Deficient social communication and interaction behaviors are a hallmark feature of individuals with autism spectrum disorder. These social communication and interaction deficits potentially stem from problems with explicit social cognition (i.e. processes that are controlled and largely conscious) as well as with implicit social cognition (i.e. processes that are fast, spontaneous, and primarily unconscious). This study aimed to investigate the relative contributions of implicit and explicit social cognition factors as predictors of multi-informant measures of social communication and interaction behaviors in a sample of 34 youth with clinical diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder. Behavioral, cognitive, and electrophysiological indices of implicit and explicit social cognition were entered into partial least squares regression models designed to identify latent factors that optimally predict parent-report, observer-coded, and clinician-rated social communication, and interaction outcomes. Results indicated that while both implicit and explicit social cognition factors optimally predicted outcomes, implicit social cognition factors were relatively more predictive. Findings have important implications for the conceptualization and measurement of social functioning as well as the development of targeted social interventions in autism spectrum disorder populations.