Cognitive-perceptual traits influence use of physics laws to enhance
visual motion tracking
Abstract
Schizophrenia and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can disrupt cognition
and consequently behaviour. Traits of ASD and the subclinical
manifestation of schizophrenia, schizotypy, have been studied in healthy
populations with overlap found in trait profiles linking ASD social
deficits to negative schizotypy, and ASD attention to detail to positive
schizotypy. Here, we probed the relationship between sub-trait profiles,
cognition and behaviour, using a predictive tracking task to measure
individual eye movements under three gravity conditions. 48 healthy
participants tracked an on-screen bouncing ball under familiar gravity,
inverted antigravity and horizontal gravity control conditions while eye
movements were recorded and dynamic performance quantified. Participants
completed ASD and Schizotypy inventories generating highly correlated
scores, r = 0.73. All tracked best under the gravity condition,
producing anticipatory downward responses from stimulus onset under
gravity which were delayed upwards under antigravity. Tracking
performance was not associated with overall ASD or schizotypy trait
levels. Combining measures using Principal Components Analysis (PCA), we
decomposed the inventories into sub-traits unveiling interesting
patterns. Positive Schizotypy was associated with ASD dimensions of
rigidity, odd behaviour and face processing, and which all linked to
anticipatory tracking responses under atypical antigravity. In contrast,
negative schizotypy was associated with ASD dimensions of social
interactions and rigidity, and to early stimulus-driven tracking under
gravity. There was also substantial nonspecific overlap between ASD and
Schizotypy dissociated from tracking. Our work links positive-odd traits
with anticipatory tracking when physics rules are violated, and
negative-social traits with the application of expected physics.