Study links autistic traits to exploration success in university students

A study published in PLoS Computational Biology found that autistic traits influence how university students explore environments in a curiosity-driven task. Researchers tested 77 students, focusing on traits like "insistence on sameness" and its impact on learning behaviors. Participants with lower insistence on sameness relied on learning progress initially but switched to prediction errors later. In contrast, those with higher insistence on sameness showed persistence, using learning progress less at first but gradually adapting their strategies. The study suggests that autistic traits affect exploration choices and learning success. Future research is needed to further understand the relationship between these traits and learning behaviors.