Autistic Traits are Associated with Suboptimal Decision Bias Strategies in Subsecond Timing

Abstract

Time perception difficulties are frequently reported in Autism Spectrum Disorder, yet empirical findings remain inconsistent. A key methodological limitation is the failure to separate perceptual sensitivity from decision-making strategies. We applied Signal Detection Theory (SDT) to a subsecond duration discrimination task (100 and 500 ms) in 65 non-clinical adults varying in autistic traits, assessed via the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) and a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of its subscales. Autistic traits did not predict reduced perceptual sensitivity (d'): temporal discrimination remained intact across the full autism-trait continuum, with Bayesian analyses providing converging evidence against a perceptual deficit. Instead, a PCA-derived cognitive component -- combining heightened Attention to Detail with reduced Imagination -- was systematically associated with a shift in decision bias (c). Individuals with this profile showed a graded attenuation of standard-based anchoring, with ordinal position progressively filling the gap. This shift operated consistently across both temporal scales, as confirmed by trial-level generalized linear mixed modelling, and reflects a quantitative redistribution of anchoring weight rather than a categorical switch in strategy. These findings reframe temporal "rigidity" in ASD not as a perceptual deficit, but as a suboptimal yet internally consistent decision-making style favouring within-trial information over accumulated representational knowledge. Lay AbstractMany autistic people report difficulties with time in daily life, but scientists have long disagreed on whether this reflects a genuine perceptual problem. This study found that autistic traits do not impair the basic ability to judge duration. Instead, people with more autistic traits tend to rely on which event came first, rather than accumulating experience across trials to refine their judgments -- a less effective but internally consistent strategy.