Objective: This study examined the relationship between intelligence and executive functions (EF) in adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder without intellectual disability (ASD-WID), focusing on the roles of IQ level, sex differences, and comparisons with typically developing (TD) peers matched for age and IQ.
Methods: A total of 214 participants (118 ASD, 96 TD; aged 12–18 years) were assessed with the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and the Color Trails Test (CTT) as measures of planning, cognitive flexibility, and attentional switching. Cognitive ability was assessed using the WISC-R or WAIS-R, yielding full-scale IQ and three cognitive factors: Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Reasoning, and Working Memory/Resistance to Distractors. Four subgroups (ASD/TD × high/low IQ) were created. Because multiple variables deviated from normality, non-parametric statistics were applied, including Mann–Whitney U tests for group comparisons and Spearman’s rho correlations for associations between IQ indices and EF measures.
Results: No overall EF differences were found between the ASD and TD groups when matched for age and full-scale IQ. Within the ASD group, higher IQ was associated with better planning and cognitive flexibility on the WCST, but not with attentional switching on the CTT; the same pattern appeared in TD adolescents. High-IQ ASD and high-IQ TD adolescents performed comparably on EF measures, suggesting possible compensatory mechanisms in ASD-WID. In contrast, ASD adolescents with lower IQ showed more perseverative errors than TD peers with similar IQ. Across the entire sample (ASD + TD combined), boys scored higher in perceptual reasoning than girls; however, no sex differences were found when analyses were conducted within the ASD group alone, indicating that the observed effect of sex was driven by the TD subgroup rather than by adolescents with ASD. Perceptual reasoning and non-verbal IQ were the strongest correlates of EF performance.
Conclusion: Intelligence—especially perceptual reasoning—plays a key role in EF outcomes in adolescents with and without ASD. High IQ may buffer EF difficulties in ASD-WID, whereas lower IQ is linked to greater executive control difficulties. These findings highlight the need for assessment and interventions tailored to individual cognitive profiles, rather than diagnostic status alone.
Recently, the food market has seen growing interest in color-coded nutritional labeling (green, red, yellow) to represent nutrient levels. This shift aims to encourage healthier food choices. However, research shows people tend to give more weight to negative information than positive, even when both are equally intense. This project explored how positive and negative information affect consumers’ perception of food products using color-coded labels. We also compared the impact of verbal and color labeling on consumer choices. While previous studies have focused on how traffic-light labeling influences choices, this study examines the cognitive processes behind these effects. The findings support the effectiveness of color-coded labeling, aligning with the picture superiority effect and positive-negative asymmetry. This research provides valuable insights into consumer behavior and offers practical solutions for addressing issues like obesity, often linked to neglecting nutritional information.
Individuals with attachment insecurities, particularly attachment anxiety, often report subjective working memory deficits (SWMD). However, the psychological mechanisms underlying this relationship remain poorly understood. In this project, we propose that borderline personality disorder (BPD) features help explain this link. We tested this model across three studies, including one preregistered study, conducted with Russian, Turkish, and Polish samples. In Study 1, both attachment anxiety and avoidance predicted SWMD, with the former effect being stronger than the latter. The indirect effects of attachment anxiety and avoidance on SWMD via BPD were significant, with the former effect being stronger as the latter. Study 2 introduced gaze anxiety as an additional mediator, revealing that attachment avoidance had stronger indirect effects via gaze anxiety, a potential pre-emptive strategy, while attachment anxiety's effect was stronger via BPD, a potential post-emptive pathway. In preregistered Study 3, reflective functioning mediated the associations between attachment insecurities and SWMD, contrary to our moderation hypothesis. Importantly, relationships between attachment anxiety and SWMD remained robust after controlling for personality traits and personality disorders. Results are consistent with the role of different regulatory strategies in explaining how attachment insecurities contribute to subjective cognitive difficulties.
Striving for social status is a fundamental human motive, yet individuals vary considerably in their status-seeking tendencies. Drawing on attachment literature and life history theory, we propose that attachment anxiety drives status pursuit through heightened intrasexual competition. Across six preregistered studies (N = 4,456) spanning five countries, we find that attachment anxiety, rather than attachment avoidance, predicts status strivings. This relationship is mediated by intrasexual competition—competing with same-sex rivals—rather than, as previously documented, by materialism or general competitiveness. Experimental evidence confirms causality: Inducing attachment anxiety increases the desire for high-status cars and houses through heightened intrasexual competition. A moderation-of-process design demonstrates that experimentally manipulating intrasexual competition correspondingly enhances or reduces the effect of attachment anxiety on status strivings but only for high-status possessions. These effects hold for both men and women. Our findings show that anxiously attached individuals pursue status to compensate for relational insecurities, and they do so by competing with same-sex rivals. This research extends attachment theory to status pursuit and clarifies whether, when, and why individual differences in attachment patterns predict people’s status strivings.
Problem statement: Motivation to participate in Physical Education classes (PE) is one of the key factors determining a young person’s active lifestyle later on in their life. The aim of the study was a Polish adaptation and psychometric verifi cation of the Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire 2 developed by Markland and Tobin to measure motivation for participating in physical exercise, but also to adapt it to measure motivation for PE classes. The level of motivation to take part in PE was checked for sex, stage of education, and participation in professional sports activity. Approach: The sample consisted of 1255 primary, middle and secondary school students (56% girls, Mage=14.76±2.43). EFA, CFA, correlation and reliability analysis, as well as comparisons across groups were performed. Results: Exploratory and confi rmatory factor analyses showed that the structure of the BREQ 2-WF is consistent with the assumptions of Self-Determination Theory, and the Polish version of the tool obtained a reliability which permits its application to research and diagnostic purposes. It was also found that while the stage of education increased, the level of autonomous forms of motivation to exercise during PE classes decreased, with the level of amotivation increasing at the same time. The boys and students who participated in professional sports exhibited higher levels of autonomous motivation than the girls and physically inactive students. Conclusions: The results indicate the need to revise PE teaching methods, in particular at higher education stages. It is worth considering the promotion of the tool among PE teachers to facilitate students’ motivation for physical activity.
