Browsing by Author "Tunney, R.J."

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    The latent structure of autistic traits: A taxometric, latent class and latent profile analysis of the adult autism spectrum quotient
    (Springer, 2016-09-12) James, R.J.E.; Smith, D.; Ropar, D.; Tunney, R.J.
    Autistic traits are widely thought to operate along a continuum. A taxometric analysis of Adult Autism Spectrum Quotient data was conducted to test this assumption, finding little support but identifying a high severity taxon. To understand this further, latent class and latent profile models were estimated that indicated the presence of six distinct subtypes: one with little probability of endorsing any autistic traits, one engaging in 'systemising' behaviours, three groups endorsing multiple components of Wing and Gould's autistic triad, and a group similar in size and profile to the taxon previously identified. These analyses suggest the AQ (and potentially by extension autistic traits) have a categorical structure. These findings have important implications for the analysis and interpretation of AQ data.