Date of Award

8-2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College/School

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department/Program

Psychology

Thesis Sponsor/Dissertation Chair/Project Chair

Jennifer Yang

Committee Member

Laura Lakusta

Committee Member

Gina Miele

Committee Member

Erin Kang

Abstract

The broader autism phenotype (BAP) is a milder manifestation of autistic traits just below the clinical threshold for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and provides a framework for studying and defining these traits in individuals related to autistic people. Cognitive flexibility (CF) is an executive functioning (EF) skill characterized by the ability to switch between tasks or thoughts based on environmental demands. The current study examined whether BAP was associated with CF and how bilingualism and emotion influenced this relationship across development. Previous research has found that bilinguals show enhanced task-switching abilities. Individuals with BAP may show differences in emotional processing, and emotional stimuli influence CF in typically developing individuals; it is unclear whether this extends to individuals with BAP. The current study examined CF using an emotional and non-emotional set-shifting task, and a measure of everyday EF (BRIEF). Results indicated that BAP was not significantly related to the WCST and YCST in either children or adults, but was significantly associated with greater difficulties in overall everyday EF (BRIEF). Critically, higher bilingual experience attenuated the association between BAP and executive difficulties. Higher bilingualism was associated with lower perseverative errors in the emotional condition of the YCST in the full sample, but was not associated with non-emotional CF. Age emerged as a consistent predictor of performance across tasks, highlighting developmental influences. Overall, these findings emphasized that while performance-based CF is shaped by developmental factors, bilingual experience and autistic traits were more strongly reflected in everyday EF. Task demands and measurement type were, therefore, critical in understanding EF in individuals with BAP.

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