Discriminating between similar scenes proves to be a remarkably demanding task due to the limited capacity of our visual cognitive processes. Here we examine how visual scene discrimination is modulated by perceptual differences arising from neurodiversity. A large sample of autistic (n = 140) and typical (n = 147) participants completed two visual scene discrimination experiments online. Each experiment consisted of “match” (identical scenes) and “mismatch” (subtle differences between scenes) conditions. In both experiments, we found strong evidence for an interaction between group and task condition. Specifically, when compared to typical controls, autistic individuals were on average more accurate at identifying subtle differences between scenes. Taken together, these results suggest differential processing of contextual expectations in autism. These findings are consistent with both classic cognitive theories and more recent Bayesian explanations of autistic perception. In addition, this work highlights the strengths of neurodiversity in specific areas of cognition.
