Librarian’s Introduction to Dungeons and Dragons 5e

Aims: We examined how nondirective counselling skills affect the evaluation of counsellors and the observed working alliance, and how evaluators' social skills and cognitive ability moderate evaluations. Method: In a first analogue experiment, counselling transcripts containing more or less restatements, reflections and open‐ended questions were audio‐taped and rated by evaluators (n=52) who self‐reported social skills. In a second experiment, a different sample of evaluators (n=63) rated transcripts and self‐reported social skills and were tested on cognitive ability. Results: Restatements and reflections improved ratings of the counsellors and the observed working alliance, but open‐ended questions did not. Ratings were moderated by evaluators' social skills and cognitive ability. Discussion: The results agree with previous evidence on restating–reflecting and open‐ended questions. That certain evaluators preferred open‐ended questions more than others can be understood as an issue of matching between conceptual level, social skills, and counselling structure.

Preschool anxiety is highly prevalent and well known to predict risk for future psychopathology. The present study explores whether a diagnosis of an anxiety disorder in preschool interacts with (a) social skills and (b) cognitive ability to longitudinally predict psychopathology, two well-known protective factors, among a sample of 207 children measured at preschool (Mage = 4.34 years) and early childhood (Mage = 6.61 years). To assess social skills and cognitive ability, we utilized the Social Skills Rating Scale and the Differential Abilities Scale, respectively. To assess psychopathology, we utilized the parent report of the Preschool Age Psychiatric Assessment. Hierarchical linear regression models revealed significant interactions between both social skills and cognitive ability with preschool anxiety. We observed that social skills protected against emergent psychopathology for both children with and without anxiety, although this association was stronger for children with preschool anxiety. Contrastingly, cognitive ability served as a protective factor against future psychopathology primarily among children without preschool anxiety. Results from this study identify targets for future intervention and inform our understanding of how preschool anxiety, a common disorder among young children, shapes future psychopathology risk in childhood.

Background22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) is a common recurrent neurogenetic condition associated with elevated risk for developmental neuropsychiatric disorders and intellectual disability. Children and adults with 22q11DS often exhibit marked social impairment as well as neurocognitive deficits, and have elevated rates of both autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and psychosis. However, the relationship between the basic processes of social cognition and cognitive ability has not been well studied in 22q11DS. Here, we examined differences in social cognition in 22q11DS, relative to multiple groups of idiopathic neuropsychiatric disorders, and typically developing healthy controls (HC). Additionally, we examined differences in intellectual functioning and its relationship to social cognitive abilities. Finally, we examined the relationship between social cognitive abilities and real-world social behavior.MethodsWe examined social cognition and intellectual functioning in 273 participants (mean age = 17.74 ± 5.18% female = 44.3%): 50 with 22q11DS, 49 youth with first episode psychosis (FEP), 48 at clinical high-risk (CHR) for psychosis, 24 participants with ASD, and 102 HC. Social cognition was assessed using The Awareness of Social Inference Test (TASIT), while reciprocal social behavior was assessed via parent/caregiver ratings on the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS). Participants were also administered the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence, 2nd edition (WASI-II) to assess intellectual functioning.ResultsThe 22q11DS group exhibited significantly lower social cognitive abilities compared to CHR, FEP, and HC groups after controlling for intellectual functioning, but not in comparison to the ASD group. Significant positive correlations were found between social cognition, as measured by the TASIT and IQ across groups. In contrast, no significant relationships were found between TASIT and real-world social behavior (SRS) for any group.ConclusionsOur findings indicate social cognitive deficits are more prominent in 22q11DS than idiopathic neuropsychiatric conditions across the age range, even after adjusting for global intellectual function. These results contribute to our understanding of the intellectual and social vulnerabilities of 22q11DS in comparison to idiopathic neuropsychiatric disorders. Our findings of robust associations between intellectual ability and social cognition emphasizes the importance of accounting for neurocognitive deficits in social skills interventions and tailoring these existing treatment models for 22q11DS and other populations with intellectual impairment.

The problems in mathematics learning at MTs NW Linsar are low of student’s social skills and cognitive abilities. Students are less active in discussing learning. Students are less accustomed to asking questions or given questions. Interactions that occur often one direction from teacher to student. In fact, it becomes a mindset that mathematical people are often identified with people who are unable to communicate, lack socialization, and seem to be absorbed in their own fun. In an effort to overcome these problems researchers implemented mathematical learning based on productive questions. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to improve the social skills and cognitive abilities of students through the implementation of productive mathematics-based learning tools. Productive questioning is a questioning process by giving open, structured, and systematic questions to students to get an understanding of a concept. The type of this research is research is Classroom Action Research (CAR). This research was conducted at NW Lingsar MTs with 27 students. The instrument of this research is the Social Skills observation sheet and student cognitive ability evaluation test sheets. Based on the results of data analysis, in the first cycle the average score of students' social skills was 74.2% with the Good category. The cognitive ability score reaches an average of 73.2% which is in the high category. Furthermore, in the second cycle, the average score of students' social skills reached 89.2% with the Very Good category. The score of cognitive abilities reached an average of 93.3% which was in the very high category. Thus, it can be concluded that the implementation of productive questioning based learning can to improve social skills and student cognitive abilities on subject matter Set at MTs NW Lingsar in academic year 2017/2018.

Aims: This study aimed to review prior research on tabletop role-playing games (TTRPG) as a therapeutic tool for neurodiverse individuals and identify gaps in the field to direct future research.Methods: A comprehensive systematic review of available literature on the use of TTRPGs in the neurodiverse population was completed, with no limitations to publication language or date. This was completed using appropriate medical subject headings (MeSH terms) and ProQuest to search 21 electronic data bases. Papers were superficially reviewed using the title and abstract to determine if they met the inclusion criteria and relevant articles were reviewed in full.Results: The systematic search resulted in the identification of 5 relevant articles, containing a combination of peer-reviewed journal articles (n=3), and dissertations/theses (n=2). The majority of papers (n=3) were published in the western world, with others coming from Japan (n=1) and Brazil (n = 1).Conclusion: Existing literature suggests that TTRPGs offer significant benefits for neurodiverse individuals, particularly in enhancing social skills, communication, and overall social functioning. Kato’s (2019) qualitative case study showed that TTRPGs improved social functioning, intentional communication, and cooperative decision-making in youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Henning et al. (2024) echoed these findings, though they were not statistically significant. The benefits of TTRPGs were also demonstrated by Parks (2021), remarking that TTRPGs allow autistic young adults to practice social roles and skills at their own pace. Atherton et al. (2024) expanded this by showing that TTRPGs helped autistic adults form social connections in a safe, structured setting, promoting community and friendship. A shift in focus was seen in the study presented by Rubin-Budick (2022), which focused on the perspective of the therapist over the participants. This research gave an overriding consensus on the effectiveness of TTRPGs in improving emotional attunement and social engagement. Whilst the current body of research highlights these potential benefits, it is important to note that the studies conducted so far have been limited by small sample sizes and narrow participant demographics, with an overriding focus on ASD over other neurodiverse conditions.Overall, available literature suggests that TTRPGs can enhance social development, communication, and emotional well-being in neurodiverse individuals. This review has also highlighted the need to explore the role of TTRPGs as a therapeutic tool in a wider range of neurodiverse conditions, with particular reference to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) have increased in popularity as a hobby and allows multiple people to play together online or in person. Group activities such as TTRPGs have been used to improve social skills and mental well-being Although there is qualitative and anecdotal studies and reports about the efficacy of the therapeutic application of TTRPGs, no related studies have employed quantitative measures or mental health screening tools. This study explored whether intentionally introduced cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) delivered through the medium of TTRPG groups could positively affect social skills, reduce anxiety symptoms and behaviors, and enhance the mental well-being of participants. Data was collected from May 2020 to February 2021 using the Social Phobia Inventory, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Assessment, Social Skills Inventory, and Group Satisfaction Scale and debriefs with participants. The study was completed virtually. All the groups showed an average decrease in self-reported anxiety; one of the therapeutic TTRPG groups decreased in self-reported social anxiety, while the others remained the same. All of them showed improved social skill scores and the participants were very satisfied with the overall group experience, thus suggesting that their needs were met.

Tabletop Role-Playing Games (TRPGs) for disaster response management are collaborative exercises in which participants take on the roles of characters, guided by a “Game Master.” TRPG are useful tools for training, improving the preparedness of emergency responders, and understanding/validating Agent-Based Models (ABMs). This study evaluates the knowledge of participants and assessed the effectiveness of utilizing TRPG in validating a NetLogo model. Medical doctors and master’s students were divided into two groups, who participated in the exercise based on defined disaster response strategies. The central components of the ABM were transformed into a Disaster Response Tabletop Role-Playing Game (DRTRPG). Medical doctors and master’s degree students were assigned to two groups in the exercise that is based on defined disaster response strategies. Multichoice pre- and post-assessment tests were used to evaluate each group’s knowledge, while a performance scoring matrix was used to generate data from in-game activity. Data was analyzed using Pandas and MS Excel data analytical tools. Pre and post-assessment test results (n = 8) showed an 11.5% and 3.1% increase in knowledge for medical doctors and students on disaster and healthcare decision-making, respectively. Visual comparison between the ABM and DRTRPG results reveals partial model validity. However, statistical comparison shows a clear variation in the outcomes. The “Alternate” policy strategy resulted in better disaster response outcomes. The design and implementation of the DRTRPG resulted in a collaborative understanding and communication of the ABMS model with promising results. However, there are significant statistical differences between both methodologies, highlighting the challenge of validating the predictive capabilities of ABMS using RPGs.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a severe psychiatric condition that is, among other features, characterized by marked impairment in social functioning. Although theoretically plausible with regard to neurobiological underpinnings of OCD, there is little research about possible impairments in social cognitive and meta-cognitive abilities and their connections with social functioning in patients with OCD. Accordingly, we sought to examine social cognitive skills and metacognition in OCD. Twenty OCD patients and age-, sex-, and education-matched 20 healthy controls were assessed using neurocognitive and diverse social cognitive skills including the Ekman 60 Faces test, the Hinting Task, the faux pas test, and a proverb test. In addition, the Metacognition Questionnaire-30 was administered to both the OCD and the control groups. Social functioning was measured using the Personal and Social Performance Scale. Symptom severity in patients was determined by the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale and the Maudsley Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory. No group differences emerged in basic social cognitive abilities. In contrast, compared to controls, OCD patients scored higher on all MCQ dimensions, particularly negative beliefs about worry, uncontrollability, and danger; beliefs about need to control thoughts; and cognitive self-consciousness. There were no significant correlations between social or metacognitive parameters and OCD symptom severity. However, in the patient group, depression and metacognition predicted social functioning. OCD patients show normal basal social cognitive abilities, but dysfunctional metacognitive profiles, which may contribute to their psychosocial impairment.

Summary During the past two decades, a convincing body of evidence has indicated that unless children achieve minimal social competence by about the age of 6, they have a high probability of being at risk social behavior problems later in their life. Recent research suggests that a child`s long-term social and emotional adaptation, academic and cognitive development, and citizenship are enhanced by opportunities to strengthen social competence during early childhood. Social competence refers to child's adaptation to social environment. Social competence is related to school achievement, social skills and peer relations. Developing social competences is a result of the interactions between child and environment. As a term, social skill is often used with reference to social competence, although social skill and social competence have different meanings. Social competence refers to the social, emotional, and cognitive skills and behaviors that children need for successful social adaptation. Social skills is a term used to describe the child`s knowledge of and ability to use a variety of social behaviors that are appropriate to a given interpersonal situation and that are pleasing to others in each situation. Acquisition deficits refer to absence of particular social skills from an individual's behavioral repertoire. This implies that the individual does not have the requisite knowledge to perform the social skill in question. On the other hand, when an individual has a social skills performance deficit, the individual can perform the social skill in question but does not perform the skill in the particular situation with acceptable frequency. Gresham and Elliot (1990) expanded this description into a four way classification scheme. This scheme incorporates two dimension of behavior: social skills and interfering behavior problems. Thus, children may have either acquisition or performance deficits with or without interfering problem behaviors. Interfering behaviors can be internalizing (e.g. anxiety, depression) or externalizing (e.g. aggression, impulsivity). These interfering behaviors are assumed to interfere with the acquisition and performance of social skills or both. This conception is important because it provides a framework to conceptualize social skills concerns and can also lead to effective strategies to improve one's social skills deficits. Across the age span from early childhood to adolescence, two major categories of problem behaviors have been identified in children. Those characterized by under control and those characterized by over control. Behaviors characterized by under control are typically high in annoyance value or the potential to hurt/harm others. These behaviors have been termed externalizing because they are expressed outward against others or have an impact on the child's environment. Examples include over activity, tantrums, fighting, destructive behavior and disobedience. Behaviors reflecting over control also tend to cluster together. They have been termed as internalized, because they are reflected in social withdrawn, fear, unhappiness and anxiety and represent self-focused expressions of distress. Although, many factors have been defined for explaining problem behavior, family factors are considered important among these factors. Demographic variables also have been associated with preschool and kindergarten behavior problems. Family demographic factors may include gender, family size, socioeconomic status, parental employment, parental education status, number of sibling, birth order etc. The purpose of this study is to determine the significant differences in social problem behaviors of six years old children by family related demographic factors. Method The sample of this study was 110 six years old children from elementary schools' preschool classes in Mus province of Turkey. This is a descriptive study using survey method to collect data. Data were collected by Social Skills Rating System (SSRS/PB) Behavior Problem Teacher Form scale. This scale's validity and reliability study for adaptation to Turkish was performed by researcher. One way ANOVA and t-test were used to examine effects of family related demographic factors on social problem behaviors of six years old children. Social Skills Rating System Problem Behavior Teacher Form was developed by Gresham and Elliott (1990). The Social Skills Rating System (SSRS) provides a multi-raterassessment of child's social behaviors that influence the developmentof social competence and adaptive functioning. Problem Behaviors Scale, measures behaviors that can interfere with the development of positive social skills. It assesses behavior in three subscales: 1. Externalizing Problems, such as aggressive acts and poor temper control. 2. Internalizing Problems, such as sadness and anxiety. 3. Hyperactivity, such as fidgeting and impulsive acts. The social skills rating system was standardized on a national sample of 4.170 children. Internal consistency is .86 for Social skills rating system Elementary problem behaviors scale teacher version. In addition, for subscales internal consistencies computed as .86 and .82. SSRS/PB teacher form is adapted to Turkish in this research. 200 Students from primary school's preschool classes participated for adapting the scale. To provide content and understandability, the scale was examined by seven experts and English to Turkish and Turkish to English translation convenience of scale by two experts in English. The factor structure of scale was examined with EFA (Exploratory Factor Analysis). The variance of two factors were computed as % 52,1. For reliability of the scale, Cronbach Alpha coefficient (.87) and Spearman Brown split-half correlation (.92) were computed. Lower and upper % 27 groups' score differences were supplied by calculating t-test. Results and Discussions Results of this study support previous research findings indicating an association between social problem behaviors and family related factors.Statistically significant differences were found in problem behaviors by gender, parents' employment, socioeconomic status and number of siblings. No significant differences were found in problem behaviors by family size, parents' education and birth order. For subscales of the SSRS/PB, significant differences were observed in internalized problem behaviors by parents' employment and number of siblings. Significant differences were also found in externalized problem behaviors by gender and number of siblings. These findings show that children display internalized behavior problems such as withdrawn, fear, unhappiness, anxiety and distress more than externalized problem behaviors such as destructive, fight, anger and disobedience. This study supported the hypothesis that boys display more problem behaviors then girls. This finding may be interpreted as social environment's role expectations from boys may lead to more problem behaviors for boys. Although there were significant differences in social problem behaviors by number of siblings, no significant differences were observed by family type. It was expected that children in large families would show more problem behaviors, but this was not supported by research findings. Significant differences were observed in both externalized and internalized problem behaviors by number of siblings. Problem behaviors increased as the number of siblings increased. Employed mothers' children have less problem behavior than unemployed mothers' children. This finding may be associated with more preschool opportunities for employed mothers' children. Significant differences in problem behaviors were also observed by socioeconomic status of parents. These two findings should be interpreted together, as employment status is also related with socio-economic status. Results of the study provide evidence to guide educators and parents struggling to reduce problem behaviors in early childhood.

BackgroundDeficits in social cognition and on social perception tasks are well studied and widely found in populations with schizophrenia. In addition, our work consistently replicates findings that individuals with schizophrenia report severe loneliness, significantly higher than healthy matches. Loneliness is a chronic, gnawing condition that induces distress and impedes life satisfaction and function across the spectrum of mental health. We also find social isolation impedes interpretation of social information and may lead to socio-perceptual deficits.The present study examines the effectiveness of a novel, adaptive virtual reality simulated social exposure training intervention (see Bekele et al, 2016) in both decreasing feelings of loneliness and improving social cognitive function in individuals with schizophrenia. We investigate baseline relationships between social isolation, loneliness and social cognition abilities, as well as pre to post intervention changes in function and subjective social well-being.MethodsFifteen medicated SZ outpatients completed 10 virtual reality social skills training sessions over the course of 5 weeks. Training sessions depicted three naturalistic social scenarios in which participants were instructed to complete 12 total social “missions” to obtain information from VR avatar characters. Prior to training and following the final training session, participants were assessed using the CogState Brief Schizophrenia Battery Social Emotional cognition task and rated loneliness using the UCLA Loneliness Scale. Independent raters conducted pre- and post-training clinical interviews to assess changes in participants’ levels of positive, negative, and overall psychiatric symptomsResultsGreater overall psychiatric symptoms were significantly correlated with higher levels of experienced loneliness, consistent with previous findings. There was a significant improvement in social emotional cognition accuracy, and a trend-level reduction in loneliness from pre-training to post-testing following social VR training.DiscussionPrevious research indicates that individuals higher on the psychosis spectrum perform worse at social cognition and social perception tasks. Our own research indicates that individuals higher on the psychosis spectrum also endorse higher levels of social distress via social isolation and loneliness. The present study attempts to enhance social cognitive and interpersonal abilities of individuals with schizophrenia while decreasing loneliness by strengthening social bonds and skills using a virtual reality training game. We find that following 10 sessions of VR social training, accuracy on measures of social cognition is improved significantly, however loneliness is reduced non-significantly. These initial results demonstrate potential feasibility of a novel VR social skills training game for improving social experience for patients with schizophrenia.

Fluid intelligence, social cognition, and perspective changing abilities as pointers of psychosocial adaptation.

The present study aimed to investigate how prior research of TTRPG revealed the benefits of TTRPG as a psychological intervention and how further studies can overcome the challenges and limitations of TTRPG in those previous studies. The study used Scoping Review to explore the potential benefits of TTRPG. Three research questions were identified (1) the extent to which empirical research has been conducted regarding TTRPG as intervention, (2) the potential of TTRPG mentioned, and (3) the suggestions for future research. The study investigated the last 10 years (ie, 2013 to 2023) of research publications with all research methods included. The search focused on key terms of "Tabletop Role-playing Game", "TTRPG", "Dungeons and Dragons", and terms related to intervention. The databases used were in English and Indonesian and resulted in 109 papers but later eliminated due to various reasons until it became 51 papers to be reviewed. Of the 51 papers included for final analysis, majority are of exploratory approach (n = 35; eg, literature review and qualitative design studies), indicating that research in TTRPG is still at the emerging stage. Quantitative design studies (n = 12) and mixed-method design studies (n = 4) on TTRPG are the minority. Majority papers (n = 30) are published in the United States, only three papers published in the Asian context, indicating that TTRPG research in the Asian context is scarce. From existing literature, TTRPG provides benefits to promote cognitive and psychosocial skills, to prevent negative effects and stress, as well as to intervene in psychological problems such as social anxiety, depressive symptoms, and autism spectrum disorders. Further studies can explore the use of TTRPG in Asia-representing collectivistic culture, to employ different systems of TTRPG and to examine the effects of TTRPG using experimental design to overcome the limitations of prior studies.

Objective: The current literature has linked the ability to understand one's own mental states with theory of mind, inferring another's mental states. It is suggested that children with Asperger's Disorder (AS) are delayed in the acquisition of social cognitive abilities (Baron-Cohen, 1989, 1991), which may relate to social behavior (Baron-Cohen, 1985, 1991). Other children with social deficits, such as those with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), demonstrate poor social functioning due to performance deficits and not deficits in underlying social cognitive abilities (see Landau & Moore, 1991). This research investigated the relationship between social cognitive abilities and social functioning and attempted to demonstrate a link between social cognitive abilities and social functioning in children with AS. Method: Children with AS and ADHD (7-12 years) were recruited from a private practice; typically developing children were recruited by participant referral and advertisements. Children completed the Mind in the Eyes Child Version and a two-subtest WASI, if needed. Parents completed the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale -II Socialization Domain, the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS), and the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function(BRIEF) parent report. Demographic information was also collected. Results: Children with AS demonstrated poorer Mind in the Eyes performance and social functioning overall, followed by children with ADHD and typically developing children. Findings of poorer performance on the Mind of the Eyes task in children with AS compared to children with ADHD approached significance. Children with AS displayed significant deficits in areas of interpersonal relationships and play and leisure skills, but demonstrated similar coping skills as children with ADHD. Both ADHD and AS groups performed more poorly than controls on measures of social functioning. Conclusions: Results do not support a relationship between social functioning and mental state attribution. It is suggestive of an overlap in the type of social deficits experienced by children with AS and ADHD. This research adds to the research on mental state attribution for children with AS and ADHD and has implications for those conducting social skills training with children, as there may be a need to include methods forgeneralizing social skills related to mental state attribution.

Come Play With Me

This study adopted socio-constructive collaboration strategy to enhance pupils’ learning outcome (social and cognitive skills) in national values after resumption from the compulsory closure of school for 6months. Quasi-experimental design was employed. Three hypotheses were raised and tested at 0.05 level of significance. 480 Primary one pupils from four public primary schools assigned to experimental and control within two local governments across four states participated in the study. The research spanned 15weeks. Validated instruments; Primary Pupils’ Achievement Test in National Values (PPATNV) and the Primary Pupils’ Social Skills Rating Scale (PPSSRC) were used to measure outcomes. Additionally, a Socio-constructive Pedagogical Instructional Guide (ScPIG) steered the delivery of the teaching and learning activities during the experiment. The study employed a statistical technique called analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) combined with a post-hoc test, especially the Bronfenbrenner test to analyse the pupils’ learning outcome. The results revealed significant positive effects of the intervention on both social skills and cognitive abilities (p<0.05) of pupils. Interestingly, school location also influences social skills. Furthermore, the intervention demonstrably improved students’ national values performance (p<0.05). The study concludes that a socio-constructivist collaborative teaching strategy significantly enhances pupils learning outcomes in areas related to social skills and cognitive development (national values comprehension). These findings suggest the potential benefits of adopting such strategies in primary school education for fostering well-rounded development in young learners