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Autistic people challenge preconceived ideas about rationality

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Re: Autistic people challenge preconceived ideas about rationality

#31

Post by TT-392 »

bopbeepboop wrote: post #8
akvadrako wrote: post #3

It takes a while to get to the point, but this is what the page is about: As we explained in a recent review paper, researchers have repeatedly found evidence that Autistic individuals are, on average, more consistent, less biased, and more rational than non-autistic individuals in a variety of contexts. Specifically, many Autistic people seem to be less susceptible to cognitive biases, and therefore better able to m…

Isn’t this why there’s a correlation between Asperger’s and engineers? The same kind of logical, exacting thinking necessary for mastery of physical systems is in tension with the kinds of thinking used in social games. Some brains are better at one than the other — and we have disorders at both extremes. I’ve always wondered if autism and dyscalclia are something of “polar opposites”.

Probably also related to a lot of other factors, like probablems with social interaction making people with aspergers more likely to for example spend evenings nerding out in their own room.

Re: Autistic people challenge preconceived ideas about rationality

#32

Post by rackjack »

akvadrako wrote: post #3

It takes a while to get to the point, but this is what the page is about: As we explained in a recent review paper, researchers have repeatedly found evidence that Autistic individuals are, on average, more consistent, less biased, and more rational than non-autistic individuals in a variety of contexts. Specifically, many Autistic people seem to be less susceptible to cognitive biases, and therefore better able to m…

Yeah, I suspect the fact that Autism reduces a person's ability to relate emotionally and socially to themselves and others allows them to dedicate more brain power to thinking rationally. In a mild enough case, with a supportive tribe, they could be a useful advisor. No autistic members = tribe has trouble making good collective decisions. Too many autistic members = tribe can't collaborate. That's just my armchair psychologist theory though.

Re: Autistic people challenge preconceived ideas about rationality

#33

Post by jajag »

emptybottle wrote: post #19

It's good to see appreciation of different neurotypes for their strengths. Many people with ASD put a lot of time and effort into learning and altering their natural behavior in order to better understand and interact in a way that is perceived as normal by nerutotypical people. I'm hopeful the inverse will happen more over time as well, neurotypicals putting effort into learning and adjusting their own behavior to b…

^^^ this

Re: Autistic people challenge preconceived ideas about rationality

#34

Post by IAmEveryone »

AussieWog93 wrote: post #25
georgestephanis wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes hi, "aspergers" is an unfortunate nomenclature and many autistic folks (myself included) strongly resent it. It was named after a Nazi doctor (Hans Asperger) and used to classify autistic folks into "useful" and "non-useful" people -- as Nazis and Eugenicists are known to do. When you think of it, if you could refer to folks on the spectrum as such, without referencing the outdated nomenclature (the DSM-5 replace…

Quoted post unavailable.

A perfectly acceptable term outside some circles is, by definition, not acceptable, at least not “perfectly”.

And the (undisputed) fact that Asperger was quite the Nazi should, just by itself, disqualify the term. OPs comment linking the dual terms to the similar binary classification into useful/useless human beings goes even further by showing that usage of the term doesn’t just glorify someone who doesn’t deserve it, but shows how that practice derives from and continues the namesake’s hateful ideology.

Re: Autistic people challenge preconceived ideas about rationality

#35

Post by anigbrowl »

pkoird wrote: post #4

> Imagine you have bought two non-refundable tickets to different trips, one much more costly. You are then told that you must cancel one of them. In this case, many people will cancel the cheaper trip regardless of which one they would prefer to go on – and even though they will have spent the same amount of money either way. I think a better example to sunken cost bias could be found than this one as people usually…

This sounds like a poor explanation of a more nuanced study.

Re: Autistic people challenge preconceived ideas about rationality

#36

Post by serverlessmom »

It is very good to see more positive recognition for people that are neurodivergent including how we actually improve and fit into society as well.

I would argue that the greatest issue with neurotypical society over all is that it tends to value a singular mode of thinking and being as somehow inherently more valuable than others, failing to recognize that in our many differences we are actually stronger as a whole.

Re: Autistic people challenge preconceived ideas about rationality

#37

Post by MisterBastahrd »

pkoird wrote: post #4

> Imagine you have bought two non-refundable tickets to different trips, one much more costly. You are then told that you must cancel one of them. In this case, many people will cancel the cheaper trip regardless of which one they would prefer to go on – and even though they will have spent the same amount of money either way. I think a better example to sunken cost bias could be found than this one as people usually…

Not only that, but usually people would want to have more information than what is being presented. If the location is one I'd more like to visit, or if the location is the same but one of the modes of transportation is nicer, then I'd obviously choose the more expensive of the two. Also, if my intention is that I want to visit both locations anyway, then I would also choose the more expensive option.

So I don't know the specifics of the question at hand, or if these autistic people were even able to ask these questions, but they seem rather important, and if they in fact NOT asking them but had the opportunity to do so, then I'd question the value of some of the assumptions this article seems to make.

Re: Autistic people challenge preconceived ideas about rationality

#38

Post by whaaswijk »

rajin444 wrote: post #24
Puts wrote: post #17

The ironic part is that the non-autistic people wont trust autistic peoples valuable non-biased opinions because of their bias against non-conforming people.

I had an autistic coworker who could not understand using pronouns outside of the already established ones (he/she). She was otherwise very “progressive” but didn’t consider herself such. It had to do with he/she mapping to (99% of the time) defined biological features. It was a very awkward lunch.

I think many people are reluctant to use non-traditional pronouns. I’m not trying to condemn or condone that, just pointing out that to me this example seems unrelated to autism.

Re: Autistic people challenge preconceived ideas about rationality

#39

Post by nicoburns »

rackjack wrote: post #32
akvadrako wrote: post #3

It takes a while to get to the point, but this is what the page is about: As we explained in a recent review paper, researchers have repeatedly found evidence that Autistic individuals are, on average, more consistent, less biased, and more rational than non-autistic individuals in a variety of contexts. Specifically, many Autistic people seem to be less susceptible to cognitive biases, and therefore better able to m…

Yeah, I suspect the fact that Autism reduces a person's ability to relate emotionally and socially to themselves and others allows them to dedicate more brain power to thinking rationally. In a mild enough case, with a supportive tribe, they could be a useful advisor. No autistic members = tribe has trouble making good collective decisions. Too many autistic members = tribe can't collaborate. That's just my armchair…

Autistic people can have trouble accessing emotions, but a lot of the reason for that stereotype is just that they communicate their emotions and emotional reactions differently and/or that their emotional reactions to certain situations are different to those of neurotypical people: not that they're not actually feeling emotions at all.

Re: Autistic people challenge preconceived ideas about rationality

#40

Post by fao_ »

AussieWog93 wrote: post #25
georgestephanis wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes hi, "aspergers" is an unfortunate nomenclature and many autistic folks (myself included) strongly resent it. It was named after a Nazi doctor (Hans Asperger) and used to classify autistic folks into "useful" and "non-useful" people -- as Nazis and Eugenicists are known to do. When you think of it, if you could refer to folks on the spectrum as such, without referencing the outdated nomenclature (the DSM-5 replace…

Quoted post unavailable.

Sorry... are you arguing for a term that separates autistic people into "productive" and "non productive" that was created by a literal Nazi?

I am autistic, pretty much all of the people I know are autistic, and even most of the people I know through my workplace are autistic (it's explicitly a neurodiverse workplace), and I've pretty much never seen anyone need to use the term "aspergers" in general conversation. As in, when talking about symptoms, when talking about diagnosis, when talking about anything to do with it, people just talk about the thing, rather than branding it as "aspergers versus autistic". I'll go further and say that, not only is it not in general parlance, but also that if you used the term "aspergers" in or around these circles, you would be lightly corrected, looked on disfavourably, or given a side-eye, at the least.

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