| dc.description.abstract | Have you ever pondered at what point fresh milk turns sour? Or at what point an engaging discussion becomes a heated fight? We live in a world that is constantly changing. Many of these changes are important to detect, as they influence the outcomes of our future decisions. But people differ in how quickly they see a change. One might label the milk as sour after a slight shift in pH, while another remains unfazed until the milk is clumpy. Imagine a spectrum — from a very low to a very high propensity to believe something has changed.
In this thesis, I explored the theory that autistic traits occur because of a strong tendency to see changes. This idea fits with the view that, for example, many behaviours associated with autism spectrum disorder reflect ways of making the world more stable and predictable. Interestingly, an increased tendency to see changes has also been theorised to cause psychotic traits, such as hallucinations.
If both autistic and psychotic traits can be explained by a strong tendency to see changes, then these traits should be linked to the same behaviours. This idea was explored in three empirical studies. There was no evidence to suggest that more traits meant a higher propensity to see change. Neither autistic nor psychotic traits were linked to a preference for predictability. However, there was some evidence that suggested that one’s tendency to see changes was influenced by the balance of autistic and psychotic traits within a person.
My thesis is not just about sour milk and intense talks; it's a look into why some people might see the world a bit differently. The results point to a more complex story than what the theoretical frameworks present. | en_US |
