Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39460839›Full record

ArticleJournal of autism and developmental disorders2026

Evaluation of a Visual Cognitive Style in Autism: A Cluster Analysis.

Clara Bled, Q Guillon, L Mottron, I Soulieres, L Bouvet

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Article in Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Clara BledLaboratoire CERPPS-E.A. 7411, Université Jean Jaurès, 5, allée Antonio Machado, Toulouse, EA, 31058, France. clara.bled@univ-tlse2.fr.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2256-8364
Q GuillonLaboratoire CERPPS-E.A. 7411, Université Jean Jaurès, 5, allée Antonio Machado, Toulouse, EA, 31058, France.
L MottronPsychiatry Department, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
I SoulieresPsychology Department, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
L BouvetLaboratoire CERPPS-E.A. 7411, Université Jean Jaurès, 5, allée Antonio Machado, Toulouse, EA, 31058, France.

Funding

Agence Nationale de la Recherche ANR-19-CE28-0012
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Cognitive style refers to how individuals perceive their environment and solve problems. Among various cognitive styles documented, verbal and visual styles, including object versus spatial cognition, have been widely studied. "Thinking in pictures" is often associated with autism and characterized by enhanced performance and autonomy of certain perceptual areas. This study aimed to characterize the cognitive style of autistic individuals, focusing on this visual "thinking in pictures" style. We assessed 43 autistic and 42 non-autistic adults using the Object Spatial Imagery Verbal Questionnaire to evaluate three dimensions of their cognitive style: visual object, visual spatial, and verbal. Using a cluster analysis, we identified cognitive style profiles. We then examined manifestations of cognitive style within these profiles, including mental imagery abilities (with the Mental Rotation Test), the vividness of mental images (with the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire), language abilities (with the Mill Hill vocabulary test), and synesthetic experiences. Our results revealed three distinct cognitive profiles: a visual profile characterized by significant mental imagery and vivid mental images, a visuo-spatial profile associated with strong abilities to manipulate mental images but lower vividness of mental images, and a verbal profile with lower spatial imagery and manipulation abilities. While all profiles were observed in autistic individuals, the visual cognitive profile was the most common. Additionally, we found synesthesia to be more prevalent in the autistic population compared to the non-autistic population. This study confirms that, while not exclusive, a visual cognitive style is prevalent among autistic individuals.

Indexed as

Autistic DisorderCognitionImaginationThinkingVisual PerceptionAdolescentAdultCluster AnalysisFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedSpace PerceptionSurveys and QuestionnairesYoung AdultAphantasiaAutismCognitive styleMental imageryObject imagerySpatial imagerySynesthesiaVerbal imagery

Identifiers

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.