It’s not really lying. Autism spectrum disorder relates to lower recognition of other-oriented lies through a decrease in perceived intentionality of the liar

Abstract

Abstract Background There is mixed evidence regarding how persons with ASD deal with deception. Some studies show that autism is related to difficulties in lying, others show no differences between individuals with ASD and typically developing persons in use of deception. It may be that individuals with ASD have difficulties in understanding what lying is. Method In Study 1 (N = 66) we matched a sample of individuals clinically diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder with typically developing individuals. Study 2 (N = 256) was conducted with participants from the general population. We asked participants to evaluate deceitfulness of protagonists’ behavior in stories presenting other-oriented and self-oriented lying. Results The results suggest that the higher the autistic traits, the less individuals perceive the liar as behaving intentionally. In the case of more complex, other-oriented lies, autistic traits indirectly relate to recognition of lies through attribution of intentionality. Conclusion These findings show how autistic traits relate to understanding of lying and suggest that it might be interesting to test training among individuals with ASD aimed at learning how to recognize deception.