Abstract
In everyday life, listeners spontaneously and rapidly form first impressions from others' voices: Are they young? Are they trustworthy? Previous research shows that, compared to non-autistic people, autistic people show similarities and differences in how they evaluate others based on their faces. However, it remains unclear whether autistic people form first impressions from voices in the same way as non-autistic people. We asked both autistic and non-autistic listeners to rate a social characteristic (Trustworthiness) and a physical characteristic (Age) from voice recordings that lasted 50, 200, or 800 ms to establish how they form first impressions from voices. We found that non-autistic and autistic listeners formed first impressions for Age and Trustworthiness in similar ways. Specifically, both groups showed comparable overall ratings of Age and Trustworthiness of voices. In terms of how much voice information is needed to form impressions, both autistic and non-autistic listeners also exhibited similar temporal trajectories. Finally, when comparing trait impressions within- and across- groups, we again found no systematic evidence of impression formation differing between autistic and non-autistic people. These findings highlight that social perception can be remarkably similar in autistic and non-autistic people. This, therefore, contextualises the often-reported social challenges encountered by autistic people, suggesting that these may be confined to specific individuals or to specific domains of social perception rather than being universally pervasive.