Computational Phenomenology of Temporal Experience in Autism: Quantifying the Emotional and Narrative Characteristics of Lived Unpredictability

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Auteurs principaux: Dudzic, Kacper, Drożdż, Karolina, Wodziński, Maciej, Szuła, Anastazja, Moskalewicz, Marcin
Format: Preprint
Publié: 2026
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author Dudzic, Kacper
Drożdż, Karolina
Wodziński, Maciej
Szuła, Anastazja
Moskalewicz, Marcin
author_facet Dudzic, Kacper
Drożdż, Karolina
Wodziński, Maciej
Szuła, Anastazja
Moskalewicz, Marcin
contents Disturbances in temporality, such as desynchronization with the social environment and its unpredictability, are considered core features of autism with a deep impact on relationships. However, limitations regarding research on this issue include: 1) the dominance of deficit-based medical models of autism, 2) sample size in qualitative research, and 3) the lack of phenomenological anchoring in computational research. To bridge the gap between phenomenological and computational approaches and overcome sample-size limitations, our research integrated three methodologies. Study A: structured phenomenological interviews with autistic individuals using the Transdiagnostic Assessment of Temporal Experience. Study B: computational analysis of an autobiographical corpus of autistic narratives built for this purpose. Study C: a replication of a computational study using narrative flow measures to assess the perceived phenomenological authenticity of autistic autobiographies. Interviews revealed that the most significant differences between the autistic and control groups concerned unpredictability of experience. Computational results mirrored these findings: the temporal lexicon in autistic narratives was significantly more negatively valenced - particularly the "Immediacy & Suddenness" category. Outlier analysis identified terms associated with perceived discontinuity (unpredictably, precipitously, and abruptly) as highly negative. The computational analysis of narrative flow found that the autistic narratives contained within the corpus quantifiably resemble autobiographical stories more than imaginary ones. Overall, the temporal challenges experienced by autistic individuals were shown to primarily concern lived unpredictability and stem from the contents of lived experience, and not from autistic narrative construction.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_10947
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Computational Phenomenology of Temporal Experience in Autism: Quantifying the Emotional and Narrative Characteristics of Lived Unpredictability
Dudzic, Kacper
Drożdż, Karolina
Wodziński, Maciej
Szuła, Anastazja
Moskalewicz, Marcin
Computation and Language
Artificial Intelligence
Computers and Society
Disturbances in temporality, such as desynchronization with the social environment and its unpredictability, are considered core features of autism with a deep impact on relationships. However, limitations regarding research on this issue include: 1) the dominance of deficit-based medical models of autism, 2) sample size in qualitative research, and 3) the lack of phenomenological anchoring in computational research. To bridge the gap between phenomenological and computational approaches and overcome sample-size limitations, our research integrated three methodologies. Study A: structured phenomenological interviews with autistic individuals using the Transdiagnostic Assessment of Temporal Experience. Study B: computational analysis of an autobiographical corpus of autistic narratives built for this purpose. Study C: a replication of a computational study using narrative flow measures to assess the perceived phenomenological authenticity of autistic autobiographies. Interviews revealed that the most significant differences between the autistic and control groups concerned unpredictability of experience. Computational results mirrored these findings: the temporal lexicon in autistic narratives was significantly more negatively valenced - particularly the "Immediacy & Suddenness" category. Outlier analysis identified terms associated with perceived discontinuity (unpredictably, precipitously, and abruptly) as highly negative. The computational analysis of narrative flow found that the autistic narratives contained within the corpus quantifiably resemble autobiographical stories more than imaginary ones. Overall, the temporal challenges experienced by autistic individuals were shown to primarily concern lived unpredictability and stem from the contents of lived experience, and not from autistic narrative construction.
title Computational Phenomenology of Temporal Experience in Autism: Quantifying the Emotional and Narrative Characteristics of Lived Unpredictability
topic Computation and Language
Artificial Intelligence
Computers and Society
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.10947