Prior contextual information and autistic traits influence eye gaze behaviour and emotional valence ratings for facial expressions.

This study examined the influence of social top-down information on eye-gaze behaviour and valence perception in individuals with higher and lower autistic traits. Data from 57 participants (37 identified as female, 18 as male, 2 as non-binary; M = 21.33 years, SD = 4.35) were analysed. Participants rated the valence of facial expressions depicting different intensities of emotions across three contexts while an eye-tracker recorded their gaze behaviour. In the no-context condition, participants observed neutral, joyful and angry faces without any background context; in the positive-context, they viewed neutral and joyful faces while imagining a dream-job offer scenario; and in the negative-context, they viewed neutral and angry faces while imagining a dream-job rejection scenario. Key findings included: (1) both the higher and lower autistic traits groups fixated longer on the eyes than the mouth across valence categories and contexts, with largest differences observed in the no-context condition, (2) the higher autistic traits group showed similar or longer eye fixations than the lower autistic traits group, with greater variability, and (3) the lower autistic traits group exhibited context-sensitive valence ratings, perceiving faces as more negative in positive and negative contexts than in no-context, whereas the higher autistic traits group showed no significant context effects. These results suggest that while both groups integrate prior information in sensory-driven processes like gaze behaviour, context-sensitive reflective judgments are more evident in individuals with lower autistic traits, highlighting trait-linked differences in predictive processing in social cognition.