Zwart, F. 1 , Maes, R. 1 , Vissers, C. 1, 2 , Kessels, R. 1, 3, 4 & Egger, J. 1, 3, 5
1 Donders Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen
2 Koninklijke Kentalis, Sint-MichielsGestel
3 Vincent van Gogh Institute for Psychiatry, Venray
4 Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen
5 Behavioural Science Institute, Nijmegen
Implicit learning refers to 'incidental' learning that results in knowledge which is relatively inaccessible to conscious awareness. This type of learning arguably plays a major role in the development of important cognitive functions, including language and social skills. An influential theory in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) research posits that ASD originates from a deficit in implicit learning capacities. The overarching aim of the current project is to contest this claim by providing evidence that implicit learning capacities are, in fact, intact in ASD and it is rather the propensity to use implicit learning strategies that differs from healthy controls (i.e. a preference for explicit strategies in ASD). In order to provide evidence for this scenario, we present preliminary findings of an EEG-study using a version of the Serial Reaction Time Task (SRTT). Behavioral results of this study show an implicit learning effect that is indeed similar for the ASD and the control group. P3 event related potentials are further suggestive of a learning effect in both groups. Furthermore, a preference for explicit learning strategies in ASD is explored using a recently developed statistical method to detect the emergence of awareness in a second explicit condition of the same task.