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1General introduction19symptomology differ, social anxiety often BOX 1 | Description of Autism Spectrum Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, and Associated Trait LevelsAccording to the DSM-V (American Psychiatric Association, 2013), Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD; or social phobia) belongs to the cluster of Anxiety Disorders, which are mental health conditions characterized by excessive and uncontrollable fear and anxiety in everyday life situations. Within this cluster, SAD manifests specifically in a disproportionate fear and avoidance of social situations, which is based on fears of evaluation by others, and causes substantial distress to the individual. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by %u201cimpairments%u201d in social communication, such as eye contact or social reciprocity, and restricted, repetitive behaviours, such as stereotypic movements or sensory interests, which already manifest in early development. As reduced intellectual development (e.g., being less verbal) complicates the study of social functioning in autism, most research (including this thesis) includes individuals on the autism spectrum with intellectual ability that is comparable to control participants to target alterations specifically linked to social cognition and behaviour.Alterations in experiences and behaviour that show similarities to those described in individuals with a diagnosis of autism or social anxiety present themselves to varying degrees in the general population. These characteristics are commonly referred to as autistic traits or social anxiety traits (Rapee & Spence, 2004; E. B. Robinson et al., 2011). To give an example, people with high autistic trait levels can find it difficult to infer others%u2019 intentions or have a hard time deviating from established routines. In the case of social anxiety, people with high trait levels can, for example, experience anxiety when meeting strangers or avoid giving a speech in front of others. Individuals with high social anxiety trait levels but no diagnosis mainly differ from individuals with social anxiety in the degree to which symptoms impact their daily life (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Experiences of individuals on the autism spectrum, in contrast, can be qualitatively different compared to experiences of neurotypical individuals with high autistic trait levels (Sasson & Bottema-Beutel, 2022). Yet, assessing trait levels in individuals without the respective condition can allow researchers to approach phenomena related to autism and social anxiety, and can inform studies in the two conditions, without immediately involving individuals with a diagnosis.