Higher-functioning participants with and without autism spectrum disorder
(ASD) viewed a series of face stimuli, made decisions regarding the affect of
each face, and indicated their confidence in each decision. Confidence
significantly predicted accuracy across all participants, but this relation was
stronger for participants with typical development than participants with ASD.
In the hierarchical linear modeling analysis, there were no differences in face
processing accuracy between participants with and without ASD, but participants
with ASD were more confident in their decisions. These results suggest that
individuals with ASD have metacognitive impairments and are overconfident in
face processing. Additionally, greater metacognitive awareness was predictive of
better face processing accuracy, suggesting that metacognition may be a pivotal
skill to teach in interventions.