Affective Theory Of Mind Research Articles

Social cognition and healthy aging: Cross-sectional associations of emotion perception, theory of mind, and emotional empathy

Abstract Objective: Older adults are identified to have reduced social cognitive performance compared to younger adults. However, few studies have examined age-associations throughout later life to determine whether these reductions continue with advancing age. Method: This study assesses cross-sectional associations of emotion perception, cognitive and affective theory of mind (ToM), and emotional empathy in a healthy sample of 157 adults aged 50–89 years (M = 65.31, SD = 9.00, 68% female sex). Emotion perception, cognitive ToM, and affective ToM were measured using The Awareness of Social Inference Test Short Form (TASIT-S), while affective ToM was also measured using Reading the Mind in the Eyes Revised (RME-R). Emotional empathy was measured using the Empathy Quotient. Results: Multiple regression analyses, adjusting for multiple comparisons, revealed a moderate negative association between age and emotion perception for all emotions combined, as well as for sad and revolted expressions, but not happy, neutral, anxious, or angry expressions. Age had a negative, moderate association with first-order cognitive, second-order cognitive, and affective ToM measured using TASIT-S, but not RME-R. Age was not significantly associated with emotional empathy. Conclusions: This study contributes to the limited understanding of age-related associations of social cognitive performance throughout later life. This knowledge can inform future research examining the clinical utility of including social cognitive measures in neuropsychological screening and diagnostic tools for later-life neurological disorders.

Social cognition, psychosocial development and well-being in galactosemia

BackgroundClassic galactosemia is a rare inherited metabolic disease with long-term complications, particularly in the psychosocial domain. Patients report a lower quality of social life, difficulties in interactions and social relationships, and a lower mental health. We hypothesised that social cognition deficits could partially explain this psychological symptomatology. Eleven adults with galactosemia and 31 control adults participated in the study. We measured social cognition skills in cognitive and affective theory of Mind, and in basic and complex emotion recognition. We explored psychosocial development and mental well-being.ResultsWe found significant deficits on all 4 social cognition measures. Compared to controls, participants with galactosemia were impaired in the 2nd-order cognitive theory of mind, in affective theory of mind, and in basic and complex emotion recognition. Participants with galactosemia had a significant delay in their psychosexual development, but we found no delay in social development and no significant decrease in mental health.ConclusionSocial cognition processes seem impaired among our participants with galactosemia. We discuss the future path research may follow. More research is needed to replicate and strengthen these results and establish the links between psychosocial complications and deficits in social cognition.

Social Cognition in Parkinson's Disease after Focused Ultrasound Subthalamotomy: A Controlled Study.

Social cognition (SC) encompasses a set of cognitive functions that enable individuals to understand and respond appropriately to social interactions. Although focused ultrasound subthalamotomy (FUS-STN) effectively treats Parkinson's disease (PD) clinical motor features, its impact and safety on cognitive-behavioral interactions/interpersonal awareness are unknown. This study investigated the effects of unilateral FUS-STN on facial emotion recognition (FER) and affective and cognitive theory of mind (ToM) in PD patients from a randomized sham-controlled trial (NCT03454425). Subjects performed SC evaluation before and 4 months after the procedure while still under blind assessment conditions. The SC assessment included the Karolinska Directed Emotional Faces task for FER, the Reading the Mind in the Eyes (RME) test for affective ToM, and The Theory of Mind Picture Stories Task (ToM PST) (order, questions, and total score) for cognitive ToM. The active treatment group showed anecdotal-to-moderate evidence of no worsening in SC after FUS-STN. Anecdotal evidence for an improvement was recognized in the SC score changes, from baseline to post-treatment, for the active treatment group compared with sham for the RME, ToM PST order, ToM PST total, FER total, and recognition of fear, disgust, and anger. This study provides the first evidence that unilateral FUS-STN does not impair social cognitive abilities, indicating that it can be considered a safe treatment approach for this domain in PD patients. Furthermore, the results suggest FUS-STN may even lead to some improvement in social cognitive outcomes, which should be considered as a preliminary finding requiring further investigation with larger samples sizes. © 2024 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Cognitive and affective theory of mind in young and elderly patients with multiple sclerosis.

Theory of mind (ToM) deficits have been reported in persons with multiple sclerosis (pwMS). However, most studies have used pictures or written scenarios as stimuli without distinguishing between cognitive and affective ToM, and no studies have investigated older pwMS. We recruited 13 young healthy controls (HC), 14 young pwMS, 14 elderly HC and 15 elderly pwMS. ToM was measured using an adaptation of the Conversations and Insinuations task (Ouellet etal., J. Int. Neuropsychol. Soc., 16, 2010, 287). In this ecological video-based task, participants watch four 2-minute videos of social interactions, which are interrupted by multiple choice questions about either the emotional state (affective ToM) or the intention (cognitive ToM) of the characters. They also underwent a short neuropsychological battery including cognitive, executive and social cognition tasks and questionnaires. We observed a significant interaction between the ToM conditions and the groups regarding ToM performance. Elderly pwMS scored significantly lower than elderly HC and young pwMS in cognitive ToM, but not in affective ToM. They also showed the largest discrepancy between their cognitive and affective ToM. Young pwMS showed relatively preserved ToM in both conditions. Both cognitive and affective ToM correlated with global cognition and executive abilities, but not with social cognitive measures (emotion recognition, real-life empathy). This study suggests that decline in cognitive ToM might be accentuated by advancing age in pwMS. These impairments are most likely underlied by cognitive and executive difficulties, but not by core social cognitive impairments. Future studies should investigate the real-life impacts of ToM impairments in pwMS.

Disentangling the relationship between social cognition, executive functions and behaviour changes in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

BackgroundSocial cognition (SC) deficits are included in the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-frontotemporal spectrum disorder (ALS-FTDS) revised diagnostic criteria. However, the impact of SC assessment on cognitive classification and the cognitive–behavioural correlates...

Multidimensional assessment of social cognition using non-immersive virtual reality in dementia with Lewy bodies and Alzheimer’s disease: an exploratory study

ABSTRACT Introduction Few studies have focused on social cognition in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), even though some brain structures being well known as underlying social cognitive processes are directly impacted in this disease. Furthermore, social cognition processes have been mostly studied independently using evaluations with poor ecological validity. We aimed at studying the ability of a new naturalistic and multidimensional social cognition task to reveal impairments in DLB patients. We chose to compare the profile of these patients with that of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients, for which social cognition is better preserved. Method Fifteen patients (DLB: n = 7; AD: n = 8) and 28 healthy controls underwent the REALSoCog task. They encountered several social situations (e.g. control versus transgressions) in a non-immersive virtual city environment allowing the assessment of moral cognition, cognitive and affective theory of mind (ToM), emotional empathy and behavioral intentions. Results The main results showed (i) a lower ability to detect transgressions in DLB patients, particularly conventional ones, whereas moral cognition seemed better preserved in AD patients; (ii) a cognitive ToM impairment in both DLB and AD patients, while affective ToM is impaired only in DLB patients; (iii) a decreased emotional empathy specifically observed in DLB patients; (iv) more inappropriate behavioral intentions, mainly in DLB patients, but also in some AD patients. Conclusions This study suggests the feasibility and potential interest of the REALSoCog task in revealing social cognition deficits, particularly for DLB patients by showing different social patterns as compared to AD patients. These results offer interesting clinical perspectives to develop more naturalistic tasks in such populations and for clinical differential diagnosis. Limitations and future perspectives are discussed.

Bilingualism Predicts Affective Theory of Mind in Autistic Adults.

This study examined the impact of bilingualism on affective theory of mind (ToM) and social prioritization (SP) among autistic adults compared to neurotypical comparison participants. Fifty-two (25 autistic, 27 neurotypical) adult participants (ages 21-35 years) with varying second language (L2) experience, ranging from monolingual to bilingual, completed an affective ToM task. A subset of this sample also completed a dynamic eye-tracking task designed to capture differences in time spent looking at social aspects of a scene (SP). Four language groups were compared on task performance (monolingual autism and neurotypical, bilingual autism and neurotypical), followed by analyses examining the contribution of L2 experience, autism characteristics, and social face prioritization on affective ToM, controlling for verbal IQ. Finally, we conducted an analysis to identify the contribution of SP on affective ToM when moderated by autism status and L2 experience, controlling for verbal IQ. The monolingual autism group performed significantly worse than the other three groups (bilingual autism, monolingual neurotypical, and bilingual neurotypical) on the affective ToM task; however, there were no significant differences between the bilingual autism group compared to the monolingual and bilingual neurotypical groups. For autistic individuals, affective ToM capabilities were positively associated with both verbal IQ and L2 experience but did not relate to autism characteristics or SP during eye tracking. Neurotypical participants showed greater SP during the eye-tracking task, and SP did not relate to L2 or autism characteristics for autistic individuals. SP and verbal IQ predicted affective ToM performance across autism and neurotypical groups, but this relationship was moderated by L2 experience; SP more strongly predicted affective ToM performance among participants with lower L2 experience (e.g., monolingual) and had less of an impact for those with higher L2 experience. This study provides support for a bilingual advantage in affective ToM for autistic individuals. https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.25696083.

A machine-learning approach to investigating the complexity of theory of mind in individuals with schizophrenia

Individuals with schizophrenia have difficulty attributing mental states to themselves and to others - Theory of Mind (ToM). ToM is a complex, multifaceted theoretical construct comprising first and second order, first and third person, egocentric and allocentric perspective, and cognitive and affective ToM. Most studies addressing ToM deficit in people with schizophrenia consider it an "all-or-nothing" ability and use a classical statistical methodology to test a null hypothesis. With the present study, we investigated ToM in individuals with schizophrenia, considering its complex nature and degrees of impairment. To do this, we used a machine-learning approach to detect patterns in heterogeneous and multivariate data. Our findings highlight the complex nature of ToM deficit in individuals with schizophrenia and reveal the relationship between various different aspects of ToM.

Atypical brain structural connectivity and social cognition in childhood maltreatment and peer victimisation.

Childhood maltreatment (CM) is associated with neurobiological aberrations and atypical social cognition. Few studies have examined the neural effects of another common early-life interpersonal stressor, namely peer victimisation (PV). This study examines the associations between tract aberrations and childhood interpersonal stress from caregivers (CM) and peers (PV), and explores how the observed tract alterations are in turn related to affective theory of mind (ToM). Data from 107 age-and gender-matched youths (34 CM [age = 19.9 ± 1.68; 36%male], 35 PV [age = 19.9 ± 1.65; 43%male], 38 comparison subjects [age = 20.0 ± 1.66; 42%male] were analysed using tractography and whole-brain tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS). At the whole-brain level using TBSS, the CM group had higher fractional anisotropy (FA) than the PV and comparison groups in a cluster of predominantly limbic and corpus callosal pathways. Segmented tractography indicated the CM group had higher FA in right uncinate fasciculus compared to both groups. They also had smaller right anterior thalamic radiation (ATR) tract volume than the comparison group and higher left ATR FA than the PV group, with these metrics associated with higher emotional abuse and enhanced affective ToM within the CM group, respectively. The PV group had lower inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus FA than the other two groups, which was related to lower affective ToM within the PV group. Findings suggest that exposure to early-life stress from caregivers and peers are differentially associated with alterations of neural pathways connecting the frontal, temporal and occipital cortices involved in cognitive and affective control, with possible links to their atypical social cognition.

Development and validation of the newly developed Preschool Theory of Mind Assessment (ToMA-P).

Theory of mind (ToM) refers to the ability to understand and attribute mental states to oneself and others. A ToM measure is warranted for preschool children to assess their ToM development from a multidimensional perspective (i.e., cognitive and affective dimensions). This study aimed to develop the Preschool Theory of Mind Assessment (ToMA-P) and to evaluate its construct validity and applicability. The ToMA-P was developed based on comprehensive literature review and revised with expert panel feedback. Its psychometric properties were evaluated in 205 typically developing preschoolers with Rasch analysis for its dimensionality, item difficulties, and convergent validity. The results indicated that all ToMA-P items, except for one, fit the hypothesized two-dimensional construct. The item difficulties in the cognitive and affective dimensions followed developmental sequences. The ToMA-P scores exhibited good convergent validity, as evidenced by its significant correlations with age, verbal comprehension, adaptive functions, and daily ToM performance (p < 0.05). Children's responses and behaviors also showed that the ToMA-P has good applicability. This study provides empirical evidence that the ToMA-P measures cognitive and affective ToM following developmental sequences, and that it has potential as a clinical tool for assessing ToM in preschool children.

Theory of mind in chronic migraine with medication overuse assessed with the MASC

Theory of Mind (ToM) is the ability to infer one's own and others' mental states. Growing research indicates that ToM is impaired in Chronic Migraine with Medication Overuse (CM + MO). However, the research in this field has been conducted using static scenario-based tasks, often failing to test mentalization in everyday situations and measuring only performance accuracy. We filled this gap by administering the Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition (MASC) to subjects with CM + MO compared to episodic migraine (EM). This test allows us to assess both affective and cognitive ToM and which, in addition to being accurate, also analyzes the type of error in attribution of mental states, distinguishing between hypo-mentalization and hyper-mentalization. Thirty patients suffering from CM + MO and 42 from EM were enrolled. Results showed that CM + MO patients were less accurate in mental state attribution than EM. In addition, compared to EM, CM + MO individuals were more impaired in the affective ToM dimensions and committed more errors of hypo-mentalization. In conclusion, the application of MASC in patients with CM + MO allowed for the detection of an alteration in their ability to correctly draw conclusions about other people's mental states. This latter contributes critically to appropriate social reactions and also, possibly, to satisfactory social interactions.

The prevention of road accidents in non-expert drivers: Exploring the influence of Theory of Mind and driving style

BackgroundDrivers consider external and hypothetical behaviours of other drivers, but internal factors also impact road safety. ObjectivesThis study aims to examine the connection between Cognitive and Affective Theory of Mind (ToM) and Driving Style in road safety. It hypothesizes that a higher level of ToM corresponds to a greater ability to avoid accidents and to assume virtuous driving behaviour. The study investigates how ToM impacts driving behaviour, directly correlating with assessing potential accidents' probability and severity. Method207 non-expert drivers, including 164 females, participated in assessing Cognitive and Affective ToM through two tasks. They also completed self-measured questionnaires to assess their driving style and behaviours. In addition, they evaluated 12 videos depicting cars, motorcycles, trucks, and pedestrians to determine the probability of a road accident and the level of danger in each scenario. ResultsThe results of the mediation models clearly indicate a relationship between ToM and the reduction of road accidents. Specifically, Cognitive ToM plays a crucial role in assessing the probability of risky and dangerous situations related to Risky and Angry Driving Styles. However, it was observed that Cognitive ToM does not significantly affect the prediction of actual driving behaviours. ConclusionsFindings are discussed within the theoretical framework of the Task-Capability Interface Model and the Embodied Simulation Model based on mirror neuron research. Our results suggest the importance of creating drive-assistance systems considering both the Cognitive ToM and Driving Style to reduce road accidents among non-expert drivers.

Criminal behaviors: A theory of mind problem?

Theory of mind (ToM) has been addressed in relation to functional alterations of certain brain regions and their connections. The objective is to evaluate ToM in imprisoned criminal offenders and to analyze their relationship with the functions linked to the prefrontal cortex according to their expression in neuropsychological tests. The sample was composed of 52 subjects. 27 committed instrumental homicides and 25 crimes of sale and/or possession of narcotics. A control group was taken, 19 healthy subjects at liberty. The Faux-Pas (FP) and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes tests were used. A neuropsychological battery of executive functions and functions related to the frontal lobes and Hare’s Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) was also applied. The criminal groups have comparable performances in all measures. The control group (in freedom) showed higher performance, with statistical significance, in the Faux-Pas test. Moderate negative correlations were found between the FP and the PCL-R. A distinction between affective and cognitive ToM could be affirmed, with people deprived of liberty presenting deficient functioning in the cognitive ToM test. This difference in performance could be linked to the disruptive event with the social norm and not so much with the violent homicide act itself.

Influence of transient emotional episodes on affective and cognitive theory of mind.

Our emotions may influence how we interact with others. Previous studies have shown an important role of emotion induction in generating empathic reactions towards others' affect. However, it remains unclear whether (and to which extent) our own emotions can influence the ability to infer people's mental states, a process associated with Theory of Mind (ToM) and implicated in the representation of both cognitive (e.g. beliefs and intentions) and affective conditions. We engaged 59 participants in two emotion-induction experiments where they saw joyful, neutral and fearful clips. Subsequently, they were asked to infer other individuals' joy, fear (affective ToM) or beliefs (cognitive ToM) from verbal scenarios. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we found that brain activity in the superior temporal gyrus, precuneus and sensorimotor cortices were modulated by the preceding emotional induction, with lower response when the to-be-inferred emotion was incongruent with the one induced in the observer (affective ToM). Instead, we found no effect of emotion induction on the appraisal of people's beliefs (cognitive ToM). These findings are consistent with embodied accounts of affective ToM, whereby our own emotions alter the engagement of key brain regions for social cognition, depending on the compatibility between one's own and others' affect.

Assessing theory of mind and social norms understanding in Indian children: adaptation and validation of Edinburgh social cognition test

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to adapt and validate Edinburgh social cognition test (ESCoT) for Indian children. In addition, exploring the effect of demographics on ESCoT.Design/methodology/approachFor content validity, 10 practicing psychologists and clinical psychologists gave their feedback about the test scenarios based on which the items were retained. The adaptation process involved 100 participants aged between 6 and 12 years. Informed consent from parents and verbal assent from the participant were taken. Demographics were collected. Measures were individually administered. Data was scored and analyzed.FindingsSeven out of 10 scenarios were retained in content validity. Convergent validity, internal consistency and interrater reliability were found to be acceptable. Regression analysis indicates that age significantly predicts performance on ESCoT. Age is associated with the cognitive theory of mind, affective theory of mind and interpersonal social norms understanding.Originality/valueThe study provides evidence for validation of ESCoT. Results indicate acceptable psychometric properties of ESCoT. Thus, it is suitable for Indian settings and amongst children.

Individuals with high levels of autistic traits exhibit impaired cognitive but not affective theory of mind and empathy.

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.

Patterns of executive functions and theory of mind in adults with a family history of alcohol use disorder: Combined group and single-case analyses.

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. 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. 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. 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.

Training deaf college students to improve their theory of mind: based on a two-component model.

This paper explored the training methods to improve the level of deaf college students' ToM. Eighty deaf college students were selected as participants and randomly divided into experimental group and control group. The ToM training group received ToM training; The non-ToM training group received physical-conversation training. Cognitive ToM task and affective ToM task were used to investigate the training effect. After training, the level of ToM of deaf college students who received ToM training was significantly improved. The results show that ToM training can effectively promote the level of deaf college students' ToM.

The role of Theory of Mind in the transition towards suicidal attempts in youth NSSI: an exploratory pilot study.

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) can both precede and co-occur with suicidal attempts (SA). Underlying mechanisms/factors leading to the transition to SA in NSSI youths have been proposed (including the role of social cognition), despite they should be yet confirmed. Therefore, the study aims at exploring the role of the Theory of Mind in the differentiation of a sample of NSSI youngsters (aged 15-24) according to the presence of SA. We divided the sample into 4 groups using the Deliberate Self Harm Inventory (DSHI) and Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS): control group (notNSSInotSA), NSSI without SA (NSSInotSA), NSSI with SA (NSSIplusSA), and SA without NSSI (SAonly). NSSIplusSA patients displayed higher Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) scores (indicative of ToM abilities) than both the NSSInotSA (p=0.0016) and SAonly groups (p=0.0198), while SAonly patients showed lower RMET scores compared to the control group (p=0.0214). Multiple regression models used to differentiate NSSInotSA and NSSIplusSA found a significant association between RMET and LOSCS-CSC (Level Of Self-Criticism Scale-Comparative Self-Criticism) (pC=0.0802, pD=0.0016, pG=0.0053). Our findings supported the hypothesis that a hypertrophic affective ToM may possibly be associated with the occurrence of SA in youth NSSI. Further larger and longitudinal studies should confirm these preliminary findings, by exploring all social cognition dimensions.

Theory of mind in mild cognitive impairment and Parkinson’s disease: The role of memory impairment

BackgroundSocial cognition is impaired in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Whether social cognitive impairment (iSC) is a by-product of the underlying cognitive deficits in PD or a process independent of cognitive status is unknown. To this end, the present study was designed to investigate the weight of specific cognitive deficits in social cognition, considering different mild cognitive impairment subtypes of PD (PD-MCI).MethodsFifty-eight PD patients underwent a neuropsychological battery assessing executive functions, memory, language, and visuospatial domains, together with social cognitive tests focused on theory of mind (ToM). Patients were divided into subgroups according to their clinical cognitive status: amnestic PD-MCI (PD-aMCI, n = 18), non-amnestic PD-MCI (PD-naMCI, n = 16), and cognitively unimpaired (PD-CU, n = 24). Composite scores for cognitive and social domains were computed to perform mediation analyses.ResultsMemory and language impairments mediated the effect of executive functioning in social cognitive deficits in PD patients. Dividing by MCI subgroups, iSC occurred more frequently in PD-aMCI (77.8%) than in PD-naMCI (18.8%) and PD-CU (8.3%). Moreover, PD-aMCI performed worse than PD-CU in all social cognitive measures, whereas PD-naMCI performed worse than PD-CU in only one subtype of the affective and cognitive ToM tests.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that ToM impairment in PD can be explained by memory dysfunction that mediates executive control. ToM downsides in the amnesic forms of PD-MCI may suggest that subtle changes in social cognition could partly explain future transitions into dementia. Hence, the evaluation of social cognition in PD is critical to characterize a possible behavioral marker of cognitive decline.