Harvard-backed math question that reveals whether someone could be autistic
A bat and ball cost a total of $1.10. The bat costs $1 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?
Your answer could reveal whether you have autistic characteristics.
If you answered 10 cents, you are probably a systems thinker who makes quick decisions.
Unfortunately, you would be wrong.
The correct answer is five cents, and the people who get it right are probably system two thinkers, whose way of processing information is more methodical.
The majority of people on the autism spectrum are system two thinkers, which is why the test is used by doctors in the US as part of a comprehensive evaluation to diagnose the disorder.
Olesya Luraschi is a Harvard graduate and psychologist. She helps people improve their lives and improve their cognitive skills
The question is one of three questions asked during a Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT), which is often used by psychologists to determine whether someone has an autism spectrum disorder.
This is because no single test can be a comprehensive evaluation of whether someone is on the autism spectrum.
It was first described in 2005 by psychologist Shane Frederick, who asked students to answer the question, but only 20 to 40 percent of everyone who tried succeeded.
Psychologist Olesya Luraschi, who is also a high-performance coach, explained that the way people answer the problem may indicate that they have a System 1 or System 2 way of thinking, which is the way the brain processes information.
You are told that the bat and ball together cost $1.10, while the ball costs $1 more.
The question prompts you to imagine that the ball costs 10 cents, but the ball costs $1 more than that.
If the ball cost 10 cents, the bat would cost $1.10, which would bring the amount to more than originally given.
So the ball must cost less than 10 cents.
If the ball costs five cents, the bat would cost $1 more, or $1.05, which works out to $1.10.
Luraschi said a person’s answer “does not necessarily mean you have autism, … but this is a question sometimes used by psychologists when trying to diagnose the disorder.”
If a person takes the time to think about the question and answers it correctly, it shows that he or she is using his or her ability to think logically to fully understand the mathematical components.
This could put them on the spectrum, because people with autism are neurologically built to think this way.
A math question asking people to answer how much a ball costs could reveal whether you have autism spectrum disorder
Luraschi said that answering the question correctly “may be indicative of a certain type of thinking style.”
While this test cannot replace a clinical diagnosis, it can shed light on your thinking style.
A 2022 study found that those who were autistic and relied on the slower, logical and intuitive way of thinking were more likely to answer the question correctly.
According to the study, “Autistic participants produced more considered responses than the non-autistic participants.
‘However, both groups produced relatively more intuitive responses and less deliberate responses in the fast condition.’