Psychometric Properties of the Social Attribution Task and Its Relationship With Cognitive Functions.

Objective: Deficits in social cognition are part of the cognitive phenotype of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This study investigated the psychometric properties and test-retest reliability of two short-form versions of the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test. Method: Patients with ALS (n = 50), alongside age and IQ matched controls (n = 50) were recruited. The Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) was apportioned according to previously published psychometric properties yielding two short forms. The internal consistency, test–retest reliability, item difficulty, and discrimination coefficient were computed to determine the utility of the short forms. Two one-sided t-test (TOST) assessed equivalency, and a ROC curve analysis determined a cutoff for impairment. Results: Cronbach’s Alpha > 0.7 was observed for the RMET Short Form A and RMET Short Form B, indicating adequate internal consistency. Both RMET Short Forms had excellent psychometric properties when discriminating between ALS patients who performed well, compared to those who did not, with an overall medium difficulty coefficient observed. The TOST found the short forms to be equivalent. Conclusion: Social cognition is an important cognitive construct in ALS, as is its measurement. This study contributes not only to the psychometric knowledge of this measure, but also to the usability, efficacy, reliability, and repeatability of two short forms.

The Reading the Mind in the Eyes test (RMET) is a widely applied test of social cognition, based on mental state judgments in response to photographs of human eyes, which can elicit impairment in patients with numerous psychiatric and neurological disorders. However, interpretation of task performance is limited without the use of appropriate control tasks. In addition to a matched task requiring age judgments of the RMET stimuli, it was recently shown that a mental state judgment task of comparable difficulty, could be developed using photographs of domestic cat eyes. The current study aimed to further develop a Non-human Animal RMET (NARMET) by testing additional stimuli in the form of photographs of domestic dog eyes. A variety of additional tasks were used alongside the eyes test stimuli in a large sample of healthy young adults, to explore how alexithymia, schizotypal features, and autistic tendencies may differentially influence mental state attribution in response to cat, dog, and human eyes test stimuli. The resulting NARMET features both cat and dog trials, depicting a similar range of complex mental states to the human RMET. It shows favorable psychometric properties as well as being well matched to the RMET in terms of linguistic variables, length and difficulty. However, reading measures predicted performance on the RMET, but not on the NARMET. Although further testing is required in samples with a higher proportion of males, future application of the NARMET in neuropsychiatric populations exhibiting cognitive and behavioral difficulties could offer enhanced assessment of social cognitive skills.

The aim of this study was to explore the construct validity and diagnostic properties of the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) in non-demented patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). A total of 61 consecutive patients and 50 healthy controls (HCs) were administered the 36-item RMET. Additionally, patients underwent a comprehensive assessment of social cognition via the Story-Based Empathy Task (SET), which encompasses three subtests targeting Causal Inference, Emotion Attribution (SET-EA), and Intention Attribution (SET-IA), as well as global cognitive [the Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioral ALS Screen (ECAS)] and behavioral screening [the Frontal Behavioral Inventory (FBI); the Dimensional Apathy Scale (DAS); the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI); and the State and Trait Anxiety Inventory-Y]. The construct validity of the RMET was tested by regressing it within a stepwise model that encompassed as predictors the abovementioned cognitive and behavioral measures, covarying for demographic and motor confounders. Receiver-operating characteristics (ROC) analyses allowed exploring intrinsic and post-test properties of the RMET both in discriminating patients from HCs and in identifying patients with a defective SET-EA performance. The RMET was solely predicted by the SET-EA (p = 0.003) and SET-IA (p = 0.005). RMET scores showed high accuracy both in discriminating patients from HCs (AUC = 0.81) and in identifying patients with a defective SET-EA score (AUC = 0.82), with adequate-to-optimal both intrinsic and post-test properties. The RMET is a convergently and divergently valid measure of affective social cognition in non-demented ALS patients, also featuring optimal intrinsic and post-test diagnostic properties in both case-control and case-finding scenarios.

IntroductionInterpersonally coordinated behaviors are crucial for social interactions.The “Theory of Mind,” or mentalization capacity, of an individual is essential for the establishment of behavioral synchronization. The Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) is used to assess mentalization, social cognition and empathy. Previous RMET studies, investigated people in isolation, not in social situations. It is unclear how the RMET predicts functioning during real-life social interactions.ObjectivesTo investigate the relationship between the performance measured on the RMET test and the synchronous behavior of two individuals interacting with each other during tasks requiring social collaboration.MethodsSample included healthy controls (HC,n=48) and patients with ADHD (n=26) or schizophrenia (SCH,n=36) from an ongoing EEG-hyperscanning study, employing a social coordination condition.We applied a Go/NoGo reaction time(RT) task performed by pairs of participants. Synchronous behavior was characterized by the correlation of participants’ RTs.We used the percent (%) correct responses from the RMET to characterize social cognition.ResultsIn HC, with better social cognitive performance, the correlation of behavioral responses was significantly (p<0.05) higher. In ADHD, better performance on the RMET was also accompanied by better behavioral synchronization, but the association did not reach significance due to the smaller sample size. In SCH, no relationship was detected.ConclusionsIn HC and ADHD, the mentalization ability as measured by RMET is associated with the behavioral synchronization between individuals in social interaction.The lack of association in the schizophrenia group may be due to psychopathological symptoms, which should be elucidated in future research. Funding: Supported by the Hungarian Brain Research program#2017-1.2.1-NKP-2017-0002DisclosureNo significant relationships.

Background: Social cognition can be defined as the ability to perceive and interpret others' thoughts, intentions, and behaviors. It is known that there are deficiencies in social cognitive skills in schizophrenia. This study aims to evaluate the social cognitive skills of schizophrenia spectrum disorder patients from the very early stages using theory of mind and emotion identification/discrimination tests and to examine the changes in these skills during schizophrenia. Methods: Seventy-nine patients who met the schizophrenia criteria according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 , except for duration, and were diagnosed with schizophrenia were divided into 3 groups according to the duration of illness: less than 6 months (n = 18), 6-24 months (n= 35), and more than 24 months (n = 26). The participants were administered the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (GAF), the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET), and the Facial Identification and Discrimination Tests (FEIT and FEDT), and the test scores were compared between the 3 groups. Results: There was no significant difference between the groups regarding PANSS, GAF and RMET, FEIT, and FEDT scores (P > .05). There was also no significant relationship between the illness duration and RMET, FEIT, and FEDT scores (P > .05). Conclusion: There was no significant relationship between disease duration and social cognitive skills in schizophrenia spectrum disorder patients. This finding suggests that social cognitive deficits may be a trait marker of schizophrenia.

Differential Social Cognitive Performance in Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia

Social cognitive performance as a marker of positive psychotic symptoms in young people seeking help for mental health problems

Objective Minor physical anomlalies (MPAs) are early dysmorphogenetic findings that can be frequently detected in both schizophrenia patients and their relatives, and deficits in social cognitive abilities have been shown in both groups. We aimed to investigate whether there is a relationship between MPAs and social cognition in both the patient group and the patient relatives. Method Thirty-four schizophrenia patients in remission, 34 their first-degree relatives, and 34 healthy controls were included in the study. Participants were assessed for minor physical anomalies using the Minor Physical Anomalies Scale (MPAS), and for theory of mind using Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) and Dokuz Eylül Theory of Mind Index (DEToMI). Results Patients performed significantly worse than healthy controls on the DEToMI subtests ‘first-order false belief’, ‘second-order false belief’, ‘faux pas’ and ‘DEToMI total’ (p=0.003, p=0.001, p=0.016 and p=0.001, respectively). The mean scores of patients in RMET were significantly lower than those of patients’ relatives and healthy controls (p=0.012 and p<0.001, respectively). Patients with mouth anomalies performed worse on the first-order false belief subtest than those without (p=0.029), and there was a negative correlation between mouth involvement and first-order false belief subtest performance in group I (r=-0.381; p=0.026). Patients with ear anomalies performed better on the irony/hinting subtest than those without (p=0.048), and there was a positive correlation between ear involvement and irony/hinting subtest performance in group I (r=0.364; p=0.034). Relatives of patients with mouth anomalies performed worse than those without on the second-order false belief subtest (p=0.043), and there was a negative correlation between mouth involvement and second-order false belief subtest performance in group II (r=-0.353; p=0.041). Apart from these significant findings, no significant association was found between DEToMI and RMET performances and MPAs in all groups. Conclusion The present study’s findings considering the associations between minor physical anomalies and social cognition in schizophrenia patients and their first degree relatives would supply new perspectives in the clinicians’ assessment of schizophrenia patients. Further research of this possible link with similar studies may be beneficial in better understanding the nature of the disease and in more comprehensive clinical evaluations of patients.

ObjectiveCerebellar neurodegenerative disorders (CDs) are a heterogeneous group of disorders. It is known that the cerebellum plays a role not only in motor, but also in cognitive and social cognitive functions. The aim of this study was to investigate social cognition in patients with different CDs.Materials and MethodsSocial cognition was examined in 34 patients, 12 with spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1), 6 with spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 (SCA2), and 16 with idiopathic late onset cerebellar ataxia (ILOCA). All patients were clinically evaluated using the Scale for the Rating and Assessment of Ataxia. In addition, 34 age, sex, and education-matched healthy control (HC) subjects were similarly analyzed. Social cognition was studied using two tests: the Faux Pas Recognition Test and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET). An appropriate array of neuropsychological tests was used to assess the global cognitive status as well as the frontal functions and mood.ResultsCD patients achieved significantly worse results on both tests of social cognition compared to the HCs. The SCA1 + 2 group achieved the poorest results on the Faux Pas Recognition Test and exhibited poor performance on all cognitive tests, but was only significantly worse compared to the ILOCA group on the Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test (FCSRT) – recognition. The patients in the SCA1 + 2 and ILOCA groups obtained similar scores on RMET. In the SCA1 + 2 group the findings significantly correlated with clinical parameters of disease severity and duration and executive functions (EFs), and with mood and executive functions in the ILOCA group. In the SCA group EFs appeared as the only significant predictor of RMET achievement. The Boston Naming Test (BTN) was a significant predictor of the CD patients’ achievement on RMET, while the BTN, the Trail Making Test Part A and FCSRT – Delayed free recall predicted their performance on the Faux Pas Recognition Test.ConclusionPatients with CD have social cognitive impairments as demonstrated by the Faux Pas Test and the RMET test results. The SCA1 and 2 patients exhibited a more pronounced impairment compared with the ILOCA patients. The independent cognitive predictors of social cognition impairment were EFs and language.

The Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) has received attention due to its correlation with collective intelligence. If the RMET is a marker of collective intelligence, training to improve RMET could result in better teamwork, whether for human-human or human-AI (artificial intelligence) in composition. While training on related skills has proven effective in the literature, RMET training has not been studied. This research evaluates the development of RMET training, testing the impact of two training conditions (Naturalistic Training and Repeated RMET Practice) compared to a control. There were no significant differences in RMET scores due to training, but speed of response was positively correlated to RMET score for high-scoring participants. Both management professionals and AI creators looking to cultivate team skill through the application of the RMET may need to reconsider their tool selection.

BackgroundTheory of mind (ToM) is one of the essential components of social cognition. Affective ToM enables us to interpret other’s feelings and behaviors. Borderline personality disorder (BPD) and schizophrenia are two distinct mental disorders, yet they have a mutual deficit in interpreting emotions, thoughts, and intentions which may lead to a higher incidence of suicidality. Studies that involved social cognition, particularly ToM in schizophrenia, or BPD have controversial results. Therefore, this study aimed at comparing affective ToM functioning in female patients with BPD, schizophrenia, and healthy controls. In addition, identifying the possible impact and any correlation exists between the affective ToM and liability for suicide in those patients. Sixty individuals were recruited from the Institute of Psychiatry, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt, and assigned into 3 groups where group A involved 20 BPD patients, group B involved 20 schizophrenic patients, and group C were healthy persons as a control. Assessment of affective ToM was done using Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET), and probability of suicide was measured using Suicide Probability Scale (SPS).ResultsRegarding ToM, the three groups were assessed using RMET and the results revealed a significantly higher mean score (hypermentalization) in BPD patients than both schizophrenic patients and controls. While schizophrenic patients had significantly lower mean scores than the control group (hypomentalization). As well, BPD patients had a significantly higher suicide probability total score than Schizophrenic patients and in all subdomains except for the hostility subdomain that was significantly higher in schizophrenic patients. Interestingly, in BPD, the suicide probability total score was positively correlated with RMET.ConclusionsBPD patients have enhanced affective ToM and hypermentalization that is significantly associated with increased suicide probability in those patients, while in schizophrenia, hypomentalization could not be linked to increased suicide probability. Rehabilitation and proper management of ToM abnormalities might be a crucial tool in suicide prevention in mental illnesses, particularly, BPD.

The effect of sleep disturbance on social cognition in drug-naïve children with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder

BackgroundImpairments in social cognition have been observed in individuals with psychiatric disorders, often resulting in poor interpersonal relationships and difficulties in social adaptation. However, the precise correlation between social cognition and overall well-being remains a subject of ongoing investigation.Aims & ObjectivesThis study aims to elucidate the relationship between social cognition, as assessed both subjectively and objectively, in individuals with major mental disorders. Additionally, it explores the potential influence of age on this relationship.MethodsWe assembled a cohort of 103 participants aged between 20 and 65, all diagnosed with major mental disorders, including 33 with major depressive disorders, and 52 with bipolar disorders. Healthy control participants were recruited from the community. All participants completed a battery of assessments, including the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET), the Empathy Quotient (EQ), the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHO-QoL).ResultsAn independent t-test revealed that individuals in the patient group performed less favorably on the EQ and achieved lower scores on the WHO-QoL compared to the healthy control group. Moreover, Pearson's r correlation analysis unveiled a significant positive correlation between MAAS and the other assessment scores. Additionally, a significant positive correlation emerged between EQ and WHO-QoL, while a significant negative correlation was observed between age and RMET.Further hierarchical regression analysis was conducted, controlling for illness, age, RMET, EQ, and MAAS. The model explained 58.3% of the variance in WHO-QoL. Notably, only MAAS demonstrated a significant association with WHO-QoL (β =.605, p =.008). When controlling for illness, age, EQ, and MAAS, RMET did not significantly correlate with WHO-QoL.Discussion & ConclusionThe findings of this study highlight the substantial explanatory power of both subjective and objective evaluations for assessing quality of life. While a significant correlation between inner psychological states and social cognition has been observed, the precise relationship between social cognition and the level of life adaptation remains somewhat unclear. This lack of clarity may be attributed to the relatively small sample size of our patient group, which could have introduced some instability in the results. To enhance our understanding of this relationship, future studies should consider increasing the number of participants and conducting more extensive research involving different categories of mental disorders. Additionally, gathering objective assessment data from significant individuals in the subjects' lives could provide a more comprehensive evaluation of social cognition, shedding further light on its impact on individuals with mental disorders. This research contributes to the ongoing exploration of social cognition and its role in mental health and well-being.

Schizophrenia patients often suffer from deficit in theory of mind (TOM). Prior neuroimaging studies revealed neuroimaging correlates of TOM deficit in adults with schizophrenia, neuroimaging correlates of TOM in adolescents is less well established. This study aimed to investigate gray matter volume (GMV) abnormalities and TOM deficits in schizophrenic adolescents, and examine the relationship between them. Twenty adolescent schizophrenic patients and 25 age, sex-matched healthy controls underwent T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, and were examined for TOM based on the Reading the Mind in the Eyes test (RMET). Univariate voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and multivariate source-based morphometry (SBM) were employed to examine alterations of two GMV phenotypes in schizophrenic adolescents: voxel-wise GMV and covarying structural brain patterns (SBPs). Compared with controls, our results revealed a significant deficit in RMET performance of the patients, Voxel-wise VBM analysis revealed that patients exhibited decreased GMV in bilateral insula, orbitofrontal cortex, and right rolandic operculum, and GMV of these brain regions were positively correlated with RMET performance. Multivariate SBM analysis identified a significantly different between-group SBP comprising of bilateral insula and inferior frontal cortex, bilateral superior temporal cortex, and bilateral lateral parietal cortex and right rolandic operculum. The loading scores of this SBP was positively correlated with RMET performance. This study revealed impairment of TOM ability in schizophrenic adolescents and revealed an association between TOM deficit and decreased GMV in regions which are crucial for social cognition, thereby provided insight and possible target regions for understanding the neural pathology and normalizing TOM deficit in adolescent schizophrenia patients.

Abstract. Previous research suggests that theory of mind tasks such as the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) are correlated with general intelligence ( g). The present study replicated and extended this research by testing correlations between g, the RMET, and two related measures, the empathy quotient (EQ) and systematizing quotient (SQ). The RMET, EQ, and SQ were all significantly correlated with g (r = .27 with RMET; r = −.15 with EQ; r = .27 with SQ). To determine if the RMET, EQ, and SQ derive their predictive power from g, a hierarchical regression examined whether the RMET, EQ, and SQ predicted feelings toward STEM and humanities after controlling for g. The EQ and SQ continued to significantly predict feelings toward STEM (β = −.20 for EQ; β = .42 for SQ) after controlling for g, and the RMET and EQ continued to significantly predict feelings toward humanities (β = .10 for RMET; β = .20 for EQ) after controlling for g, suggesting that these measures do not entirely derive their predictive power from g.