The Impact of Perceptual Load and Distractors’ Perceptual Grouping on Visual Search in ASD

This study examined potential visual search advantages in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and explored the roles of distractor grouping and perceptual load by comparing their performance with that of typically developing (TD) controls. Participants were required to search for large or small targets under two levels of perceptual load, with distractors being either large or small. The results showed the following: (1) Search speed in the ASD group was slower than that of the TD group. (2) The effect of distractor grouping was stronger in the Target-Nontarget (T-N) size-inconsistent condition than in the consistent condition. Both groups showed a T-N size-consistency effect-response speeds in the T-N size-inconsistent condition were faster, indicating that distractor grouping improves search efficiency. (3) Under high load, the TD group exhibited a stronger T-N size-consistency effect than the ASD group, whereas no significant difference was observed under low load. This suggests that distractor grouping in the ASD group is less effective than in TD participants under high load. (4) Under the T-N size-inconsistent condition, participants with ASD detected small targets faster under low load, whereas TD participants detected large targets faster under high load. This indicates that distractor grouping facilitates visual search in ASD under low load. Both groups focus more on targets under high load. In conclusion, although ASD shows no search advantage, improving distractor grouping can speed up target search. Nevertheless, under high load, distractor grouping in individuals with ASD is weaker than in TD individuals, consistent with the weak central coherence theory. Additionally, ASD displays size asymmetry that is influenced by load, with distractor grouping aiding target detection in low load and reducing distractor processing under high load.