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. 2016 Mar 29:6:23637.
doi: 10.1038/srep23637.

Divergent roles of autistic and alexithymic traits in utilitarian moral judgments in adults with autism

Indrajeet Patil  1 , Jens Melsbach  2 , Kristina Hennig-Fast  2 , Giorgia Silani  1   2
Affiliations

Divergent roles of autistic and alexithymic traits in utilitarian moral judgments in adults with autism

Indrajeet Patil et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

This study investigated hypothetical moral choices in adults with high-functioning autism and the role of empathy and alexithymia in such choices. We used a highly emotionally salient moral dilemma task to investigate autistics' hypothetical moral evaluations about personally carrying out harmful utilitarian behaviours aimed at maximizing welfare. Results showed that they exhibited a normal pattern of moral judgments despite the deficits in social cognition and emotional processing. Further analyses revealed that this was due to mutually conflicting biases associated with autistic and alexithymic traits after accounting for shared variance: (a) autistic traits were associated with reduced utilitarian bias due to elevated personal distress of demanding social situations, while (b) alexithymic traits were associated with increased utilitarian bias on account of reduced empathic concern for the victim. Additionally, autistics relied on their non-verbal reasoning skills to rigidly abide by harm-norms. Thus, utilitarian moral judgments in autism were spared due to opposite influences of autistic and alexithymic traits and compensatory intellectual strategies. These findings demonstrate the importance of empathy and alexithymia in autistic moral cognition and have methodological implications for studying moral judgments in several other clinical populations.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Summary of results for the behaviour question.
Univariate scatter-plots (and corresponding bar-graphs) for proportion of affirmative responses on each type of scenario for each group for the behaviour question. For impersonal and personal moral dilemmas, higher scores indicate increased utilitarian tendency. Error bars represent 95% confidence intervals.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Summary of results for the emotional arousal question.
Univariate scatter-plots (and corresponding bar-graphs) for self-reported emotional arousal (higher ratings denote more emotional arousal) while facing each type of scenario for each group. Error bars represent 95% confidence intervals.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Non-verbal reasoning skills and moral judgments.
The relation observed between non-verbal intelligence scores (as assessed by Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices) and utilitarian moral judgment on personal moral dilemmas was diametrically opposite for the two groups (Z = 3.606, p < 0.001). In controls, higher SPM scores were associated with a greater tendency to make utilitarian judgments, while autistics with higher SPM scores exhibited less favourable position for utilitarian option. Note that the number of data-points in the scatterplot seems to be less than the sample sizes due to overlap between data-points (denoted by circles with thicker circumference). Reported p-values are two-tailed.
Figure 4
Figure 4. Path diagram from the path analysis model for utilitarian moral judgment.
The path analysis model showing the divergent influences of autistic and alexithymic traits on utilitarian moral judgments on personal moral dilemmas in the ASD group, mediated by empathic concern and personal distress components of trait empathy. Additional variables accounted for effects of medication status (some autistics were consuming medication (=1), while some were not (=0)) and non-verbal reasoning scores (as assessed by Raven’s SPM).Values shown are standardized parameter estimates (betas). Although not shown in the figure, all endogenous variables are associated with errors. Solid lines represent significant relationships between predictors and the criterion variables, while dotted lines represent no significant relationship. Asterisks indicate significance of paths (^p < 0.1, *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001, all one-tailed).
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