Brief report: Effect of spatial complexity on visual short-term memory and self-reported autistic-like traits in typically developed individuals.

Junichi’s team asked 60 college students to stare at a screen. Squares popped up in simple or messy layouts. After the squares vanished, students tried to click where each one had been. Everyone also filled out the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ).

The test measured visual short-term memory (VSTM) capacity: how many locations a person could hold for a few seconds.

Low-AQ students remembered fewer spots when the layout was cluttered. High-AQ students kept the same score no matter how messy the screen looked.

In plain words, strong autistic-like traits protected memory from visual clutter.

Keintz et al. (2011) saw the same pattern with eye contact: low-AQ adults quickly returned a direct gaze, while high-AQ adults did not. Both studies show high traits mute normal social or visual reflexes.

DiCriscio et al. (2019) added that bigger pupil swings during visual tasks also track with higher AQ scores. Together, three labs link high traits to odd but stable visual processing.

Faja et al. (2009) seems to disagree: adults with ASD were worse at face-layout tasks. The clash disappears when you notice Susan tested diagnosed adults, not just high-trait ones. Clinical ASD brings extra deficits that pure trait carriers escape.

If you test a client with high AQ scores, don’t assume clutter will hurt their memory. They may keep the same accuracy whether you show three icons or ten. Design visual supports with confidence, but still probe face or social tasks separately—those may lag behind.