ferrara, Mariachiara Gaita, Nunzia Giustiniani, Maria Irno, Fabrizio Lamberti, Francesco Maiorano, Alessandra Marotta, Angela Nucci, Rosa Pane, Lina Panfilo, Nicola Paternosto, Gennaro Raimo, Roberto Rispo, Ines Ruggiero, Michele Ruggiero, Davide Saggese, Rosamaria Satriano, Rosa Sinatore, Giustina Vece & Monica Positano

  2. Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

    Varun Warrier & Simon Baron-Cohen

  3. Cognitive-Behavioral School of Psychotherapy “Serapide SPEE”, Naples, Italy

    Sara Salzano

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  1. Massimiliano Conson
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The UNICAMPSY17 group

  • Danilo Atripaldi
  • , Ilenia Carlino
  • , Maria Carrubba
  • , Maria Rosaria Cuccaro
  • , Michela D’Angelo
  • , Oriana D’Anna
  • , Dalila De Vita
  • , Diana Di Meglio
  • , Lorenzo Ferdinandi
  • , Antonella Ferrara
  • , Mariachiara Gaita
  • , Nunzia Giustiniani
  • , Maria Irno
  • , Fabrizio Lamberti
  • , Francesco Maiorano
  • , Alessandra Marotta
  • , Angela Nucci
  • , Rosa Pane
  • , Lina Panfilo
  • , Nicola Paternosto
  • , Gennaro Raimo
  • , Roberto Rispo
  • , Ines Ruggiero
  • , Michele Ruggiero
  • , Davide Saggese
  • , Rosamaria Satriano
  • , Rosa Sinatore
  •  & Giustina Vece

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Correspondence to Massimiliano Conson.

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Appendices

Appendix A

See Table 4.

Table 4 Summary of intercorrelations between variables considered in the path model
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Appendix B

See Table 5.

Table 5 List of majors included in the academic subject categories according to previous literature
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Conson, M., Senese, V.P., Baiano, C. et al. The effects of autistic traits and academic degree on visuospatial abilities. Cogn Process 21, 127–140 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10339-019-00941-y

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