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Hotte-Meunier A, Penney D, Mendelson D, Thibaudeau É, Moritz S, Lepage M, Sauvé G. Effects of metacognitive training (MCT) on social cognition for schizophrenia spectrum and related psychotic disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychol Med 2024; 54:914-920. [PMID: 37772399 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291723002611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/30/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Individuals with schizophrenia spectrum and related psychotic disorders (SSD) experience significant impairments in social cognition that impede functioning. Social cognition is a multidimensional construct consisting of four domains: 1. theory of mind, 2. emotion processing, 3. attributional style and 4. social perception. Metacognitive training (MCT) is an intervention designed to target cognitive biases in psychosis containing two modules addressing social cognition. METHODS A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the effects of MCT on social cognition and two of its domains: theory of mind and emotion processing. Ten electronic databases were scoured from 2007 to 1 February 2022 for MCT studies reporting social cognition outcomes for people with SSD (1050 identified, 282 assessed). Effect sizes were calculated using Cohen's d in R. RESULTS Nine studies were included in the meta-analysis (nMCT = 212, ncontrol = 194). MCT had a small but positive effect on global social cognition (d = 0.28 [95% CI 0.07-0.49]) and theory of mind (d = 0.27 [95% CI 0.01-0.52]). MCT showed no evidence of an effect on emotion processing (d = 0.03 [95% CI -0.26 to 0.32]). CONCLUSION MCT has a small but significant effect on social cognition for people with SSD. Our results add to other recent meta-analyses showing significant effects of MCT on clinically relevant outcomes such as positive symptoms, cognitive biases and cognitive insight. We recommend that future studies on MCT report outcomes on all four domains of social cognition. TRIAL REGISTRATION PROSPERO (in the process of registration) available at https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/#recordDetails.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adèle Hotte-Meunier
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Canada
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Danielle Penney
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Canada
- Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, Canada
| | - Daniel Mendelson
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Canada
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Élisabeth Thibaudeau
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Steffen Moritz
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Centre Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Martin Lepage
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Geneviève Sauvé
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Canada
- Department of Education and Pedagogy, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, Canada
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Schmid F, Henry A, Benzerouk F, Barrière S, Portefaix C, Gondrexon J, Obert A, Kaladjian A, Gierski F. Neural activations during cognitive and affective theory of mind processing in healthy adults with a family history of alcohol use disorder. Psychol Med 2024; 54:1034-1044. [PMID: 37753626 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291723002854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/28/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Social cognition impairments are a common feature of alcohol use disorders (AUD). However, it remains unclear whether these impairments are solely the consequence of chronic alcohol consumption or whether they could be a marker of vulnerability. METHODS The present study implemented a family history approach to address this question for a key process of social cognition: theory of mind (ToM). Thirty healthy adults with a family history of AUD (FH+) and 30 healthy adults with a negative family history of AUD (FH-), matched for age, sex, and education level, underwent an fMRI cartoon-vignette paradigm assessing cognitive and affective ToM. Participants also completed questionnaires evaluating anxiety, depressive symptoms, childhood trauma, and alexithymia. RESULTS Results indicated that FH+ individuals differed from FH- individuals on affective but not cognitive ToM processing, at both the behavioral and neural levels. At the behavioral level, the FH+ group had lower response accuracy for affective ToM compared with the FH- group. At the neural level, the FH+ group had higher brain activations in the left insula and inferior frontal cortex during affective ToM processing. These activations remained significant when controlling for depressive symptoms, anxiety, and childhood trauma. CONCLUSIONS These findings highlight difficulties during affective ToM processing among first-degree relatives of AUD patients, supporting the idea that some of the impairments exhibited by these patients may already be present before the onset of AUD and may be considered a marker of vulnerability.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Schmid
- Laboratoire Cognition, Santé, Société (C2S - EA 6291), University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Reims, France
| | - A Henry
- Laboratoire Cognition, Santé, Société (C2S - EA 6291), University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Reims, France
- Psychiatry Department, Marne Public Mental Health Institute & Reims University Hospital, Reims, France
| | - F Benzerouk
- Psychiatry Department, Marne Public Mental Health Institute & Reims University Hospital, Reims, France
- INSERM U1247, Research Group on Alcohol and Dependences, University of Picardy Jules Verne, Amiens, France
| | - S Barrière
- Psychiatry Department, Marne Public Mental Health Institute & Reims University Hospital, Reims, France
| | - C Portefaix
- Radiology Department, Maison Blanche Hospital, Reims University Hospital, Reims, France
- Centre de Recherche en Sciences et Technologies de l'Information et de la Communication (CReSTIC - EA 3804), University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Reims, France
| | - J Gondrexon
- Psychiatry Department, Marne Public Mental Health Institute & Reims University Hospital, Reims, France
| | - A Obert
- Laboratoire Sciences de la Cognition, Technologie, Ergonomie (SCOTE - EA 7420), Champollion National University Institute, Albi, France
| | - A Kaladjian
- Laboratoire Cognition, Santé, Société (C2S - EA 6291), University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Reims, France
- Psychiatry Department, Marne Public Mental Health Institute & Reims University Hospital, Reims, France
| | - F Gierski
- Laboratoire Cognition, Santé, Société (C2S - EA 6291), University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Reims, France
- Psychiatry Department, Marne Public Mental Health Institute & Reims University Hospital, Reims, France
- INSERM U1247, Research Group on Alcohol and Dependences, University of Picardy Jules Verne, Amiens, France
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Cyrkot T, Ramsey D, Wójta-Kempa M, Misiak B, Szczepanowski R. Blindness of intentions and metacognitive deficits during moral judgements in schizophrenia. ADV CLIN EXP MED 2024; 33:0-0. [PMID: 38530318 DOI: 10.17219/acem/175918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/27/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous research has shown that moral judgments are affected by social cognitive abilities, such as theory of mind (ToM). This study examines how information about an actor's beliefs and the consequences of their actions affect the moral evaluation of the character's behavior in social events. Our research builds upon previous studies, which have shown that these factors contribute differently to moral judgments made by both adults and young children. OBJECTIVES This study aimed to explore how participants with schizophrenia and healthy controls read stories about social situations in the context of moral judgments. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study used the research procedure that included 4 variants of 16 scenarios describing social situations, and thus comprising 64 stories. After each story, participants evaluated their confidence level on a 4-point scale. To assess delusional beliefs, the Polish adaptation of the Peters Delusion Inventory (PDI) questionnaire and the Paranoia Checklist (PCh) were used. Respondents completed these questionnaires after completing the scenario test procedure. RESULTS In social situations, patients with paranoid schizophrenia were found to evaluate actions of protagonists who attempted to harm another person more leniently than when it was an accident. Conversely, healthy individuals judged those actors who expressed intentions to hurt another person significantly more harshly than in an accident situation. Metacognition measures show that paranoid schizophrenia patients make moral judgments with high confidence, despite being based on an incorrect reading of the other person's intentions. CONCLUSIONS The study indicates that ToM has a significant impact on the moral judgment of others. Decreased moral cognition can result from both positive and negative symptoms. Deficits related to metacognition can also sustain such cognitive distortions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomasz Cyrkot
- Faculty of Psychology and Law, SWPS University, Poznań, Poland
| | - David Ramsey
- Department of Computer Science and Systems Engineering, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Poland
| | - Monika Wójta-Kempa
- Department of Humanities and Social Science, Wroclaw Medical University, Poland
| | - Błażej Misiak
- Department of Psychiatry, Wroclaw Medical University, Poland
| | - Remigiusz Szczepanowski
- Department of Computer Science and Systems Engineering, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Poland
- J. Gromkowski Provincial Specialist Hospital in Wrocław, Poland
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Escudero-Cabarcas J, Pineda-Alhucema W, Martinez-Banfi M, Acosta-López JE, Cervantes-Henriquez ML, Mejía-Segura E, Jiménez-Figueroa G, Sánchez-Barros C, Puentes-Rozo PJ, Noguera-Machacón LM, Ahmad M, de la Hoz M, Vélez JI, Arcos-Burgos M, Pineda DA, Sánchez M. Theory of Mind in Huntington's Disease: A Systematic Review of 20 Years of Research. J Huntingtons Dis 2024:JHD230594. [PMID: 38517797 DOI: 10.3233/jhd-230594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/24/2024]
Abstract
Background People with Huntington's disease (HD) exhibit neurocognitive alterations throughout the disease, including deficits in social cognitive processes such as Theory of Mind (ToM). Objective The aim is to identify methodologies and ToM instruments employed in HD, alongside relevant findings, within the scientific literature of the past two decades. Methods We conducted a comprehensive search for relevant papers in the SCOPUS, PubMed, APA-PsyArticles, Web of Science, Redalyc, and SciELO databases. In the selection process, we specifically focused on studies that included individuals with a confirmed genetic status of HD and investigated ToM functioning in patients with and without motor symptoms. The systematic review followed the PRISMA protocol. Results A total of 27 papers were selected for this systematic review, covering the period from 2003 to 2023. The findings consistently indicate that ToM is globally affected in patients with manifest motor symptoms. In individuals without motor symptoms, impairments are focused on the affective dimensions of ToM. Conclusions Based on our analysis, affective ToM could be considered a potential biomarker for HD. Therefore, it is recommended that ToM assessment be included as part of neuropsychological evaluation protocols in clinical settings. Suchinclusion could aid in the identification of early stages of the disease and provide new opportunities for treatment, particularly with emerging drugs like antisense oligomers. The Prospero registration number for this review is CRD42020209769.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johana Escudero-Cabarcas
- Universidad Simón Bolívar, Facultad de ciencias jurídicas y Sociales, Centro de Inv. e Innovación en Ciencias Sociales, Barranquilla, Colombia
| | - Wilmar Pineda-Alhucema
- Universidad Simón Bolívar, Facultad de ciencias jurídicas y Sociales, Centro de Inv. e Innovación en Ciencias Sociales, Barranquilla, Colombia
| | - Martha Martinez-Banfi
- Universidad Simón Bolívar, Facultad de ciencias jurídicas y Sociales, Centro de Inv. e Innovación en Ciencias Sociales, Barranquilla, Colombia
| | - Johan E Acosta-López
- Universidad Simón Bolívar, Facultad de ciencias jurídicas y Sociales, Centro de Inv. e Innovación en Ciencias Sociales, Barranquilla, Colombia
| | - Martha L Cervantes-Henriquez
- Universidad Simón Bolívar, Facultad de ciencias jurídicas y Sociales, Centro de Inv. e Innovación en Ciencias Sociales, Barranquilla, Colombia
| | - Elsy Mejía-Segura
- Universidad Simón Bolívar, Facultad de ciencias jurídicas y Sociales, Centro de Inv. e Innovación en Ciencias Sociales, Barranquilla, Colombia
| | - Giomar Jiménez-Figueroa
- Universidad Simón Bolívar, Facultad de ciencias jurídicas y Sociales, Centro de Inv. e Innovación en Ciencias Sociales, Barranquilla, Colombia
| | - Cristian Sánchez-Barros
- Hospital Juaneda Miramar Departamento de Neurofisiología Clínica Palma de Mallorca, Islas Baleares, España
| | - Pedro J Puentes-Rozo
- Grupo de Neurociencias del Caribe, Universidad del Atlántico, Barranquilla, Colombia
- Universidad Simón Bolívar, Facultad de ciencias jurídicas y Sociales, Centro de Inv. e Innovación en Ciencias Sociales, Barranquilla, Colombia
| | | | - Mostapha Ahmad
- Universidad Simón Bolívar, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud Barranquilla, Colombia
| | - Moisés de la Hoz
- Universidad Simón Bolívar, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud Barranquilla, Colombia
| | | | - Mauricio Arcos-Burgos
- Grupo de Investigación en Psiquiatría (GIPSI), Departamento de Psiquiatría, Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia
| | - David A Pineda
- Grupo de investigación Neuropsicología y Conducta, Universidad de San Buenaventura, Medellín, Colombia
| | - Manuel Sánchez
- Universidad Simón Bolívar, Facultad de ciencias jurídicas y Sociales, Centro de Inv. e Innovación en Ciencias Sociales, Barranquilla, Colombia
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Nestor BA, Kossowsky J, Nelson SM. Topical Review: Getting into the head of youth with chronic pain: how theory of mind deficits may relate to the development and maintenance of pediatric pain. J Pediatr Psychol 2024; 49:224-230. [PMID: 38366580 PMCID: PMC10954304 DOI: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsae009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Theory of mind (ToM) is the ability to understand the thoughts, feelings, and mental states of others and is critical for effective social and psychological functioning. ToM deficits have been associated with various psychological disorders and identified in adult pain populations. For youth with chronic pain, ToM deficits may underlie the biological, psychological, and social factors that contribute to their experience of pain, but this remains poorly understood. METHODS This topical review explored the extant literature in the areas of ToM and chronic pain, particularly for pediatric populations, with respect to biological, psychological, and social elements of the biopsychosocial model of pain. RESULTS ToM deficits may be present alongside previously identified biological, psychological, and social correlates of pediatric pain, as a vulnerability, mechanism, and/or consequence. Biologically, ToM deficits may relate to cortisol abnormalities and neurobiological substrates of pain processing. Psychologically, ToM deficits may stem from pain-focused cognitions, thus impacting relationships and fueling impairment. Socially, chronic pain may preclude normative development of ToM abilities through social withdrawal, thereby exacerbating the experience of pain. CONCLUSION Taken together, ToM deficits may be associated with increased risk for the development and/or maintenance of pediatric chronic pain, and pediatric chronic pain may similarly confer risk for ToM deficits. Future research should investigate the nature of ToM abilities in youth with chronic pain to test these hypotheses and ultimately inform ToM-focused and pain-based interventions, as this ability has been demonstrated to be modifiable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bridget A Nestor
- Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Anesthesia, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Joe Kossowsky
- Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Anesthesia, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Sarah M Nelson
- Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
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Galvez-Merlin A, López-Villatoro JM, de la Higuera-González P, de la Torre-Luque A, McDowell K, Díaz-Marsá M, Leza JC, Carrasco JL. Decreased oxytocin levels related to social cognition impairment in borderline personality disorder. Acta Psychiatr Scand 2024. [PMID: 38477064 DOI: 10.1111/acps.13679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2023] [Revised: 02/24/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Dysfunctions in the oxytocin system have been reported in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Deficits could be related to interpersonal hypersensitivity, which has been previously associated with failures in social cognition (SC) in this disorder, especially in Theory of Mind (ToM) skills. The aim of this work is to study the links between the oxytocin system and SC impairments in patients with BPD. METHOD Plasma oxytocin levels (OXT) and protein expression of oxytocin receptors in blood mononuclear cells (OXTR) were examined in 33 patients with a diagnosis of BPD (age: M 28.85, DT = 8.83). Social cognition was assessed using the Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition (MASC). Statistical associations between biochemical factors and different response errors in MASC were analyzed through generalized linear regression controlling for relevant clinical factors. RESULTS Generalized linear regression showed a significant relationship between lower OXTR and overmentalization in BPD patients (OR = 0.90). CONCLUSIONS This work supports the relationship between alterations in the oxytocin system and ToM impairments observed in BPD patients, enhancing the search for endophenotypes related to the phenotypic features of the disorder to improve current clinical knowledge and address more specific therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandra Galvez-Merlin
- Health Research Institute of the Hospital Clínico San Carlos (IdISSC), Madrid, Spain
- Department of Legal Medicine, Psychiatry and Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), Madrid, Spain
| | - José M López-Villatoro
- Health Research Institute of the Hospital Clínico San Carlos (IdISSC), Madrid, Spain
- Department of Legal Medicine, Psychiatry and Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Pilar de la Higuera-González
- Health Research Institute of the Hospital Clínico San Carlos (IdISSC), Madrid, Spain
- Department of Personality, Assessment and Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, UCM, Madrid, Spain
| | - Alejandro de la Torre-Luque
- Department of Legal Medicine, Psychiatry and Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), Madrid, Spain
- Centre for Biomedical Research in Mental Health (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Karina McDowell
- Centre for Biomedical Research in Mental Health (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, UCM, Madrid, Spain
- Institute of Health Research Hospital 12 de Octubre (imas12), Madrid, Spain
- Institute of Research in Neurochemistry, UCM, Madrid, Spain
| | - Marina Díaz-Marsá
- Health Research Institute of the Hospital Clínico San Carlos (IdISSC), Madrid, Spain
- Department of Legal Medicine, Psychiatry and Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), Madrid, Spain
- Centre for Biomedical Research in Mental Health (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan C Leza
- Centre for Biomedical Research in Mental Health (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, UCM, Madrid, Spain
- Institute of Health Research Hospital 12 de Octubre (imas12), Madrid, Spain
- Institute of Research in Neurochemistry, UCM, Madrid, Spain
| | - José L Carrasco
- Health Research Institute of the Hospital Clínico San Carlos (IdISSC), Madrid, Spain
- Department of Legal Medicine, Psychiatry and Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), Madrid, Spain
- Centre for Biomedical Research in Mental Health (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain
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Newman LA, Cao M, Täuber S, van Vugt M. Working memory load impairs tacit coordination but not inter-brain EEG synchronization. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2024; 19:nsae017. [PMID: 38451878 PMCID: PMC10919395 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsae017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Coordinating actions with others is thought to require Theory of Mind (ToM): the ability to take perspective by attributing underlying intentions and beliefs to observed behavior. However, researchers have yet to establish a causal role for specific cognitive processes in coordinated action. Since working memory load impairs ToM in single-participant paradigms, we tested whether load manipulation affects two-person coordination. We used EEG to measure P3, an assessment of working memory encoding, as well as inter-brain synchronization (IBS), which is thought to capture mutual adjustment of behavior and mental states during coordinated action. In a computerized coordination task, dyads were presented with novel abstract images and tried selecting the same image, with selections shown at the end of each trial. High working memory load was implemented by a concurrent n-back task. Compared with a low-load control condition, high load significantly diminished coordination performance and P3 amplitude. A significant relationship between P3 and performance was found. Load did not affect IBS, nor did IBS affect performance. These findings suggest a causal role for working memory in two-person coordination, adding to a growing body of evidence challenging earlier claims that social alignment is domain-specific and does not require executive control in adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lionel A Newman
- Engineering and Technology Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen 9747 AG, The Netherlands
- Bernoulli Institute for Mathematics, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, University of Groningen, Groningen 9747 AG, The Netherlands
| | - Ming Cao
- Engineering and Technology Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen 9747 AG, The Netherlands
| | - Susanne Täuber
- Department of Human Resource Management & Organizational Behavior, University of Groningen, Groningen 9747 AG, The Netherlands
| | - Marieke van Vugt
- Bernoulli Institute for Mathematics, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, University of Groningen, Groningen 9747 AG, The Netherlands
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Bagnall R, Russell A, Brosnan M, Maras K. Autistic adults' inclination to lie in everyday situations. Autism 2024; 28:718-731. [PMID: 37572035 PMCID: PMC10913365 DOI: 10.1177/13623613231183911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/14/2023]
Abstract
LAY ABSTRACT Differences in social communication and understanding others' mental states may mean that autistic adults are less likely to deceive others than non-autistic individuals. We investigated whether autistic and non-autistic adults differ in their inclination to lie and which psychological factors are involved in the inclination to lie. We found that autistic and non-autistic groups reported a similar inclination to lie, and the extent to which participants viewed lying as acceptable helped to explain their inclination to deceive others. However, the other underlying psychological factors associated with deception inclination differed between autistic and non-autistic groups. Autistic adults' belief about their ability to lie and also how quickly they could lie helped to explain whether they were more or less inclined to lie. For non-autistic adults, their memory and ability to understand others' mental states helped to explain their lie inclination. We discuss these findings and recommend areas for future research.
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Crivelli L, Calandri IL, Helou B, Corvalán N, Fiol MP, Ysraelit MC, Gaitan MI, Negrotto L, Farez MF, Allegri RF, Correale J. Theory of mind, emotion recognition and emotional reactivity factors in early multiple sclerosis: Results from a South American cohort. Appl Neuropsychol Adult 2024; 31:162-172. [PMID: 34807785 DOI: 10.1080/23279095.2021.2004542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To study different components of social cognition and quality of life in patients with early multiple sclerosis and low Expanded Disability Status Scale and to test the influence of cognitive performance, fatigue and neuropsychiatric symptoms on social cognition performance. METHODS Thirty-four patients with relapsing-remitting MS, with ≤2 years of disease duration and scores ≤2 on the EDSS and 30 healthy controls underwent neuropsychological assessment with the Brief Repeatable Neuropsychological Test Battery. Components of social cognition, such as emotion recognition, theory of mind, empathy, and emotional reactivity, were assessed with the Reading the Mind in the Eyes test, the Faux Pas task, the International Affective Imagery System, and the Empathy Quotient. Anxiety, depression, fatigue and quality of life were measured. RESULTS Patients showed significant differences in verbal memory, executive functions and social cognition, especially emotion recognition and ToM. Regarding emotional reactivity, patients showed a positive bias in the interpretation of the valence of neutral images. CONCLUSIONS Patients with early MS showed impairments in several components of social cognition independent of cognitive performance, neuropsychiatric symptoms and fatigue. Social cognition deficits may be present in MS even in the early stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Crivelli
- Departamento de Neurología, FLENI, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | | | - Belén Helou
- Departamento de Neurología, FLENI, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | | | | | | | | | - Laura Negrotto
- Departamento de Neurología, FLENI, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | | | | | - Jorge Correale
- Departamento de Neurología, FLENI, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Wang Z, Shao Y. Picture book reading improves children's learning understanding. Br J Dev Psychol 2024. [PMID: 38415288 DOI: 10.1111/bjdp.12479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
Mental state reasoning is an integral part of children's teaching and learning understanding. This study investigated whether a picture book reading approach focusing on mental state discourse and contrasting perspectives in a preschool classroom setting would improve children's teaching and learning understanding and school readiness. In total, 104 children from four classrooms aged between 46 and 64 months (53 girls, M = 54.03 months, SD = 3.68) participated in the study. Half of the classrooms were randomly assigned to an experimental group where teachers read picture books rich in mental state discourse and engaged in intensive discussions with children for eight weeks. Children's false belief understanding and teaching and learning understanding were measured before and after the eight-week period. The result revealed that picture book reading improved children's learning understanding with a medium effect size, controlling for demographic variables, children's verbal ability, inhibition, and initial false belief understanding. The experimental group children further demonstrated more advanced school readiness 18 months after the intervention ended in a follow-up study using a teacher questionnaire.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenlin Wang
- The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - Yihan Shao
- Shanghai SIPO Polytechnic, Shanghai, China
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Lenhart J, Richter T. Media exposure and preschoolers' social-cognitive development. Br J Dev Psychol 2024. [PMID: 38406975 DOI: 10.1111/bjdp.12478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Exposure to narratives may have beneficial effects on children's social-cognitive development because narratives provide information about the social world and often require social understanding for story comprehension. In the current study, we examined the influence of narratives presented via different media (books, audiobooks, TV/films) on theory-of-mind performance and mental verb comprehension in a sample of 114 three- to six-year-old preschool children. Parents' reports on the number of (children's) books at home, the overall duration of TV/film and audio media exposure, the frequency of shared book reading, watching children's TV/films and audiobook listening, and parent-child discussions about media content were collected. Children's theory-of-mind performance and mental verb comprehension were measured as dependent variables. When gender, age, language skills and parental education were controlled, only the number of children's books, shared book reading frequency, audio-media exposure and audiobook usage significantly predicted children's theory-of-mind scores. None of the media exposure or the parent-child discussion variables had significant incremental effects above the family and child characteristics on mental verb comprehension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Lenhart
- Department of Psychology, University of Bamberg, Bamberg, Germany
| | - Tobias Richter
- Department of Psychology IV, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
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12
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Besnard J, Menei P, Roualdes V, Seizeur R, Allain P, Le Gall D, Lancelot C, Roy A, Cantisano N. Social cognition in adult survivors of brain tumors: studying the relationship between theory of mind and quality of life. Brain Inj 2024; 38:160-169. [PMID: 38288978 DOI: 10.1080/02699052.2024.2309246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The present study is the first to examine theory of mind (ToM) sequelae in a sample of adult survivors of primary brain tumors, and to investigate the assumed relationship between ToM and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). METHOD Participants were 40 long-term adult survivors of primary brain tumors and 40 matched healthy controls. They completed ToM tests (Faux-Pas test and Advanced ToM task) and two questionnaires assessing HRQoL (36-Item Short-Form Health Survey and EORTC QLQ-C30/QLQ-BN20). Their relatives also completed an observer-rated version of the SF-36 questionnaire. RESULTS Survivors performed worse than controls only on the Advanced ToM task. Overall, patients and caregivers reported more problems than healthy controls and their relatives regarding both global HRQoL and its social/emotional aspects. No relationship was found between ToM and HRQoL scores. CONCLUSION Adult survivors of primary brain tumors may exhibit ToM deficits several years after treatment and report more problems on social/emotional HRQoL components. Our findings highlight the need to consider these late effects in survivors' long-term follow-up, even if the clinical involvement of ToM deficits still needs to be elucidated. The assessment of ToM deficits and their potential impact on survivors' everyday life is thoroughly discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jérémy Besnard
- Department of Psychology, University of Angers, Angers, France
| | - Philippe Menei
- Department of Neurosurgery, Angers University Hospital, Angers, France
| | - Vincent Roualdes
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nantes University Hospital, Nantes, France
| | - Romuald Seizeur
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brest Regional University Hospital, Brest, France
| | - Philippe Allain
- Department of Psychology, University of Angers, Angers, France
- Department of Neurology, Angers University Hospital, Angers, France
| | - Didier Le Gall
- Department of Psychology, University of Angers, Angers, France
- Department of Neurology, Angers University Hospital, Angers, France
| | - Céline Lancelot
- Department of Psychology, University of Angers, Angers, France
| | - Arnaud Roy
- Department of Psychology, University of Angers, Angers, France
- Centre Référent des Troubles d'Apprentissage et Centre de Compétence Nantais de Neurofibromatose, Nantes University Hospital, Nantes, France
| | - Nicole Cantisano
- Centre d'Etudes en Psychopathologie et Psychologie de la Santé (EA 7411), University of Toulouse Jean Jaurès, Toulouse, France
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13
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Weissberger GH, Bergman YS. Reflective Functioning and Financial Exploitation Vulnerability in Older Adults: The Importance of Significant Others. Clin Gerontol 2024:1-10. [PMID: 38389427 DOI: 10.1080/07317115.2024.2320921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Financial exploitation of older adults results in devastating economic, social, and psychological losses to older adults, their families, and society at large. This study examined the relationship between reflective functioning and financial exploitation vulnerability (FEV) and whether relationship status moderated the association. METHODS A community-based sample of 156 Israeli older adults age 60 and over responded to demographic questions and questionnaires assessing reflective functioning and FEV. RESULTS A hierarchical linear regression analysis covarying for age, sex, education, income, and sum of illnesses, revealed that higher reflective functioning was associated with lower FEV (p = .011). A main effect of relationship status was not found, but a significant interaction of reflective functioning × relationship status was discovered (p = .008), adding 4.2% to the total variance of the model. Probing the interaction revealed that the reflective functioning-FEV association was significant only for older adults not in a relationship. CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest that low reflective functioning may be associated with increased risk of financial exploitation, specifically in certain populations of older adults. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS Care providers of older adults may consider assessing for, and identifying older adults with low reflective functioning, in order to prevent or intervene in the event of a potentially exploitative situation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gali H Weissberger
- Department of Social and Health Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Yoav S Bergman
- Faculty of Social Work, Ashkelon Academic College, Ashkelon, Israel
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14
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Beloyianni V, Zbainos D, Karagianni MP. From mindreading to originality: Exploring the relationship between Theory of Mind and Creativity across the lifespan. Br J Dev Psychol 2024. [PMID: 38379505 DOI: 10.1111/bjdp.12476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
In the previous psychoeducational literature, many theorists have argued that creativity and originality require the ability to make predictions and assumptions regarding other individuals' ideas. Thus, it has been widely hypothesized that social cognition and theory of mind (ToM) might be a fundamental component or even a prerequisite of creativity. Despite their common grounds, the empirical evidence examining the potential link between ToM and creative thinking throughout their development seems to be indirect, limited, and fragmented. In this respect, this scoping review aimed to collect and synthesize the existing knowledge about the relationship between ToM and creativity at different ages to identify significant literature gaps and generate updated research questions that might guide future research. The search process led to the inclusion, analysis, and collation of 6 relevant studies only, indicating that this research topic has been poorly investigated. Results demonstrated that ToM and creativity are strongly correlated even after partialling out significant mediators, such as age and intelligence. Such a strong association should be further investigated and explained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vassiliki Beloyianni
- Harokopio University of Athens, Athens, Greece
- University of West Attica, Aigaleo, Greece
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15
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Bozkurt A, Ayık Z. The Relationship between Giftedness and Sex and Children's Theory of Mind Skills and Social Behavior. Children (Basel) 2024; 11:253. [PMID: 38397365 PMCID: PMC10888180 DOI: 10.3390/children11020253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2023] [Revised: 02/04/2024] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Theory of mind (ToM), the ability to recognize the mental states and emotions of others, is central to effective social relationships. Measuring higher-order ToM skills in gifted children may be a useful way to identify the tendency to experience difficulties in social behavior. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between intelligence and sex in children using ToM and social behavior measures. METHODS Children aged 10-12 years constituted both the gifted (n = 45) and non-gifted (n = 45) groups. The participants were assessed for prosocial behaviors and peer problems using the subscales of the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire and in terms of ToM using the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test-Child Version (RMET-C) and the Faux Pas Recognition Test-Child Version (FPRT-C). RESULTS ToM test results were higher in gifted children and girls. Peer problems were lower in gifted children. Prosocial behavior was higher in girls. No relationship was determined between ToM tests and peer problems or prosocial behavior in gifted children, but such a relationship was observed in the non-gifted group. CONCLUSIONS This study shows that gifted children with high cognitive skills also possess superior social cognition skills. Advanced ToM skills in gifted children may be important to supporting their social and cognitive development. The differences between boys and girls should be considered in educational interventions applied to children in the social sphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdullah Bozkurt
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Ataturk University, Erzurum 25240, Turkey
| | - Zekai Ayık
- Department of Special Education, Harran University, Şanlıurfa 63290, Turkey;
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16
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Konrad AC, Förster K, Stretton J, Dalgleish T, Böckler‐Raettig A, Trautwein F, Singer T, Kanske P. Risk factors for internalizing symptoms: The influence of empathy, theory of mind, and negative thinking processes. Hum Brain Mapp 2024; 45:e26576. [PMID: 38401139 PMCID: PMC10893974 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Revised: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 02/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Internalizing symptoms such as elevated stress and sustained negative affect can be important warning signs for developing mental disorders. A recent theoretical framework suggests a complex interplay of empathy, theory of mind (ToM), and negative thinking processes as a crucial risk combination for internalizing symptoms. To disentangle these relationships, this study utilizes neural, behavioral, and self-report data to examine how the interplay between empathy, ToM, and negative thinking processes relates to stress and negative affect. We reanalyzed the baseline data of N = 302 healthy participants (57% female, Mage = 40.52, SDage = 9.30) who participated in a large-scale mental training study, the ReSource project. Empathy and ToM were assessed using a validated fMRI paradigm featuring naturalistic video stimuli and via self-report. Additional self-report scales were employed to measure internalizing symptoms (perceived stress, negative affect) and negative thinking processes (rumination and self-blame). Our results revealed linear associations of self-reported ToM and empathic distress with stress and negative affect. Also, both lower and higher, compared to average, activation in the anterior insula during empathic processing and in the middle temporal gyrus during ToM performance was significantly associated with internalizing symptoms. These associations were dependent on rumination and self-blame. Our findings indicate specific risk constellations for internalizing symptoms. Especially people with lower self-reported ToM and higher empathic distress may be at risk for more internalizing symptoms. Quadratic associations of empathy- and ToM-related brain activation with internalizing symptoms depended on negative thinking processes, suggesting differential effects of cognitive and affective functioning on internalizing symptoms. Using a multi-method approach, these findings advance current research by shedding light on which complex risk combinations of cognitive and affective functioning are relevant for internalizing symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annika C. Konrad
- Clinical Psychology and Behavioral NeuroscienceTechnische Universität DresdenDresdenGermany
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences UnitUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
| | - Katharina Förster
- Clinical Psychology and Behavioral NeuroscienceTechnische Universität DresdenDresdenGermany
| | - Jason Stretton
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences UnitUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
| | - Tim Dalgleish
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences UnitUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
| | | | - Fynn‐Mathis Trautwein
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Faculty of MedicineMedical Center—University of FreiburgFreiburg im BreisgauGermany
| | - Tania Singer
- Social Neuroscience LabMax Planck SocietyBerlinGermany
| | - Philipp Kanske
- Clinical Psychology and Behavioral NeuroscienceTechnische Universität DresdenDresdenGermany
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17
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D'Iorio A, Baiano C, Roldan-Tapia MD, Santangelo G. Editorial: Theory of mind. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1370048. [PMID: 38406305 PMCID: PMC10884303 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1370048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Alfonsina D'Iorio
- Department of Psychology, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Caserta, Italy
| | - Chiara Baiano
- Department of Psychology, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Caserta, Italy
| | | | - Gabriella Santangelo
- Department of Psychology, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Caserta, Italy
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18
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Lee SC, Huang CY, Fu IN, Chen KL. Interpreting the results of explicit and applied theory of mind collectively in autistic children: A solution from Rasch analysis. Autism 2024; 28:355-366. [PMID: 37161767 DOI: 10.1177/13623613231170698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
LAY ABSTRACT Theory of mind is an ability to infer others' mental states, which is a foundation for generating appropriate social responses. Theory of mind can be conceptually divided into two related but distinguishable constructs: explicit theory of mind (conceptual knowledge/information about others' mental states) and applied theory of mind (the ability to use theory of mind skills in real-life contexts). Although these two theory of mind scores can be described by the percentages of children in the early, basic, and advanced developmental stages, the resulting information may not be sufficient to determine the corresponding relationships between these two theory of mind constructs or identify children with mismatched theory of mind abilities (e.g. children who have difficulty in effectively applying their theory of mind knowledge in real-life contexts). To resolve these limitations, methods for simultaneously interpreting the relationships between the two theory of mind scores are proposed. Based on the findings, each applied theory of mind score can reflect multiple scores of explicit theory of mind. In particular, the results do not take measurement error into consideration, which would make them more ambiguous. Therefore, the scores of applied theory of mind should be interpreted carefully, given that children who have the same applied theory of mind score may actually have high or low explicit theory of mind. Regarding the method for joint interpretation, cutoff scores were selected to identify children who have mismatched theory of mind abilities (high explicit theory of mind with low applied theory of mind or low explicit theory of mind with high applied theory of mind) and determine the priority for interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shih-Chieh Lee
- Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan City, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
- School of Occupational Therapy, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
- Institute of Long-Term Care, MacKay Medical College, New Taipei City, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
- Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
| | - Chien-Yu Huang
- School of Occupational Therapy, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
| | - I-Ning Fu
- School of Occupational Therapy, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
- Child Developmental Assessment & Intervention Center, Taipei City Hospital, Taipei City, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
| | - Kuan-Lin Chen
- Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan City, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
- Institute of Allied Health Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan City, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
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19
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Pisanu E, Arbula S, Rumiati RI. Agreeableness modulates mental state decoding: Electrophysiological evidence. Hum Brain Mapp 2024; 45:e26593. [PMID: 38339901 PMCID: PMC10826893 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Revised: 12/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Agreeableness is one of the five personality traits which is associated with theory of mind (ToM) abilities. One of the critical processes involved in ToM is the decoding of emotional cues. In the present study, we investigated whether this process is modulated by agreeableness using electroencephalography (EEG) while taking into account task complexity and sex differences that are expected to moderate the relationship between emotional decoding and agreeableness. This approach allowed us to identify at which stage of the neural processing agreeableness kicks in, in order to distinguish the impact on early, perceptual processes from slower, inferential processing. Two tasks were employed and submitted to 62 participants during EEG recording: the reading the mind in the eyes (RME) task, requiring the decoding of complex mental states from eye expressions, and the biological (e)motion task, involving the perception of basic emotional actions through point-light body stimuli. Event-related potential (ERP) results showed a significant correlation between agreeableness and the contrast for emotional and non-emotional trials in a late time window only during the RME task. Specifically, higher levels of agreeableness were associated with a deeper neural processing of emotional versus non-emotional trials within the whole and male samples. In contrast, the modulation in females was negligible. The source analysis highlighted that this ERP-agreeableness association engages the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Our findings expand previous research on personality and social processing and confirm that sex modulates this relationship.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Raffaella Ida Rumiati
- Neuroscience Area, SISSATriesteItaly
- Dipartimento di Medicina dei SistemiUniversità degli Studi di Roma “Tor Vergata”RomeItaly
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20
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Schmid F, Henry A, Benzerouk F, Barrière S, Gondrexon J, Kaladjian A, Gierski F. Patterns of executive functions and theory of mind in adults with a family history of alcohol use disorder: Combined group and single-case analyses. Alcohol Clin Exp Res (Hoboken) 2024; 48:362-374. [PMID: 38243915 DOI: 10.1111/acer.15238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Revised: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Impairments in executive function and social cognition are highly prevalent in individuals with an alcohol use disorder (AUD). Some studies show that similar difficulties are displayed by individuals with a positive family history of AUD (FH+) compared with individuals with a negative family history (FH-). Yet, no studies have jointly investigated cognitive and affective theory of mind at the behavioral level. Moreover, some studies show preserved executive and socioemotional functioning in FH+ participants. One possible explanation for these divergent results is that FH+ individuals are cognitively heterogeneous. In this study, we examined the frequency and co-occurrence of difficulties in executive function and social cognition among FH+ individuals at the individual level. METHODS Sixty FH+ and 60 FH- participants matched on age, sex, and education level were included. They completed tasks assessing executive functions (Stroop, Trail Making Test) and affective and cognitive theory of mind (Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition). They also completed self-report questionnaires measuring impulsivity, alexithymia, and empathy. Single-case analyses assessed the proportion of FH+ participants with difficulties in executive function and/or theory of mind. RESULTS FH+ individuals exhibited difficulties in response inhibition and made more errors during theory of mind processing, indicating an absence of mental state representation, compared with FH- individuals. In the FH+ sample, 53.33% had executive function and/or theory of mind difficulties. Those with lower theory of mind scores reported higher alexithymia and lower empathy on self-report measures. CONCLUSIONS FH+ individuals display heterogeneous executive function and theory of mind abilities. Given that they mostly occur independently of one another, executive function and theory of mind difficulties may be distinct vulnerability markers in AUD.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Schmid
- Laboratoire Cognition, Santé, Société (C2S - EA 6291), University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Reims, France
| | - A Henry
- Laboratoire Cognition, Santé, Société (C2S - EA 6291), University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Reims, France
- Psychiatry Department, Marne Public Mental Health Institute & Reims University Hospital, Reims, France
| | - F Benzerouk
- Laboratoire Cognition, Santé, Société (C2S - EA 6291), University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Reims, France
- Psychiatry Department, Marne Public Mental Health Institute & Reims University Hospital, Reims, France
- INSERM U1247, Research Group on Alcohol and Dependences, University of Picardy Jules Verne, Amiens, France
| | - S Barrière
- Psychiatry Department, Marne Public Mental Health Institute & Reims University Hospital, Reims, France
| | - J Gondrexon
- Psychiatry Department, Marne Public Mental Health Institute & Reims University Hospital, Reims, France
| | - A Kaladjian
- Laboratoire Cognition, Santé, Société (C2S - EA 6291), University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Reims, France
- Psychiatry Department, Marne Public Mental Health Institute & Reims University Hospital, Reims, France
| | - F Gierski
- Laboratoire Cognition, Santé, Société (C2S - EA 6291), University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Reims, France
- Psychiatry Department, Marne Public Mental Health Institute & Reims University Hospital, Reims, France
- INSERM U1247, Research Group on Alcohol and Dependences, University of Picardy Jules Verne, Amiens, France
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21
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Le BL, Huang YH, Wang LL, Hu HX, Wang X, Wang Y, Wang Y, Huang J, Lui SSY, Chan RCK. Individuals with high levels of autistic traits exhibit impaired cognitive but not affective theory of mind and empathy. Psych J 2024. [PMID: 38298152 DOI: 10.1002/pchj.727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2024]
Abstract
Theory of mind (ToM) and empathy are considered key components of social cognition that are often impaired in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). However, it remains unclear whether individuals with high levels of autistic traits exhibit similar impairments in these two functions. This study examined the affective and cognitive domains of ToM and empathy in individuals with high levels of autistic traits. We recruited 84 participants with high levels and 78 participants with low levels of autistic traits to complete a set of self-reported checklists and performance-based tasks capturing affective and cognitive components of ToM and empathy. The results showed that participants with high levels of autistic traits exhibited significant impairments in cognitive but not in affective ToM and empathy compared with their counterparts with low levels of autistic traits. We also found that empathy impairments in people with high levels of autistic traits were confounded by alexithymia and depressive traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bei-Lin Le
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yi-Hang Huang
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ling-Ling Wang
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Hui-Xin Hu
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xuan Wang
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yi Wang
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ya Wang
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jia Huang
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Simon S Y Lui
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Clinical Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Raymond C K Chan
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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22
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Atakan B, Yildirim E. The effect of psychotic proneness and psychopathy on theory of mind. Psych J 2024; 13:139-141. [PMID: 37861367 PMCID: PMC10917094 DOI: 10.1002/pchj.689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the interaction between positive psychotic experiences and psychopathic traits on the theory of mind in a non-clinical sample. The results showed that distinct constructs of psychopathy can lead to distinct theory of mind profiles when interacting with psychotic proneness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Begüm Atakan
- Department of PsychologyIsik UniversityIstanbulTurkey
| | - Elif Yildirim
- Department of PsychologyIsik UniversityIstanbulTurkey
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23
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Özyurt G, Öztürk Y, Tufan AE, Akay A, İnal N. Differential Effects of Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder Comorbidity in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder on Social Cognition and Empathy. J Atten Disord 2024; 28:458-468. [PMID: 38069496 DOI: 10.1177/10870547231215516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study aimed to investigate social cognition and empathy properties in children among Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD) + Attention and Hyperactivity Disorder(ADHD); ADHD and healthy controls from Türkiye. METHODS Twenty-two children with DMDD were compared to matched 30 children with ADHD and 60 healthy controls. We administered Affective Reactivity Index (ARI), KaSi Empathy Scale, Kiddie-SADS, and Reading Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) to evaluate Theory of Mind skills to all study participants. RESULTS DMDD + ADHD group had lower performance in ToM skills and empathy than in two groups. The ARI scores were found to be statistically significantly higher in the DMDD group than in two groups. It was also found that ARI, empathy, and ToM scores were significantly related in children with DMDD + ADHD. CONCLUSION These results might be important to understand the difficulties in social functioning and interpersonal relationship in children with DMDD and ADHD. Children with DMDD may attend specific therapeutic programs which include specific techniques in social cognition, emotion regulation, and irritability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gonca Özyurt
- School of Medicine, Katip Çelebi University, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Yusuf Öztürk
- Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal University, Bolu, Turkey
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Anada R, Watanabe H, Shimojo A, Shiraishi H, Yokosawa K. Brain activity supporting alternating speech for semantic words: simultaneous magnetoencephalographic recording. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhae031. [PMID: 38342686 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 01/14/2024] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Communication, especially conversation, is essential for human social life. Many previous studies have examined the neuroscientific underpinnings of conversation, i.e. language comprehension and speech production. However, conversation inherently involves two or more people, and unless two people actually interact with one another, the nature of the conversation cannot be truly revealed. Therefore, in this study, we used two magnetoencephalographs that were connected together, and simultaneously recorded brain activity while two people took turns speaking in a word association/alphabet completion task. We compared the amplitude modulation of the alpha- and beta-band rhythms within each of the 62 brain regions under semantic (word association; less predictable) and non-semantic (alphabet completion; more predictable) conditions. We found that the amplitudes of the rhythms were significantly different between conditions in a wide range of brain regions. Additionally, significant differences were observed in nearly the same group of brain regions after versus before each utterance, indicating that a wide range of brain areas is involved in predicting a conversation partner's next utterance. This result supports the idea that mentalizing, e.g. predicting another person's speech, plays an important role in conversation, and suggests that the neural network implicated in mentalizing extends over a wide range of brain regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Risa Anada
- Graduate School of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, N-12, W-5, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0812, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Hayato Watanabe
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, N-12, W-5, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0812, Hokkaido, Japan
- Department of Child Studies, Toyooka Junior College, Tobera 160, Toyooka 668-8580, Hyogo, Japan
| | - Atsushi Shimojo
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, N-12, W-5, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0812, Hokkaido, Japan
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, N-15, W-7, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-8638, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Hideaki Shiraishi
- Department of Pediatrics, Hokkaido University Hospital, N-14, W-5, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-8648, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Koichi Yokosawa
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, N-12, W-5, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0812, Hokkaido, Japan
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Fernández-Fernández R, Lahera G, Fernández-Rodríguez B, Guida P, Trompeta C, Mata-Marín D, Gasca-Salas C. Social Cognition and Mild Cognitive Impairment in Mid-Stage Parkinson's Disease. Behav Sci (Basel) 2024; 14:101. [PMID: 38392454 PMCID: PMC10885927 DOI: 10.3390/bs14020101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a relevant non-motor feature in Parkinson's disease (PD). Social cognition (SC) is a cognitive domain that refers to the ability to decode others' intentions and to guide behavior in social contexts. We aimed to compare SC performance in mid-stage PD patients compared to a healthy population and according to their cognitive state. Fifty-two PD patients were classified as being cognitively normal (PD-CN) or having mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI) following the Movement Disorder Society (MDS) Level II criteria. SC assessment included facial emotion recognition (FER), affective and cognitive theory of mind (ToM), and self-monitoring (RSMS test). Twenty-seven age-matched healthy controls (HC) were enrolled. PD-MCI patients scored worse than HC on affective and cognitive ToM task scores. Only cognitive ToM scores were significantly lower when compared with the PD-MCI and PD-CN groups. We found no differences in FER or self-monitoring performance. There were significant correlations between cognitive ToM and executive functions, memory, language, and attention, whereas FER and affective ToM correlated with memory. Our findings indicates that SC is normal in cognitively unimpaired and non-depressed mid-stage PD patients, whereas a decline in affective and cognitive ToM is linked to the presence of MCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Fernández-Fernández
- HM CINAC (Centro Integral de Neurociencias Abarca Campal), Hospital Universitario HM Puerta del Sur, HM Hospitales, 28938 Madrid, Spain
- Hospital Universitario Infanta Cristina, Parla, 28981 Madrid, Spain
- PhD Program in Health Sciences, University of Alcalá de Henares, 28054 Alcalá de Henares, Spain
| | - Guillermo Lahera
- Department of Medicine and Medical Specialities, University of Alcala, 28054 Alcalá de Henares, Spain
- Ramón y Cajal Institute of Sanitary Research (IRYCIS), 28034 Madrid, Spain
- Psychiatry Service, Center for Biomedical Research in the Mental Health Network, University Hospital Príncipe de Asturias, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Spain
| | - Beatriz Fernández-Rodríguez
- HM CINAC (Centro Integral de Neurociencias Abarca Campal), Hospital Universitario HM Puerta del Sur, HM Hospitales, 28938 Madrid, Spain
- PhD Program in Neuroscience, Cajal Institute, Autónoma de Madrid University, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Pasqualina Guida
- HM CINAC (Centro Integral de Neurociencias Abarca Campal), Hospital Universitario HM Puerta del Sur, HM Hospitales, 28938 Madrid, Spain
- PhD Program in Neuroscience, Cajal Institute, Autónoma de Madrid University, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Clara Trompeta
- HM CINAC (Centro Integral de Neurociencias Abarca Campal), Hospital Universitario HM Puerta del Sur, HM Hospitales, 28938 Madrid, Spain
- PhD Program in Health Sciences, University of Alcalá de Henares, 28054 Alcalá de Henares, Spain
| | - David Mata-Marín
- HM CINAC (Centro Integral de Neurociencias Abarca Campal), Hospital Universitario HM Puerta del Sur, HM Hospitales, 28938 Madrid, Spain
- PhD Program in Neuroscience, Cajal Institute, Autónoma de Madrid University, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Carmen Gasca-Salas
- HM CINAC (Centro Integral de Neurociencias Abarca Campal), Hospital Universitario HM Puerta del Sur, HM Hospitales, 28938 Madrid, Spain
- Network Center for Biomedical Research on Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED), Instituto Carlos III, 28031 Madrid, Spain
- School of Medicine, University CEU-San Pablo, 28003 Madrid, Spain
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Meristo M, Surian L, Strid K. False belief understanding in deaf children: what are the difficulties? Front Psychol 2024; 15:1238505. [PMID: 38304920 PMCID: PMC10832997 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1238505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Children with cochlear implants (CIs) demonstrate proficiency in verbal-story elicited-response (VS-ER) false-belief tasks, such as the Sally & Ann task, at a similar age as typically developing hearing children. However, they face challenges in non-verbal spontaneous-response (NV-SR) false-belief tasks, measured via looking times, which hearing infants typically pass by around 2 years of age, or earlier. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether these difficulties remain in a non-verbal-story elicited-response (NVS-ER) false-belief task, in which children are offered the opportunity to provide an elicited response to a non-verbal-story task. A total of thirty 4- to 8-year-old children with CI-s and hearing children completed three different kinds of false-belief tasks. The results showed that children with CI-s performed above chance level on the verbal task (i.e., VS-ER task), but not on the two non-verbal tasks, (i.e., NVS-ER and NV-SR tasks). The control group of typically developing hearing children performed above chance on all three kinds of tasks (one-tailed significance level). Our findings highlight the importance of external narrative support for children with CIs in tasks that involve mental perspective-taking, and specifically predicting actions based on false beliefs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marek Meristo
- Department of Psychology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Luca Surian
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Karin Strid
- Department of Psychology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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Lampron M, Achim AM, Gamache D, Bernier A, Sabourin S, Savard C. Profiles of theory of mind impairments and personality in clinical and community samples: integrating the alternative DSM-5 model for personality disorders. Front Psychiatry 2024; 14:1292680. [PMID: 38274419 PMCID: PMC10809153 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1292680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Deficits in theory of mind (ToM)-the ability to infer the mental states of others-have been linked to antagonistic traits in community samples. ToM deficits have also been identified in people with personality disorders (PD), although with conflicting evidence, partly due to the use of categorical diagnoses. The DSM-5 Alternative Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD) provides an opportunity for a more precise understanding of the interplay between ToM abilities and personality pathology. Therefore, the study aims to determine whether and how individuals with diverse ToM profiles differ regarding personality impairment (AMPD Criterion A) and pathological facets (AMPD Criterion B). Method Adults with PD (n = 39) and from the community (n = 42) completed tests assessing ToM skills and self-reported questionnaires assessing AMPD Criteria A and B. Hierarchical agglomerative and TwoStep cluster analyses were consecutively computed using scores and subscores from ToM tests as clustering variables. Multivariate analyses of variance were subsequently performed to compare the clusters on both AMPD Criteria. Five clinically and conceptually meaningful clusters were found. The most notable differences across clusters were observed for Intimacy and Empathy dysfunctions (Criterion A), as well as for the Deceitfulness, Callousness, and Hostility facets from the Antagonism domain and the Restricted affectivity facet from the Detachment domain (Criterion B). Discussion The results support the association between antagonistic personality facets and ToM deficits. However, clusters showing impairments in ToM abilities did not necessarily exhibit high levels of personality dysfunction or pathological facets, emphasizing that both constructs are not isomorphic. Nevertheless, specific profiles can help refine existing interventions to make them more sensitive and specific to the nature of ToM dysfunctions while considering personality functioning and facets.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Amélie M. Achim
- CERVO Brain Research Centre, Québec City, QC, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
- VITAM – Centre de recherche en santé durable, Québec City, QC, Canada
| | - Dominick Gamache
- CERVO Brain Research Centre, Québec City, QC, Canada
- Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Québec City, QC, Canada
| | - Allyson Bernier
- School of Psychology, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
| | | | - Claudia Savard
- CERVO Brain Research Centre, Québec City, QC, Canada
- Department of Educational Fundamentals and Practices, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
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Edmonds D, Salvo JJ, Anderson N, Lakshman M, Yang Q, Kay K, Zelano C, Braga RM. Social cognitive regions of human association cortex are selectively connected to the amygdala. bioRxiv 2024:2023.12.06.570477. [PMID: 38106046 PMCID: PMC10723387 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.06.570477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Reasoning about someone's thoughts and intentions - i.e., forming a theory of mind - is an important aspect of social cognition that relies on association areas of the brain that have expanded disproportionately in the human lineage. We recently showed that these association zones comprise parallel distributed networks that, despite occupying adjacent and interdigitated regions, serve dissociable functions. One network is selectively recruited by theory of mind processes. What circuit properties differentiate these parallel networks? Here, we show that social cognitive association areas are intrinsically and selectively connected to regions of the anterior medial temporal lobe that are implicated in emotional learning and social behaviors, including the amygdala at or near the basolateral complex and medial nucleus. The results suggest that social cognitive functions emerge through coordinated activity between amygdala circuits and a distributed association network, and indicate the medial nucleus may play an important role in social cognition in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donnisa Edmonds
- Department of Neurology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Joseph J. Salvo
- Department of Neurology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Nathan Anderson
- Department of Neurology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Maya Lakshman
- Department of Neurology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Qiaohan Yang
- Department of Neurology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Kendrick Kay
- Department of Radiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Christina Zelano
- Department of Neurology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Rodrigo M. Braga
- Department of Neurology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
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García I, Martínez O, López-Paz JF, García M, Rodríguez AA, Amayra I. Difficulties in social cognitive functioning among pediatric patients with muscular dystrophies. Front Psychol 2024; 14:1296532. [PMID: 38239460 PMCID: PMC10794305 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1296532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Pediatric muscular dystrophies (MDs) are a heterogeneous group of rare neuromuscular diseases characterized by progressive muscle degeneration. A neuropsychosocial approach is crucial for these patients due to associated cognitive, behavioral, and psychiatric comorbidities; however, the social cognitive domain has not been adequately addressed. Methods This study aimed to analyze on social cognition performance in a pediatric MD patient cohort. This cross-sectional study included 32 pediatric patients with MD and 32 matched-healthy controls. The Social Perception Domain of the NEPSY-II, the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test-Child and Happé's Strange Stories Test were administered. General intelligence and behavioral and emotional symptoms were controlled for to eliminate covariables' possible influence. The assessments were performed remotely. Results Children with MDs performed significantly worse on most of the social cognition tasks. The differences found between the groups could be explained by the level of general intelligence for some aspects more related to theory of mind (ToM) (TM NEPSY-II: F = 1.703, p = .197; Verbal task: F = 2.411, p = .125; RMET-C: F = 2.899, p = .094), but not for emotion recognition. Furthermore, these differences were also independent of behavioral and emotional symptoms. Discussion In conclusion, social cognition is apparently impaired in pediatric patients with MD, both for emotion recognition and ToM. Screening assessment in social cognition should be considered to promote early interventions aimed at improving these patient's quality of life.
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Lochmann H, Wyrobnik M, Kupper C, Rewitzer C, Klostermann F. Theory of mind and executive dysfunction in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy. Eur J Neurol 2024; 31:e16053. [PMID: 37688443 DOI: 10.1111/ene.16053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2023] [Revised: 07/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Although chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) is understood as a disease affecting the peripheral nervous system, mild cognitive dysfunction, particularly in the executive domain, has been described to form part of the condition. Here our interest lay in CIDP-related theory of mind (ToM) capacities as an aspect of social cognition relevant for many aspects of everyday life. METHODS Twenty-nine patients with CIDP and 23 healthy controls participated in this study. They were subjected to overview cognitive testing, different executive function (EF) tasks, as well as to the Faux Pas Recognition Task (FPRT) for assessing cognitive ToM and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) with respect to affective ToM. RESULTS Persons with CIDP and controls did not differ with respect to their overall cognitive state. However, in the German verbal fluency standard, the digit span forward and the digit span backward tests used as EF tasks patients performed significantly worse than controls. Further, performance was abnormally low in the FPRT, whilst the groups did not differ with respect to RMET results. The FPRT and digit span backward results correlated with each other. CONCLUSIONS Patients with CIDP showed deficits in cognitive ToM performance together with EF dysfunction, whilst affective ToM was preserved. Altogether, the results suggest that low cognitive ToM capacities in patients with CIDP arise as a particular aspect of disease-related executive dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Lochmann
- Department of Neurology, Motor and Cognition Group, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin (CBF), Berlin, Germany
| | - Michelle Wyrobnik
- Department of Neurology, Motor and Cognition Group, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin (CBF), Berlin, Germany
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Institute of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christin Kupper
- Department of Neurology, Motor and Cognition Group, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin (CBF), Berlin, Germany
| | - Charlotte Rewitzer
- Department of Neurology, Motor and Cognition Group, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin (CBF), Berlin, Germany
| | - Fabian Klostermann
- Department of Neurology, Motor and Cognition Group, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin (CBF), Berlin, Germany
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Song Y, Nie Z, Shan J. Comprehension of irony in autistic children: The role of theory of mind and executive function. Autism Res 2024; 17:109-124. [PMID: 37950634 DOI: 10.1002/aur.3051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/13/2023]
Abstract
Although previous studies have examined irony comprehension in autistic children and potential impact factors, the relationship between theory of mind (ToM), executive function (EF), symptoms of autism, and comprehension of irony in this population remains largely unknown. This study explored irony comprehension in autistic children and examined the roles of ToM and EF in linking autism symptoms to deficits in irony comprehension. Twenty autistic children were compared with 25 typically developing (TD) children in an irony story picture task, ToM task, and EF task. The results showed that autistic children had impaired comprehension of irony compared with TD children, and performance on ironic stories showed a significant moderate discriminatory effect in predicting autistic children. A ToM deficit has also been proposed for autistic children. Comprehension of irony was significantly correlated with second-order ToM (2nd ToM) but was not significantly correlated with any components of EF. Moreover, 2nd ToM can predict the level of irony comprehension and mediate the relationship between symptoms of autism and irony comprehension. Taken together, these findings suggest that irony comprehension may offer a potential cognitive marker for quantifying syndrome manifestations in autistic children, and 2nd ToM may provide insight into the theoretical mechanism underlying the deficit in irony comprehension in this population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongning Song
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics Ministry of Education, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Psychological Crisis Intervention, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ziyun Nie
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics Ministry of Education, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Psychological Crisis Intervention, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiatong Shan
- Department of Arts and Science, NYU Shanghai University, Shanghai, China
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Kumari P, Sayeed N, Das B, Bose S, Umesh S, Khanande RV, Raj J. Validation of social cognition and interaction training's (SCIT) videos and photographs in Indian setting. Indian J Psychiatry 2024; 66:67-70. [PMID: 38419925 PMCID: PMC10898536 DOI: 10.4103/indianjpsychiatry.indianjpsychiatry_228_23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 10/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Social cognition deficit is one of the marked characteristics of schizophrenia. Accumulated evidence suggests that social cognition and interaction training (SCIT) is associated with improved performance in social cognition and social skills in patients diagnosed with psychotic disorders. The cultural influence on social cognition is quite considerable. So, studies in the area of social cognition domains need to adapt and use culturally appropriate tools and measures to see the effectiveness. This study aimed to validate the materials used in SCIT training in Indian setting. Materials and Methods The original script of video clips was translated into Hindi and was reshot, and the images were remade. A panel of experts rated the videos and images on a 5-point Likert scale. Furthermore, the content validity and internal consistency of the materials were calculated. Results The content validity ratio (CVR) critical value was 0.357, and all the videos and images received more than the CVR critical value. The intraclass correlation coefficient for videos was 0.974, for SCIT photographs was 0.971, for "spotting character" was 0.975, and for "emotion shaping" was 0.965, indicating good internal consistency. Discussion The majority of the experts in the panel found the videos and images adequate and appropriate for the Indian setting. In addition, the videos and photographs both yielded good internal consistency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parul Kumari
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Kanke, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India
| | - Neha Sayeed
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Kanke, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India
| | - Basudeb Das
- Department of Psychiatry, Kanke, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India
| | - Swarnali Bose
- Department of Clinical Psychologist, Kanke, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India
| | - S Umesh
- Department of Psychiatry, Kanke, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India
| | | | - Justin Raj
- Department of Psychiatric Social Work, Central Institute of Psychiatry, Kanke, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India
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Okruszek Ł, Jarkiewicz M, Piejka A, Chrustowicz M, Krawczyk M, Schudy A, Harvey PD, Penn DL, Ludwig K, Green MF, Pinkham AE. Loneliness is associated with mentalizing and emotion recognition abilities in schizophrenia, but only in a cluster of patients with social cognitive deficits. J Int Neuropsychol Soc 2024; 30:27-34. [PMID: 37154103 DOI: 10.1017/s1355617723000206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Loneliness is a concern for patients with schizophrenia. However, the correlates of loneliness in patients with schizophrenia are unclear; thus, the aim of the study is to investigate neuro- and social cognitive mechanisms associated with loneliness in individuals with schizophrenia. METHOD Data from clinical, neurocognitive, and social cognitive assessments were pooled from two cross-national samples (Poland/USA) to examine potential predictors of loneliness in 147 patients with schizophrenia and 103 healthy controls overall. Furthermore, the relationship between social cognition and loneliness was explored in clusters of patients with schizophrenia differing in social cognitive capacity. RESULTS Patients reported higher levels of loneliness than healthy controls. Loneliness was linked to increased negative and affective symptoms in patients. A negative association between loneliness and mentalizing and emotion recognition abilities was found in the patients with social-cognitive impairments, but not in those who performed at normative levels. CONCLUSIONS We have elucidated a novel mechanism which may explain previous inconsistent findings regarding the correlates of loneliness in individuals with schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ł Okruszek
- Social Neuroscience Lab, Institute of Psychology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - M Jarkiewicz
- Third Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - A Piejka
- Social Neuroscience Lab, Institute of Psychology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - M Chrustowicz
- Social Neuroscience Lab, Institute of Psychology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - M Krawczyk
- Social Neuroscience Lab, Institute of Psychology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - A Schudy
- Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - P D Harvey
- University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami VA Healthcare System, Miami, FL, USA
| | - D L Penn
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- School of Psychology, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - K Ludwig
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - M F Green
- Desert Pacific Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, VA Greater Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - A E Pinkham
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
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Nejati V, Khankeshlooyee N, Pourshahriar H. Remediation of theory of mind in children with autism spectrum disorders: Effectiveness and transferability of training effects to behavioral symptoms. Clin Child Psychol Psychiatry 2024; 29:259-273. [PMID: 37857358 DOI: 10.1177/13591045231208580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) struggle with impaired theory of mind. We aimed to evaluate the effect of remediation of theory of mind on theory of mind, face perception, and behavioral symptoms in children with ASD. METHODS Thirty children with ASD were randomly assigned to two equal groups of theory of mind training and active control group. Attentive remediation of theory of mind (ARTOM) and story-telling sessions were used for intervention in the groups. Theory of mind and facial emotion recognition tests as well as Gilliam autism rating scale (GARS) were used for assessment in three baseline, post-intervention, and follow-up sessions. Repeated measures ANOVAs were used for analysis. RESULTS The results showed improvement in facial emotion recognition and theory of mind in intervention group. The behavioral symptoms, measured by GARS, were ameliorated in the intervention group. The training effects lasted until follow-up session. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest remediation of basic components of theory of mind, without direct intervention on theory of mind, improves theory of mind skill. The results also suggest that the remediation of basic components of theory of mind improves social and communicational performance and ameliorates stereotypes symptoms in children with ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vahid Nejati
- Department of Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Velenjak, Iran
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Neitzel I. Reported speech in individuals with Down syndrome: First evidence. J Appl Res Intellect Disabil 2024; 37:e13163. [PMID: 37840395 DOI: 10.1111/jar.13163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Narratives are enriched by taking the perspective of the protagonists, which can be expressed using reported speech. Nevertheless, the use of reported speech is unaddressed internationally among individuals with Down syndrome. METHOD Narratives of 28 children and adolescents with Down syndrome were collected using a non-verbal picture book. Occurrence and forms of reported speech were analysed and compared to typically-developing children (TD; n = 33). RESULTS Participants from both populations use reported speech in their narratives with a comparable proportion. Nevertheless, differences appear concerning forms of direct speech with persons with Down syndrome using more free direct speech than TD-children. DISCUSSION The results suggest that children and adolescents are able to implement the use of reported speech regardless of their syntactic impairments. Concerning the occurring forms of direct speech, the results might point to cognitive impairments that manifest in limited consideration of the interlocutor's knowledge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Neitzel
- Department of Language and Communication, Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany
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Tasios K, Douzenis A, Gournellis R, Michopoulos I. Empathy and Violence in Schizophrenia and Antisocial Personality Disorder. Healthcare (Basel) 2023; 12:89. [PMID: 38200995 PMCID: PMC10779118 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare12010089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Revised: 12/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
A paucity of cognitive and affective features of empathy can be correlated with violent behavior. We aimed to identify differences in empathy among four groups in a sample of 100 male participants: (1) 27 violent offenders with schizophrenia, (2) 23 nonviolent patients with schizophrenia, (3) 25 patients with antisocial personality disorder, and (4) 25 subjects from the general population, who formed the control group. Schizophrenia symptoms were quantified with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. Empathy was measured with the empathy quotient. Theory of mind was evaluated using (a) the first-order false-belief task, (b) the hinting task, (c) the faux pas recognition test and (d) the "reading the mind in the eyes" test (revised). Differences noted among the groups were age (controls were younger) and educational status (antisocials were less educated). The empathy quotient scoring (p < 0.001) and theory-of-mind tests (p < 0.001) were distinct between the control group and the three other groups of participants, but not among the three patient groups. Patients with antisocial personality disorder, violent psychotic offenders and psychotic nonviolent patients show no remarkable differences in affective or cognitive empathy tests, but they all present deficits in empathy and theory of mind when compared to controls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantinos Tasios
- 2nd Department of Psychiatry, Medical School, Attikon Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 12462 Haidari, Greece; (A.D.); (R.G.); (I.M.)
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Bagg E, Pickard H, Tan M, Smith TJ, Simonoff E, Pickles A, Carter Leno V, Bedford R. Testing the social motivation theory of autism: the role of co-occurring anxiety. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2023. [PMID: 38156503 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Social Motivation Theory proposes that social reward processing differences underlie autism. However, low social motivation has also been linked to higher anxiety. Given the co-occurrence between autism and anxiety, it is possible that anxiety drives the association between social motivation and autistic characteristics. This study tests the mechanisms underlying the association between social motivation and autistic traits. METHODS Participants were 165 adolescents (71 male), aged 10-16 years, from the Mapping profiles of cognition, motivation and attention in childhood (C-MAPS) study, enriched for autistic traits (70 participants with an autism diagnosis, 37 male). Participants completed a battery of online experimental tasks, including a Choose-a-Movie social motivation task and social cognition measures (theory of mind; emotion recognition), alongside parent-reported child anxiety and autistic traits. RESULTS Higher social motivation was significantly associated with lower autistic traits (β = -.26, p < .001). Controlling for social cognition did not change the association between social motivation and autistic traits. Controlling for anxiety did significantly reduce the strength of the association (unstandardized coefficient change: p = .003), although social motivation remained associated with autistic traits (β = -.16, p = .004). Post hoc analyses demonstrated differential sex-effects: The association between social motivation and autistic traits was significant only in the females (β = -.38, p < .001), as was the attenuation by anxiety (unstandardized coefficient change: p < .001). CONCLUSIONS The association between social motivation and autistic traits could be partially attributed to co-occurring anxiety. Sex-specific effects found in females may be due to environmental factors such as increased social demands in adolescent female relationships. Results are consistent with self-report by autistic individuals who do not identify as having reduced social motivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eloise Bagg
- Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - Hannah Pickard
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK
| | - Manting Tan
- Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - Tim J Smith
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK
- Creative Computing Institute, University of the Arts London, London, UK
| | - Emily Simonoff
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London, London, UK
| | - Andrew Pickles
- Department of Biostatistics and Health Informatics, IoPPN, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Virginia Carter Leno
- Department of Biostatistics and Health Informatics, IoPPN, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Rachael Bedford
- Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London, London, UK
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Landmann E, Krahmer A, Böckler A. Social Understanding beyond the Familiar: Disparity in Visual Abilities Does Not Impede Empathy and Theory of Mind. J Intell 2023; 12:2. [PMID: 38248900 PMCID: PMC10816830 DOI: 10.3390/jintelligence12010002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Feeling with our conspecifics and understanding their sentiments and intentions is a crucial part of our lives. What is the basis for these forms of social understanding? If individuals ground their understanding of others' thoughts and feelings in their own perceptual and factual experiences, it could present a challenge to empathize and mentalize with those whose reality of life is significantly different. This preregistered study compared two groups of participants who differed in a central perceptual feature, their visual abilities (visually impaired vs. unimpaired; total N = 56), concerning their social understanding of others who were themselves either visually impaired or unimpaired. Employing an adjusted version of the EmpaToM task, participants heard short, autobiographic narrations by visually impaired or unimpaired individuals, and we assessed their empathic responding and mentalizing performance. Our findings did not reveal heightened empathy and mentalizing proclivities when the narrator's visual abilities aligned with those of the participant. However, in some circumstances, cognitive understanding of others' narrations benefitted from familiarity with the situation. Overall, our findings suggest that social understanding does not mainly rely on perceptual familiarity with concrete situations but is likely grounded in sharing emotions and experiences on a more fundamental level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Landmann
- Department of Psychology, University of Würzburg, 97070 Würzburg, Germany (A.B.)
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Delgado MR, Fareri DS, Chang LJ. Characterizing the mechanisms of social connection. Neuron 2023; 111:3911-3925. [PMID: 37804834 PMCID: PMC10842352 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2023] [Revised: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/09/2023]
Abstract
Understanding how individuals form and maintain strong social networks has emerged as a significant public health priority as a result of the increased focus on the epidemic of loneliness and the myriad protective benefits conferred by social connection. In this review, we highlight the psychological and neural mechanisms that enable us to connect with others, which in turn help buffer against the consequences of stress and isolation. Central to this process is the experience of rewards derived from positive social interactions, which encourage the sharing of perspectives and preferences that unite individuals. Sharing affective states with others helps us to align our understanding of the world with another's, thereby continuing to reinforce bonds and strengthen relationships. These psychological processes depend on neural systems supporting reward and social cognitive function. Lastly, we also consider limitations associated with pursuing healthy social connections and outline potential avenues of future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mauricio R Delgado
- Department of Psychology, Rutgers University-Newark, Newark, NJ 07102, USA.
| | - Dominic S Fareri
- Gordon F. Derner School of Psychology, Adelphi University, Garden City, NY 11530, USA
| | - Luke J Chang
- Consortium for Interacting Minds, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
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Olson HA, Chen EM, Lydic KO, Saxe RR. Left-Hemisphere Cortical Language Regions Respond Equally to Observed Dialogue and Monologue. Neurobiol Lang (Camb) 2023; 4:575-610. [PMID: 38144236 PMCID: PMC10745132 DOI: 10.1162/nol_a_00123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023]
Abstract
Much of the language we encounter in our everyday lives comes in the form of conversation, yet the majority of research on the neural basis of language comprehension has used input from only one speaker at a time. Twenty adults were scanned while passively observing audiovisual conversations using functional magnetic resonance imaging. In a block-design task, participants watched 20 s videos of puppets speaking either to another puppet (the dialogue condition) or directly to the viewer (the monologue condition), while the audio was either comprehensible (played forward) or incomprehensible (played backward). Individually functionally localized left-hemisphere language regions responded more to comprehensible than incomprehensible speech but did not respond differently to dialogue than monologue. In a second task, participants watched videos (1-3 min each) of two puppets conversing with each other, in which one puppet was comprehensible while the other's speech was reversed. All participants saw the same visual input but were randomly assigned which character's speech was comprehensible. In left-hemisphere cortical language regions, the time course of activity was correlated only among participants who heard the same character speaking comprehensibly, despite identical visual input across all participants. For comparison, some individually localized theory of mind regions and right-hemisphere homologues of language regions responded more to dialogue than monologue in the first task, and in the second task, activity in some regions was correlated across all participants regardless of which character was speaking comprehensibly. Together, these results suggest that canonical left-hemisphere cortical language regions are not sensitive to differences between observed dialogue and monologue.
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Croom S, Zhou H, Firestone C. Seeing and understanding epistemic actions. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2303162120. [PMID: 37983484 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2303162120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Many actions have instrumental aims, in which we move our bodies to achieve a physical outcome in the environment. However, we also perform actions with epistemic aims, in which we move our bodies to acquire information and learn about the world. A large literature on action recognition investigates how observers represent and understand the former class of actions; but what about the latter class? Can one person tell, just by observing another person's movements, what they are trying to learn? Here, five experiments explore epistemic action understanding. We filmed volunteers playing a "physics game" consisting of two rounds: Players shook an opaque box and attempted to determine i) the number of objects hidden inside, or ii) the shape of the objects inside. Then, independent subjects watched these videos and were asked to determine which videos came from which round: Who was shaking for number and who was shaking for shape? Across several variations, observers successfully determined what an actor was trying to learn, based only on their actions (i.e., how they shook the box)-even when the box's contents were identical across rounds. These results demonstrate that humans can infer epistemic intent from physical behaviors, adding a new dimension to research on action understanding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sholei Croom
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218
| | - Hanbei Zhou
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218
| | - Chaz Firestone
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218
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de Lucena AT, Dos Santos TTBA, Santos PFA, Dourado MCN. Affective theory of mind in people with mild and moderate Alzheimer's disease. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry 2023; 38:e6032. [PMID: 38038609 DOI: 10.1002/gps.6032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study compared the affective theory of mind (ToM) of people with mild and moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD) and healthy older adults and also investigated the relationship between affective ToM and cognitive and clinical functioning in AD people. METHODS This cross-sectional study included 156 older adults with AD and 40 healthy older adults. We used an experimental task involving reasoning processes in different contextual situations. RESULTS The affective ToM was impaired in AD groups compared with healthy group, with moderate AD group showing lower performance than mild AD group. The affective ToM task of mild AD group was significantly correlated with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and education years. Linear regression showed only education years as a predictor of ToM task performance. The neuropsychiatric symptoms and functionality were not correlated with the affective ToM. CONCLUSIONS Our findings demonstrated that people with mild and moderate AD presented impairments in affective ToM that can be explained by the difficulties to infer emotion from reasoning processes. In addition, the education years variable proved to be an affective ToM performance's predictor for the mild AD group, but not for the moderate AD group, indicating that ToM abilities are affected differently in different stages of AD. Neuropsychiatric symptoms and functionality seem to have no influence on affective ToM impairments in people with AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aline Tavares de Lucena
- Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders, Institute of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Paulo Fernando Alves Santos
- Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders, Institute of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Márcia Cristina Nascimento Dourado
- Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders, Institute of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Rizzo G, Martino D, Avanzino L, Avenanti A, Vicario CM. Social cognition in hyperkinetic movement disorders: a systematic review. Soc Neurosci 2023; 18:331-354. [PMID: 37580305 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2023.2248687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2022] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 08/16/2023]
Abstract
Numerous lines of research indicate that our social brain involves a network of cortical and subcortical brain regions that are responsible for sensing and controlling body movements. However, it remains unclear whether movement disorders have a systematic impact on social cognition. To address this question, we conducted a systematic review examining the influence of hyperkinetic movement disorders (including Huntington disease, Tourette syndrome, dystonia, and essential tremor) on social cognition. Following the PRISMA guidelines and registering the protocol in the PROSPERO database (CRD42022327459), we analyzed 50 published studies focusing on theory of mind (ToM), social perception, and empathy. The results from these studies provide evidence of impairments in ToM and social perception in all hyperkinetic movement disorders, particularly during the recognition of negative emotions. Additionally, individuals with Huntington's Disease and Tourette syndrome exhibit empathy disorders. These findings support the functional role of subcortical structures (such as the basal ganglia and cerebellum), which are primarily responsible for movement disorders, in deficits related to social cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaetano Rizzo
- Dipartimento di Scienze Cognitive, Psicologiche, Pedagogiche e degli studi culturali, Università di Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - Davide Martino
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Laura Avanzino
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Human Physiology, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Alessio Avenanti
- Centro studi e ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia "Renzo Canestrari", Campus di Cesena, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Cesena, Italy
- Centro de Investigación en Neuropsicología y Neurociencias Cognitivas, Universidad Católica del Maule, Talca, Chile
| | - Carmelo Mario Vicario
- Dipartimento di Scienze Cognitive, Psicologiche, Pedagogiche e degli studi culturali, Università di Messina, Messina, Italy
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Costa-Cordella S, Soto-Icaza P, Borgeaud K, Grasso-Cladera A, Malberg NT. Towards a comprehensive approach to mentalization-based treatment for children with autism: integrating attachment, neurosciences, and mentalizing. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1259432. [PMID: 38098626 PMCID: PMC10719951 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1259432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is diagnosed based on socio-communicative difficulties, which are believed to result from deficits in mentalizing, mainly evidenced by alterations in recognizing and responding to the mental states of others. In recent years, efforts have been made to develop mentalization-based treatment (MBT) models for this population. These models focus on enhancing individuals' ability to understand and reflect on their own mental states, as well as those of others. However, MBT approaches for people with ASD are limited by their existing theoretical background, which lacks a strong foundation grounded in neuroscience-based evidence properly integrated with attachment, and mentalizing. These are crucial aspects for understanding psychological processes in autism, and as such, they play a pivotal role in shaping the development of tailored and effective therapeutic strategies for this specific population. In this paper we review evidence related to the neurobiological, interpersonal, and psychological dimensions of autism and their implications for mentalizing processes. We also review previous mentalization-based frameworks on the psychosis continuum to provide a comprehensive understanding of attachment, neurobiology, and mentalization domains in therapeutic approaches for autism. After presenting a synthesis of the literature, we offer a set of clinical strategies for the work with children with autism. Finally, we provide recommendations to advance the field towards more robust models that can serve as a basis for evidence-based therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanella Costa-Cordella
- Centro de Estudios en Psicología Clínica y Psicoterapia, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Diego Portales, Santiago, Chile
- Centro de Estudios en Neurociencia y Neuropsicología Humana, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Diego Portales, Santiago, Chile
- Millennium Institute for Depression and Personality Research (MIDAP), Santiago, Chile
| | - Patricia Soto-Icaza
- Laboratorio de Neurociencia Social y Neuromodulación (neuroCICS), Centro de Investigación en Complejidad Social (CICS), Facultad de Gobierno, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile
| | | | - Aitana Grasso-Cladera
- Centro de Estudios en Neurociencia y Neuropsicología Humana, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Diego Portales, Santiago, Chile
- Institute of Cognitive Science, Universität Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany
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Xie S, Liu J, Hu Y, Liu W, Ma C, Jin S, Zhang L, Kang Y, Ding Y, Zhang X, Hu Z, Cheng W, Yang Z. A normative model of brain responses to social scenarios reflects the maturity of children and adolescents' social-emotional abilities. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2023; 18:nsad062. [PMID: 37930841 PMCID: PMC10649363 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsad062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The rapid brain maturation in childhood and adolescence accompanies the development of socio-emotional functioning. However, it is unclear how the maturation of the neural activity drives the development of socio-emotional functioning and individual differences. This study aimed to reflect the age dependence of inter-individual differences in brain responses to socio-emotional scenarios and to develop naturalistic imaging indicators to assess the maturity of socio-emotional ability at the individual level. Using three independent naturalistic imaging datasets containing healthy participants (n = 111, 21 and 122), we found and validated that age-modulated inter-individual concordance of brain responses to socio-emotional movies in specific brain regions. The similarity of an individual's brain response to the average response of older participants was defined as response typicality, which predicted an individual's emotion regulation strategies in adolescence and theory of mind (ToM) in childhood. Its predictive power was not superseded by age, sex, cognitive performance or executive function. We further showed that the movie's valence and arousal ratings grounded the response typicality. The findings highlight that forming typical brain response patterns may be a neural phenotype underlying the maturation of socio-emotional ability. The proposed response typicality represents a neuroimaging approach to measure individuals' maturity of cognitive reappraisal and ToM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuqi Xie
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200030, China
| | - Jingjing Liu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200030, China
| | - Yang Hu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200030, China
| | - Wenjing Liu
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 201108, China
| | - Changminghao Ma
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 201108, China
| | - Shuyu Jin
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200030, China
| | - Lei Zhang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200030, China
| | - Yinzhi Kang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200030, China
| | - Yue Ding
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200030, China
| | - Xiaochen Zhang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200030, China
| | - Zhishan Hu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200030, China
| | - Wenhong Cheng
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 201108, China
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Zhi Yang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200030, China
- Institute of Psychological and Behavioral Science, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & National Center for Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100035, China
- Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100054, China
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Rodríguez Pulido F, Caballero Estebaranz N, García Caballero AA, González Dávila E, León Palacín C, Hernández Álvarez de Sotomayor MDC, López Reig S, Vílchez de León PI. Social cognition and emotional rehabilitation in participants with schizofrenia. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1250933. [PMID: 38025483 PMCID: PMC10663374 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1250933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction People with schizophrenia have deficits in social cognition, emotion and social perception, as well as attributional style. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a multicomponent social cognition training program, e-Motional Training® (ET), in people with schizophrenia and to compare its efficacy with people who did not receive it. Therefore, a single-blind RCT was conducted in participants with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Methods A randomized, single-blind, clinical trial was conducted with 50 stable outparticipants with schizophrenia (registry number CHUC_2019_109). All participants (control and intervention) were treated with pharmacotherapy, case management and were on Individual Placement and Support methodology for competitive employment. The intervention group was treated with ET, an online program designed for social cognition rehabilitation. Pre and post assessment was performed using different battery of tests. General mixed models with subject identification and repeated measures over time were used. Results Different pre and post measurements were performed in the two groups. No significant differences were found in sociodemographic characteristics between the control and intervention groups. Improvements were obtained in the intervention group in the Ekman test (p = 0.009), mainly enhanced by the improvement shown in three emotions: fear, sadness and disgust (p = 0.041, p = 0.021 and p = 0.038 respectively). Conclusion ET is a promising online training tool for social cognition deficits in schizophrenia, in particular, for the improvement of emotions.Clinical Trial Registration: https://beta.clinicaltrials.gov, NCT05866328.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Rodríguez Pulido
- Department of Internal Medicine, Dermatology and Psychiatry, University of La Laguna, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain
| | - Nayra Caballero Estebaranz
- Department of Health Sciences, European University of the Canary Islands, La Orotava, Spain
- IPS Team Sinpromi, Cabildo de Tenerife, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
| | | | - Enrique González Dávila
- Department of Mathematics, Statistics and Operations Research Department, University of La Laguna, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain
| | - Celia León Palacín
- Canary Islands Association of Creative Therapies (ASCATEC), Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
| | | | - Susana López Reig
- IPS Team Sinpromi, Cabildo de Tenerife, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
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Lim A, Brewer N, Aistrope D, Young RL. Response format changes the reading the mind in the eyes test performance of autistic and non-autistic adults. Autism 2023; 27:2560-2565. [PMID: 37139588 PMCID: PMC10576897 DOI: 10.1177/13623613231167226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
LAY ABSTRACT Recognizing and understanding the perspectives of others-also called theory of mind-is important for effective communication. Studies have found that some autistic individuals have greater difficulty with theory of mind compared to non-autistic individuals. One purported theory of mind measure is the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET). This test presents participants with photographs of pairs of eyes and asks them to identify the emotion displayed by each pair of eyes from four choices. Some researchers have argued that the multiple-choice format of the RMET may not be an accurate measure of theory of mind, as participants could simply be guessing or using a process of elimination to select the correct answer. Participants may also be disadvantaged if they are not familiar with the specific emotion words used in the multiple-choice answers. We examined whether a free-report (open-ended) format RMET would be a more valid measure of theory of mind than the multiple-choice RMET. Autistic and non-autistic adults performed better on the multiple-choice RMET than the free-report RMET. However, both versions successfully differentiated autistic and non-autistic adults, irrespective of their level of verbal ability. Performance on both versions was also correlated with another well-validated adult measure of theory of mind. Thus, the RMET's multiple-choice format does not, of itself, appear to underpin its ability to differentiate autistic and non-autistic adults.
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Shteynberg G, Hirsh JB, Wolf W, Bargh JA, Boothby EJ, Colman AM, Echterhoff G, Rossignac-Milon M. Theory of collective mind. Trends Cogn Sci 2023; 27:1019-1031. [PMID: 37532600 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2023.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023]
Abstract
Theory of mind research has traditionally focused on the ascription of mental states to a single individual. Here, we introduce a theory of collective mind: the ascription of a unified mental state to a group of agents with convergent experiences. Rather than differentiation between one's personal perspective and that of another agent, a theory of collective mind requires perspectival unification across agents. We review recent scholarship across the cognitive sciences concerning the conceptual foundations of collective mind representations and their empirical induction through the synchronous arrival of shared information. Research suggests that representations of a collective mind cause psychological amplification of co-attended stimuli, create relational bonds, and increase cooperation, among co-attendees.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Wouter Wolf
- Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Öztürk Y, Özyurt G, Turan S, Tufan AE, Akay AP. Emotion dysregulation and social communication problems but not ToM properties may predict obsessive-compulsive disorder symptom severity. Nord J Psychiatry 2023; 77:778-787. [PMID: 37665655 DOI: 10.1080/08039488.2023.2251953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/06/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Studies have shown that theory of mind, emotion regulation and pragmatic abilities are negatively affected in people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). We aimed to investigate theory of mind (ToM) abilities, social responsiveness, pragmatic language, and emotion regulation skills in children with OCD and to compare them to healthy controls. METHODS This study was designed as a single-center, cross-sectional, case-control study. ToM abilities were evaluated via "Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test" (RMET), "Faces Test", "Faux-Pas Test", "Comprehension Test" and "Unexpected Outcomes Test". Social responsiveness, pragmatic language and emotion regulation were evaluated by Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), Children's Communication Checklist- Second Edition (CCC-2), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS). Within the study period, we enrolled 85 adolescents (42 with OCD and 43 controls). RESULTS The OCD group performed significantly lower than healthy controls in the Faux Pass and Comprehension tests (p = 0.003 for both). We found a statistically significant difference between groups in terms of the goal, strategy, non-acceptance subscales of the DERS (p < 0.001, p = 0.006, p = 0.008, respectively) as well as the total DERS score (p < 0.001). CY-BOCS total scores correlated significantly and negatively with Comprehension, Faux Pas and Unexpected Outcomes tests, and positively with CCC total, SRS total and DERS total scores. In regression analysis the DERS, SRS and CCC tests emerged as significant predictors of CY-BOCS total score. CONCLUSION Addressing ToM, pragmatic, and ER difficulties when planning the treatment of young people with OCD may contribute to positive outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yusuf Öztürk
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University Medical Faculty, Bolu, Turkey
| | - Gonca Özyurt
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Izmir Katip Çelebi University Medical Faculty, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Serkan Turan
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Uludağ University Medical Faculty, Bursa, Turkey
| | - Ali Evren Tufan
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University Medical Faculty, Bolu, Turkey
| | - Aynur Pekcanlar Akay
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Dokuz Eylul University Medical Faculty, Izmir, Turkey
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Hashim N, Fischer NL, Kim EB, Yeung WJJ, Yu R. The influence of socioeconomic status and appearance-reality understanding on pre-schoolers' sharing and generosity. Br J Dev Psychol 2023; 41:325-342. [PMID: 37114745 DOI: 10.1111/bjdp.12451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Revised: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
Prosocial behaviour can be defined as any voluntary action that is performed to benefit another individual. Despite accumulating evidence of the importance of environmental variables (e.g., socioeconomic status; SES), and individual characteristics (e.g., theory of mind - ToM - skills), in influencing prosocial behaviours in young children, it is unknown how these factors relate to the underlying motivations for prosocial behaviours. Accordingly, both extrinsically (sharing) and intrinsically (generosity)-guided prosocial behaviours are measured in this study. We explore the influences of SES and ToM skills on young children's sharing behaviour and generosity, while controlling their age, working memory and language skills. Sixty-six 4- to 6 year olds (Mage = 5.24 years, SD = 0.73) from diverse SES (measured by parental education level) and ethnic backgrounds in Singapore completed tasks assessing the ToM measures of false belief and appearance-reality understanding, working memory, language skills, generosity, and sharing behaviour. The results of hierarchical regression analyses demonstrate that the father's education level and children's appearance-reality understanding were significant predictors of sharing, after controlling for age, working memory, language skills, and the mother's education level. Children's appearance-reality understanding was the sole predictor of children's generosity. Our findings highlight the impact of children's ability to hold different views of reality and their family's education levels on the development of sharing and generosity in early childhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nawal Hashim
- Centre for Family and Population Research, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore City, Singapore
| | - Nastassja L Fischer
- Centre for Family and Population Research, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore City, Singapore
- Centre for Research and Development in Learning (CRADLE), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore City, Singapore
| | - Elizabeth B Kim
- Centre for Family and Population Research, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore City, Singapore
- Centre for Research in Child Development, National Institute of Education, Singapore City, Singapore
| | - Wei-Jun Jean Yeung
- Centre for Family and Population Research, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore City, Singapore
- Department of Sociology, National University of Singapore, Singapore City, Singapore
- Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore City, Singapore
| | - Rongjun Yu
- Centre for Family and Population Research, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore City, Singapore
- Department of Management, Marketing, and Information Systems, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
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