Stuck in uncertainty: A predictive processing/ active inference account of procrastination- like behaviour in autism
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62876/lr.vi45.6481Keywords:
autism, procrastination, weak central coherence (WCC), high inflexible priors of prediction errors in autism (HIPPEA)Abstract
A phenomenon often associated with autism is an atypical mode of executive function, manifestations of which include difficulty in initiating tasks. In some cases, this is accompanied by feelings of inertia and sensations that can be described as simultaneous restlessness and paralysis. Consequently, difficulty in getting started on tasks can result in procrastination, either by simply postponing working on the target task or by performing other unrelated tasks before engaging in the target task. Interestingly, however, it is also documented that once a task has been started, autistic persons may focus on it intensely and for prolonged periods of time, especially when it is interesting to them.
This paper uses predictive processing and active inference to model the relationship between executive function, procrastination, and hyperfocus in autism. This model integrates the known and proposed causes of deficits in executive function and the role played by interest in attention regulation and motivation. The model proposes that procrastination is the outcome of differential prediction-error minimizing processes, such as weighting of sensory stimuli. Links to previously proposed models such as weak central coherence (WCC), and the theory of high, inflexible priors of prediction errors in autism (HIPPEA) are discussed.
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