Cognitive control, the broad autism phenotype, and everyday participation

The broad autism phenotype (BAP), a continuum of subclinical autism-related traits, has been linked to cognitive control (CC) difficulties and to poorer everyday participation. These constructs have rarely been examined together, and whether the BAP-CC association depends on how CC is assessed remains unclear. This cross-sectional study examined how self-reported and task-based CC relate to BAP traits in non-clinical young adults, and how CC and BAP traits jointly relate to distinct facets of everyday participation. A non-clinical community sample (N = 177; ages 18–40) completed the Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire (BAPQ), the Adult Executive Functioning Inventory (ADEXI), a battery of CC tasks (ACE Explorer), and the Young Adults' Daily Participation Scale (YADAPS). FDR-corrected correlations and a path model with bootstrapped indirect effects examined how CC and BAP traits jointly account for variance in participation outcomes. Self-reported CC difficulties were substantially associated with BAP traits (ADEXI Total with BAPQ Total, r = .54, p < .001), whereas task-based CC showed little association. Participation performance was independently associated with both self-reported CC and BAP traits, which together accounted for a quarter of its variance. BAP traits were the only consistent correlate of the pleasure facets, whereas self-reported CC showed no association with either pleasure outcome and task-based CC showed weak and inconsistent associations. Subclinical autism-related variation is tied to self-reported rather than task-based CC, and the performance and pleasure facets of participation have distinct correlates. These findings position the BAP as a meaningful dimension of daily functioning beyond diagnostic thresholds.