Autism and Introspective Mind Blindness

Abstract

A major objection against the idea that mind blindness explains autism is the assumption that this explanation does not address non-social aspects of autism. This paper aims to examine whether the mind blindness hypothesis can explain repetitive behaviour and obsessive interests in autism after all. It is expected that the relationship between introspective mind blindness and repetitive behaviour can be explained by cognitive control deficiencies. Empirical studies indicate that a lack of self-reflection is indeed an important aspect of mind blindness. This deficiency may lead to an inability to reflect on one’s behaviour and change it accordingly. However, the issue remains unsettled. It appears there is a way mind blindness could explain repetitive behaviour, but more research should be conducted.