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Bögl K, Bayer M, Walter H, Dziobek I. Influences of heart rate feedback and autistic traits on affective mindreading. Sci Rep 2024; 14:18783. [PMID: 39138278 PMCID: PMC11322188 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-69038-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 07/30/2024] [Indexed: 08/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Although mindreading is an important prerequisite for successful social interactions, the underlying mechanisms are still matter of debate. It is unclear, for example, if inferring others' and own mental states are distinct processes or are based on a common mechanism. Using an affect-induction experimental set-up with an acoustic heart rate feedback that addresses affective mindreading in self and others, we investigated if non-autistic study participants relied on similar information for self- and other-directed mindreading. We assumed that due to altered mindreading capacities in autism, mainly individuals with low autistic traits would focus on additional sensory cues, such as heart rate, to infer their own and their gambling partner's affective states. Our analyses showed that the interpretation of a heart rate signal differed in self- and other-directed mindreading trials. This effect was modulated by autistic traits suggesting that individuals with higher autistic traits might not have interpreted the heart rate feedback for gambling partner ratings and differentiated less between self- and other-directed mindreading trials. We discuss these results in the context of a common mechanism underlying self- and other-directed mindreading and hypothesize that the weighting of internal and external sensory information might contribute to how we make sense of our and others' mental states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Bögl
- Clinical Psychology of Social Interaction, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Mareike Bayer
- Clinical Psychology of Social Interaction, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), partner site Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Henrik Walter
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), partner site Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of FU Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Isabel Dziobek
- Clinical Psychology of Social Interaction, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), partner site Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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2
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Wu R, Leow K, Yu N, Rafter C, Rosenbaum K, F de C Hamilton A, White SJ. Evaluative contexts facilitate implicit mentalizing: relation to the broader autism phenotype and mental health. Sci Rep 2024; 14:4697. [PMID: 38409351 PMCID: PMC10897468 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-55075-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024] Open
Abstract
One promising account for autism is implicit mentalizing difficulties. However, this account and even the existence of implicit mentalizing have been challenged because the replication results are mixed. Those unsuccessful replications may be due to the task contexts not being sufficiently evaluative. Therefore, the current study developed a more evaluative paradigm by implementing a prompt question. This was assessed in 60 non-autistic adults and compared with a non-prompt version. Additionally, parents of autistic children are thought to show a genetic liability to autistic traits and cognition and often report mental health problems, but the broader autism phenotype (BAP) is an under-researched area. Thus, we also aimed to compare 33 BAP and 26 non-BAP mothers on mentalizing abilities, autistic traits, compensation and mental health. Our results revealed that more evaluative contexts can facilitate implicit mentalizing in BAP and non-BAP populations, and thus improve task reliability and replicability. Surprisingly, BAP mothers showed better implicit mentalizing but worse mental health than non-BAP mothers, which indicates the heterogeneity in the broader autism phenotype and the need to promote BAP mothers' psychological resilience. The findings underscore the importance of contexts for implicit mentalizing and the need to profile mentalizing and mental health in BAP parents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruihan Wu
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, Alexandra House, 17 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3AZ, UK.
| | - Karen Leow
- National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Nicole Yu
- National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Ciara Rafter
- Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, Manchester, UK
| | - Katia Rosenbaum
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, Alexandra House, 17 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3AZ, UK
| | - Antonia F de C Hamilton
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, Alexandra House, 17 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3AZ, UK
| | - Sarah J White
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, Alexandra House, 17 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3AZ, UK.
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Taylor D, Gönül G, Alexander C, Züberbühler K, Clément F, Glock HJ. Reading minds or reading scripts? De-intellectualising theory of mind. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:2028-2048. [PMID: 37408142 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the origins of human social cognition is a central challenge in contemporary science. In recent decades, the idea of a 'Theory of Mind' (ToM) has emerged as the most popular way of explaining unique features of human social cognition. This default view has been progressively undermined by research on 'implicit' ToM, which suggests that relevant precursor abilities may already be present in preverbal human infants and great apes. However, this area of research suffers from conceptual difficulties and empirical limitations, including explanatory circularity, over-intellectualisation, and inconsistent empirical replication. Our article breaks new ground by adapting 'script theory' for application to both linguistic and non-linguistic agents. It thereby provides a new theoretical framework able to resolve the aforementioned issues, generate novel predictions, and provide a plausible account of how individuals make sense of the behaviour of others. Script theory is based on the premise that pre-verbal infants and great apes are capable of basic forms of agency-detection and non-mentalistic goal understanding, allowing individuals to form event-schemata that are then used to make sense of the behaviour of others. We show how script theory circumvents fundamental problems created by ToM-based frameworks, explains patterns of inconsistent replication, and offers important novel predictions regarding how humans and other animals understand and predict the behaviour of others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derry Taylor
- Faculty of Science, Institute of Biology, Department of Comparative Cognition, University of Neuchâtel, Rue-Emile-Argand 11, Neuchâtel, 2000, Switzerland
| | - Gökhan Gönül
- Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences, Institute of Language and Communication Sciences, Cognitive Science Centre, University of Neuchâtel, Pierre-à-Mazel 7, Neuchâtel, 2000, Switzerland
| | - Cameron Alexander
- Department of Philosophy, University of Zürich, Zürichbergstrasse 43, Zurich, CH-8044, Switzerland
| | - Klaus Züberbühler
- Faculty of Science, Institute of Biology, Department of Comparative Cognition, University of Neuchâtel, Rue-Emile-Argand 11, Neuchâtel, 2000, Switzerland
| | - Fabrice Clément
- Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences, Institute of Language and Communication Sciences, Cognitive Science Centre, University of Neuchâtel, Pierre-à-Mazel 7, Neuchâtel, 2000, Switzerland
| | - Hans-Johann Glock
- Department of Philosophy, University of Zürich, Zürichbergstrasse 43, Zurich, CH-8044, Switzerland
- Institute for the Study of Language Evolution, University of Zürich, Affolternstrasse 56, Zürich, CH-8050, Switzerland
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Pasqualette L, Kulke L. Effects of emotional content on social inhibition of gaze in live social and non-social situations. Sci Rep 2023; 13:14151. [PMID: 37644088 PMCID: PMC10465544 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-41154-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Abstract
In real-life interactions, it is crucial that humans adequately respond to others' emotional expressions. Emotion perception so far has mainly been studied in highly controlled laboratory tasks. However, recent research suggests that attention and gaze behaviour significantly differ between watching a person on a controlled laboratory screen compared to in real world interactions. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate effects of emotional expression on participants' gaze in social and non-social situations. We compared looking behaviour towards a confederate showing positive, neutral or negative facial expressions between live social and non-social waiting room situations. Participants looked more often and longer to the confederate on the screen, than when physically present in the room. Expressions displayed by the confederate and individual traits (social anxiety and autistic traits) of participants did not reliably relate to gaze behaviour. Indications of covert attention also occurred more often and longer during the non-social, than during the social condition. Findings indicate that social norm is a strong factor modulating gaze behaviour in social contexts. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION: The stage 1 protocol for this Registered Report was accepted in principle on September 13, 2021. The protocol, as accepted by the journal, can be found at: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16628290 .
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Pasqualette
- Department of Neurocognitive Developmental Psychology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
- Developmental Psychology with Educational Psychology, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Louisa Kulke
- Department of Neurocognitive Developmental Psychology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.
- Developmental Psychology with Educational Psychology, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany.
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5
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Montandon ML, Rodriguez C, Herrmann FR, Eytan A, Pegna AJ, Haller S, Giannakopoulos P. Patterns of multiple brain network activation in dot perspective task. Sci Rep 2023; 13:6793. [PMID: 37100844 PMCID: PMC10133244 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-33427-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023] Open
Abstract
In this functional MRI (fMRI) study on 82 healthy adults using the dot perspective task, inconsistency of perspectives was associated with a significant increase of the mean reaction time and number of errors both in Self and Other conditions. Unlike the Arrow (non-mentalizing), the Avatar (mentalizing) paradigm was characterized by the recruitment of parts of the mentalizing and salience networks. These data provide experimental evidence supporting the fMRI distinction between mentalizing and non-mentalizing stimuli. A widespread activation of classical theory of mind (ToM) areas but also of salience network and decision making areas was observed in the Other compared to Self-conditions. Compared to Self-Consistent, Self-Inconsistent trials were related to increased activation in the lateral occipital cortex, right supramarginal and angular gyrus as well as inferior, superior and middle frontal gyri. Compared to the Other-Consistent, Other-Inconsistent trials yielded strong activation in the lateral occipital cortex, precuneus and superior parietal lobule, middle and superior precentral gyri and left frontal pole. These findings reveal that altercentric interference relies on areas involved in self-other distinction, self-updating and central executive functions. In contrast, egocentric interference needs the activation of the mirror neuron system and deductive reasoning, much less related to pure ToM abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie-Louise Montandon
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
- Department of Rehabilitation and Geriatrics, Geneva University Hospitals and University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - Cristelle Rodriguez
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Division of Institutional Measures, Medical Direction, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - François R Herrmann
- Department of Rehabilitation and Geriatrics, Geneva University Hospitals and University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Ariel Eytan
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Division of Institutional Measures, Medical Direction, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Alan J Pegna
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Sven Haller
- CIMC - Centre d'Imagerie Médicale de Cornavin, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Surgical Sciences, Radiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Faculty of Medicine of the University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Radiology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Panteleimon Giannakopoulos
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Division of Institutional Measures, Medical Direction, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
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Ni Q, Shoyer J, Bautista Z, Raport A, Moll H. Toddlers' expressions indicate that they track agent-object interactions but do not detect false object representations. J Exp Child Psychol 2023; 231:105639. [PMID: 36863171 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2023.105639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2022] [Revised: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/04/2023]
Abstract
In the theory of mind debate, a middle position between nativism and conceptual change theory has gained traction. This position states that children younger than 4 years track agent-object relations (by building "records" of others' experiences) without cognizing how agents represent-or misrepresent-the objects they encounter. We tested these claims with 3.5-year-olds using puppet shows geared to evoke suspenseful expressions. In two experiments (N = 90), children watched an agent approach an object that looked like her favorite food but was inedible. In Experiment 1, children showed tense expressions when an agent's real food item was, unbeknownst to her, replaced with a fake food item. Children, however, showed no signs of understanding that the agent would mistake the deceptive object for food. Consistent with this, children's expressions in Experiment 2 did not differ when the agent approached a deceptive object compared with when she approached a non-deceptive object. The experiments support the middle position's view that toddlers track agent-object interactions but fail to recognize when agents misrepresent objects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianhui Ni
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
| | - Jake Shoyer
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Zoë Bautista
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Alexandra Raport
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Henrike Moll
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
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Poulin-Dubois D, Goldman EJ, Meltzer A, Psaradellis E. Discontinuity from implicit to explicit theory of mind from infancy to preschool age. COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2022.101273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Rodriguez C, Montandon ML, Herrmann FR, Pegna AJ, Giannakopoulos P. Cognitive and Emotional Determinants of Automatic Perspective Taking in Healthy Adults. Front Psychol 2022; 13:883929. [PMID: 35586238 PMCID: PMC9108454 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.883929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies using the dot-perspective task postulated that people automatically take into account others' perspective even when it prevents them from achieving their own goals. This human ability may be of key importance for the ascription of mental states and social interactions. The cognitive and emotional determinants of automatic perspective taking (APT) is still matter of debate. To address this issue, we examined the performance in the Samson et al. APT task in 91 healthy adults who underwent a detailed neuropsychological testing including assessment of their general intelligence (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, WAIS), attention and impulsivity (Conners' Continuous Performance Test-II, CPT-II), alexithymia (Toronto Alexithymia Scale, TAS), and measures of affective empathy and explicit theory of mind (Geneva Social Cognition Scale, GeSoCS, and mini-Social cognition and Emotional Assessment, mini-SEA). Univariate and multiple linear regression models (adjusted for age, gender, and education) were used to explore the association between mean reaction times (respectively, mean number of errors) in the APT task, and the CPT-II parameters, WAIS global score (as well as subscale scores), TAS, and GeSoCS and mini-SEA scores. Only the CPT-II parameters were significantly associated with the mean reaction times. Increased omissions, commissions, and detectability as well as hit reaction time standard error in CPT-II were all related to worse performances both in Self and Other conditions. The mean number of errors was negatively associated with the GeSoCS score. Among the variables studied, only CPT-II parameters had a significant impact on egocentric and altercentric interference. Neither global intelligence nor alexithymia have an effect on dot-perspective task performance. The present findings suggest that people with lower attentional resources and increased impulsivity display worse performances in the APT task and are less responsive to both egocentric and altercentric interference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristelle Rodriguez
- Division of Institutional Measures, Medical Direction, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Marie-Louise Montandon
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Rehabilitation and Geriatrics, Geneva University Hospitals and University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - François R. Herrmann
- Department of Rehabilitation and Geriatrics, Geneva University Hospitals and University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Alan J. Pegna
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Panteleimon Giannakopoulos
- Division of Institutional Measures, Medical Direction, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- *Correspondence: Panteleimon Giannakopoulos
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Csulak T, Hajnal A, Kiss S, Dembrovszky F, Varjú-Solymár M, Sipos Z, Kovács MA, Herold M, Varga E, Hegyi P, Tényi T, Herold R. Implicit Mentalizing in Patients With Schizophrenia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Front Psychol 2022; 13:790494. [PMID: 35185724 PMCID: PMC8847732 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.790494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Mentalizing is a key aspect of social cognition. Several researchers assume that mentalization has two systems, an explicit one (conscious, relatively slow, flexible, verbal, inferential) and an implicit one (unconscious, automatic, fast, non-verbal, intuitive). In schizophrenia, several studies have confirmed the deficit of explicit mentalizing, but little data are available on non-explicit mentalizing. However, increasing research activity can be detected recently in implicit mentalizing. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to summarize the existing results of implicit mentalizing in schizophrenia. METHODS A systematic search was performed in four major databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Web of Science. Eleven publications were selected. Five studies were found to be eligible for quantitative synthesis, and 9 studies were included in qualitative synthesis. RESULTS The meta-analysis revealed significantly lower accuracy, slower reaction time during implicit mentalizing in patients with schizophrenia. The systematic review found different brain activation pattern, further alterations in visual scanning, cue fixation, face looking time, and difficulties in perspective taking. DISCUSSION Overall, in addition to the deficit of explicit mentalization, implicit mentalization performance is also affected in schizophrenia, if not to the same extent. It seems likely that some elements of implicit mentalization might be relatively unaffected (e.g., detection of intentionality), but the effectiveness is limited by certain neurocognitive deficits. These alterations in implicit mentalizing can also have potential therapeutic consequences.Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier: CRD42021231312.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timea Csulak
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary.,Doctoral School of Clinical Neurosciences, Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary
| | - András Hajnal
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Szabolcs Kiss
- Medical School, Institute for Translational Medicine, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Fanni Dembrovszky
- Medical School, Institute for Translational Medicine, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Margit Varjú-Solymár
- Medical School, Institute for Translational Medicine, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Zoltán Sipos
- Medical School, Institute for Translational Medicine, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Márton Aron Kovács
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary.,Doctoral School of Clinical Neurosciences, Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Márton Herold
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary.,Doctoral School of Clinical Neurosciences, Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Eszter Varga
- Department of Pediatrics, Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Péter Hegyi
- Medical School, Institute for Translational Medicine, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Tamás Tényi
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Róbert Herold
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary
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