Enhanced global integration of closed contours in individuals with high levels of autistic-like traits

•Visual search and contour integration performance covaries with Autism Quotient.•High scorers performed better on the Embedded Figures Test.•High scorers performed better on the Radial Frequency Search Task.•High scorers were better at globally integrating radial frequency contours.•High Autism Quotient scorers are not inferior on all global integration tasks.

Individuals with autistic traits (measured with Autism-spectrum Quotient, AQ) often excel in detecting shapes hidden within complex structures (e.g. on the Embedded Figures Test, EFT). This facility has been attributed to either weaker global integration of scene elements or enhanced local processing, but 'local' and 'global' have various meanings in the literature. The function of specific global visual mechanisms involved in integrating contours, similar to EFT targets was examined. High AQ scorers produced enhanced performance on the EFT and an alternative Radial Frequency Search Task. Contrary to 'generic' interpretations of weaker global pooling, this group displayed stronger pooling of contour components that was correlated with search ability. This study therefore shows a global contour integration advantage in high AQ observers.