The Association Between Sequence Learning on the Serial Reaction Time Task and Social Impairments in Autism.

The sample was small for correlational analyses, especially when autistic and non-autistic participants were analysed separately. The task conditions were always presented in the same order, with the less predictable sequence first and the fully predictable sequence second, so the first part may have influenced the second part or changed how implicit the second part was. The deterministic learning score was based on reaction-time change from the first block to the last block, so it may reflect general motor improvement rather than sequence-specific learning. Social impairment was measured by self-report on the SRS-A, not by direct observation of everyday communication. Some deterministic learning scores were negative, meaning participants became slower over time, so the difference between the first and last blocks may not capture individual learning well. The task sequences were simpler than the long, low-probability social sequences used in everyday communication, so the task may not map onto real social learning.

Do not read the deterministic sequence finding as proof that explicit learning causes social impairment in autism. The study was cross-sectional, the deterministic score may partly reflect motor improvement over time, and the authors say the task may be too simple to represent everyday social sequences.