Thinking, Reasoning, and Decision Making in Autism (Current Issues in Thinking and Reasoning)

Thinking, Reasoning, and Decision Making in Autism provides fresh insights into the cognitive processes that underlie some of the typical characteristics of autism. Autism has long been considered an enigma, and no single theory so far has been able to explain, or even fully describe, the key characteristics of the autistic mind. From the interdisciplinary perspective of new research in cognitive psychology, linguistics, philosophy, and neuroscience, this book explores thinking, reasoning, and decision making in autism.

The new cognitive approaches challenge some of the existing assumptions of the nature of thought in autism, including presumed areas of impairments. Instead, this book focuses on the nuanced array of cognitive signatures that characterize the autistic mind, and in many cases it reveals the possibility of intact performance alongside instances of remarkably enhanced thinking. The book considers the implications of these characteristics, providing in-depth analyses of specific areas of cognitive functioning, and their everyday manifestations.

Featuring contributions from world-leading researchers from the fields of cognitive science and autism research, this volume will be essential reading for advanced students and researchers, as well as those working with individuals with autism spectrum disorders.

Dr. Kinga Morsanyi is a Lecturer in Psychology at the School of Psychology, Queen’s University Belfast, UK. Her main research focus is on reasoning skills and mathematics abilities, including the typical and atypical development of these skills.

Dr. Ruth M.J. Byrne is the Professor of Cognitive Science in the School of Psychology and Institute of Neuroscience at Trinity College Dublin, University of Dublin, Ireland. She carries out experimental and computational studies of human reasoning and imaginative thought.