Summary: | We focus on the
everyday decision making challenges faced by high functioning adults across the
Autism Spectrum using both between- and within-group comparisons. We used
Mturk, backed by a combination of recruiting and screening procedures, to
recruit large samples using an online survey. The main differences between
groups were: greater relationship problems at home, school and work for the ASD
group compared to the control group; greater difficulty in a variety of
everyday decisions and the negative consequences of their decisions; greater
aversion to social risks; lower levels of Rational Ability; and greater
personal endorsement of socially undesirable acts. Poorer decision outcomes
within the ASD group were predicted by lower levels of Rational Ability and
higher personal endorsement of socially undesirable acts. Some of the same
predictor-outcome relations were found within the Control group. These results
illustrate how the study of unique groups can increase our overall
understanding of individual differences in decision making within the general
population, and the need to include both between-group and within-group
analyses.
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