Autism Levels among Neurotypical Individuals: Impact on Memory Specificity, Avoidance Behaviours, and Inhibitory Control

This study explores the prevalence of autism levels in neurotypical individuals, as well as the impact on memory specificity, avoidance behaviours, and inhibitory control. It is hypothesized that higher autistic levels are linked to greater avoidance behaviours, but poorer memory recall and inhibitory control. Study specifically focused on university students aged 18-25 who are studying in Malaysia. To examine different variables, this study employed different approach, including BAPQ Inventory, COPE Inventory, Autobiographical Memory Task (AMT) and a Stroop Task. A total of 118 participants (35 male, 83 female) remained enrolled in this study after accounting for dropouts. Results showed that more than half of the participants (55%) scored high in autistic levels. Higher autistic traits are associated with increased avoidance behaviours (p=.009) and poorer inhibitory control (p=.008). Nonetheless, individuals with higher autistic traits performed better memory specificity recall (p=.246). These results highlight the importance of looking at autistic levels within neurotypical population in order to develop targeted interventions that could benefit a wider population. Keywords: Autistic Levels, Subclinical Autism Traits, Memory Recall, Avoidance Behaviours, Inhibitory Control