Component Of Social Cognition Research Articles

Pilot study on the effectiveness of the socialmind program for the rehabilitation of social cognition following acquired brain injury.

People with acquired brain injury (ABI) often have Social Cognition (SC) deficits. Impairment of SC causes the individual to have difficulties in daily functioning and can lead to social isolation. Research aimed at rehabilitation of SC in individuals with ABI is scarce and almost always addresses only one component of this ability. This pilot study aimed to assess the effectiveness of the new "SocialMind" program in improving all core components of SC in people with ABI. The study included 31 participants with ABI, divided into experimental and control groups. The study spanned 44 weeks, involving an initial meeting, evaluation, training, and final assessment phases. The SocialMind program, structured into four modules, each with a duration of 30 h, targeted each SC component through tailored exercises. The program addressed emotion recognition, social awareness, ToM, and empathy. The SocialMind group demonstrated significant improvements in emotion recognition (p = 0.017), social knowledge (p < 0.001), and empathy (p = 0.001) compared to the control group. ToM also showed a notable improvement that approached significance (p = 0.057). This pilot study suggests that the SocialMind program effectively enhances three of the four core components of SC in individuals with ABI.

Factors related to social inferencing performance in moderate-severe, chronic TBI

ABSTRACT Objective Following traumatic brain injury (TBI), deficits in social cognition are common. Social inferencing is a crucial component of social cognition that enables an individual to understand the thoughts, feelings, and intentions of a communication partner when this information is not explicitly stated. Existing literature suggests a variety of factors contribute to social inferencing success (e.g. biological sex, executive functioning), yet findings are not conclusive, largely because these factors have been examined in isolation. Method In this cross-sectional study, stepwise regression with cross validation was used to examine the extent that several theoretically motivated factors were associated with social inferencing (measured by performance on The Awareness of Social Inference Test [TASIT]) in adult participants with TBI (n = 105). Demographic information, executive functioning, aggression, emotional functioning measures, and participation in society were all examined in relation to social inferencing performance. Results The findings confirm the importance of higher-level cognitive skills (i.e. executive functioning) in social inferencing, and advance the literature by underlining the potential importance of productive participation in social inferencing performance. Conclusion This study innovatively highlights factors linked with social inferencing skills and, in doing so, how deficits in social inferencing might manifest in the lives of individuals with TBI.

Role of cognitive and emotional empathy in the development of social cognition among adolescents

Empathy and social cognition among adolescents have been mainly studied in recent years. There are several reasons that adolescence and social cognition are being studied. Adolescents find themselves fully facing the external world and equipped with social cognitive skills, including emotional and cognitive empathy, along with the theory of mind acquired at home or school. Now, they must interact with others with diverse views, thoughts, and emotions from society. One of the fundamental components of social cognition among adolescents is described as empathy. Archival techniques are used in this review paper. This paper explores the connection between empathy and social cognition in adolescent development and how emotional and cognitive empathy influence social cognitive skills. It also investigates the changes in brain regions to social cognition and empathy among adolescents. Identifying this relationship reveals that emotional and cognitive empathy are both indispensable in the construct of social cognition during the adolescence period. The findings of the study point to the need for assessing the different components of empathy in psychopathological conditions among adolescents, which is marked by difficulties in emotional identification and expression. Developing a typical training program that improves social cognitive skills may help adolescents track their behavior in every aspect.

Liver kinase B-1 modulates the activity of dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area and regulates social memory formation.

Social memory is the ability to discriminate between familiar and unknown conspecifics. It is an important component of social cognition and is therefore essential for the establishment of social relationships. Although the neural circuit mechanisms underlying social memory encoding have been well investigated, little focus has been placed on the regulatory mechanisms of social memory processing. The dopaminergic system, originating from the midbrain ventral tegmental area (VTA), is a key modulator of cognitive function. This study aimed to illustrate its role in modulating social memory and explore the possible molecular mechanisms. Here, we show that the activation of VTA dopamine (DA) neurons is required for the formation, but not the retrieval, of social memory. Inhibition of VTA DA neurons before social interaction, but not 24 h after social interaction, significantly impaired social discrimination the following day. In addition, we showed that the activation of VTA DA neurons was regulated by the serine/threonine protein kinase liver kinase B1 (Lkb1). Deletion of Lkb1 in VTA DA neurons reduced the frequency of burst firing of dopaminergic neurons. Furthermore, Lkb1 plays an important role in regulating social behaviors. Both genetic and virus-mediated deletions of Lkb1 in the VTA of adult mice impaired social memory and subsequently attenuated social familiarization. Altogether, our results provide direct evidence linking social memory formation to the activation of VTA DA neurons in mice and illustrate the crucial role of Lkb1 in regulating VTA DA neuron function.

Social cognitive disruptions in multiple sclerosis: The role of executive (dys)function.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic demyelinating disease of the central nervous system, resulting in a range of potential motor and cognitive impairments. The latter can affect both executive functions that orchestrate general goal-directed behavior and social cognitive processes that support our ability to interact with others and maintain healthy interpersonal relationships. Despite a long history of research into the cognitive symptoms of MS, it remains uncertain if social cognitive disruptions occur independently of, or reflect underlying disturbances to, more foundational executive functions. The present preregistered study investigated this directly. Employing an experimental design, we administered a battery of computerized tasks online to a large sample comprising 134 individuals with MS and 134 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs). Three tasks measured elements of executive function (working memory, response inhibition, and switching) and two assessed components of social cognition disrupted most commonly in MS (emotion perception and theory of mind). Individuals with MS exhibited poorer working memory (d = .31), response inhibition (d = -.26), emotion perception (d = .32), and theory of mind (d = .35) compared with matched HCs. Furthermore, exploratory mediation analyses revealed that working memory performance accounted for approximately 20% of the group differences in both measures of social cognition. Disruptions to working memory appear to serve as one of the mechanisms underpinning disturbances to social cognition in MS. Future research should examine if the benefits of cognitive rehabilitation programs that incorporate working memory training transfer to these social cognitive processes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

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.

Hostile attributional biases in severe alcohol use disorder: replication, gender specificity, and mechanistic insights.

Despite their importance in the emergence and persistence of severe alcohol use disorder (SAUD), social cognition impairments remain understudied in this population. Hostile attributional biases (HAB), a key component of social cognition, may be involved in interpersonal problems and SAUD maintenance. However, current evidence for HAB in SAUD is highly preliminary, as it relies on a single study based on a small sample and on a task that cannot dissociate increased hostile from reduced benign attributions. We therefore used an improved methodology to further characterize this bias and disentangle underlying mechanisms. In addition, we explored potential gender differences. A total of 56 patients (28 women) diagnosed with SAUD and 66 (27 women) demographically matched controls completed the Word-Sentence Association Paradigm-Hostility, which provides a valid, spontaneous, and relatively implicit assessment of both hostile and benign social attributions related to ambiguous situations. They also completed self-report measures of psychopathology and interpersonal problems. At the group-level, patients with SAUD presented higher HAB than controls, without group differences for benign attributions. Gender analyses revealed that this effect selectively emerged in men with SAUD. Further, patients' benign attributions did not differ from their hostile attributions. Finally, HAB (not benign attributions) were associated with interpersonal problems and state anxiety in patients. The association between SAUD and HAB at the group level is genuine and replicable across samples and tasks. This association may further selectively emerge in men. Our results also confirm the functional significance of HAB in SAUD, and point to potential mechanisms and clinical recommendations.

Association of verbal and non-verbal theory of mind abilities with non-coding variants of OXTR in youth with autism spectrum disorder and typically developing individuals: a case-control study

BackgroundThe ability to attribute mental states to others is called theory of mind (ToM) and is a substantial component of social cognition. This ability is abnormally developed in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Several studies over the past decade have identified the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) and its variants as promising components for explaining the molecular mechanisms underlying Theory of Mind (ToM). The main aim of this study is to examine the association between rs2268498 and rs53576, two functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and verbal and non-verbal ToM in children and adolescents with ASD and a group of typically developing youth.MethodsThe study involved 44 children and adolescents with high-functioning ASD aged 8 to 18 years old and 44 TD individuals who were matched on age and sex. In all participants, blood samples were collected and rs2268498 and rs53576 were genotyped. Happe’s Strange Stories test and the moving shapes paradigm were used to measure verbal and non-verbal ToM in all participants.ResultsThe results of permutation tests and logistic regression suggested that in TD group, rs2268498 AA carriers showed significant higher scores in variables representing verbal ToM (ToM stories and appropriateness score) whereas, in ASD group, rs53576 AA carriers exhibited significant better performance in parameters related to non-verbal ToM (ToM general rule and intentionality score). The results of hierarchical clustering in both groups support the findings by distinguishing between language-related and language-independent aspects of ToM.ConclusionsIn the present study, we examined the association between rs2268498 and rs53576 and social functioning in individuals with ASD and TD group. We found preliminary evidence that rs2268498 and rs53576 are associated with ToM related abilities in healthy individuals as well as in autistic individuals. Accordingly, rs2268498 and rs53576 may play an important role in predicting ToM capabilities. It will be necessary to conduct further research to address the association of genetic variants with a deficit in ToM in individuals with ASD.

38 Assessing Memory for Emotions Separately from Emotion Recognition

Objective:Accurate processing of facial displays of emotion is critical for effective communication. A robust literature has documented impairment in the ability to recognize facial affect in people with traumatic brain injury (TBI), but research is scarce about memory for facial affect. Disruptions in recognizing and remembering the emotions of others can undermine relationship quality and may result in psychosocial dysfunction. Importantly, the extant literature indicates that facial affect recognition dissociates from other cognitive abilities such that it is likely a distinct neuronal process. Thus, explicit measurement of affect recognition and memory for emotions may be critical for implementing and refining rehabilitation interventions. The present study examined the relationship between recognition and memory for emotions using a novel computerized task and explored its associations with other cognitive abilities.Participants and Methods:Participants were adults who were neurologically healthy (n = 31) or had a history of moderate to severe TBI (n = 26). The battery included the novel Assessment of Facial Affect Recognition and Memory (AFARM), Cambridge Face Memory Test (face memory without emotion), Wechsler Test of Adult Reading, Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, Judgment of Line Orientation, Oral Symbol Digit Modalities, Digit Span, FAS, Animal Fluency, and the Affect Intensity Measure (experienced emotion). Spearman correlations examined the relationship of AFARM performance with the test battery. Logistic regression models examined whether immediate-delay (ID-EM) and long-delay face emotion-memory (LD-EM) accounted for unique variance in group membership beyond recognition accuracy of facial affect and memory for faces.Results:AFARM demonstrated relationships with neuropsychological and mood variables in the expected directions across and within groups, with the strongest associations observed for memory for verbal information (rs = .51 to .58) and processing speed (rs = .48 to .57). Consistent with traditional list-learning tests, ID- and LD-EM were highly correlated (r = .85). Experienced affect intensity was inversely associated with ID-EM (r = -.29) and LD-EM (r = -.38) but not with recognition accuracy (r = -.10). Logistic regression examining ID-EM was significant, χ2(3) = 26.05, p &lt; .001, Nagelkerke R2 = .49. ID-EM accounted for unique variance in group status (p = .006; OR = 0.65) after accounting for recognition accuracy and face memory. Similarly, the model examining LD-EM was significant χ2(3) = 27.70, p &lt; .001, Nagelkerke R2 = .43; LD-EM was significant after accounting for other variables (p = .017; OR = 0.69).Conclusions:The findings are consistent with the hypothesis that memory for emotions represents a unique component of social cognition that is separate from recognition. Accuracy in identifying emotions, face recognition memory, and memory for emotions are strongly related but not wholly redundant processes. Consistent with prior literature, subjective experience of emotion had substantial effects on objective performance tasks, indicating that an individual's intense experience of their own emotions can disrupt sensitivity to the emotions of others. Future research should assess the extent to which memory for emotions relates to psychosocial outcomes such as the quality and quantity of interpersonal relationships.

Emotion recognition in relation to tumor characteristics in patients with low-grade glioma.

Patients with low-grade gliomas (LGG) treated with surgery, generally function well and have a favorable prognosis. However, LGG can affect neurocognitive functioning. To date, little is known about social cognition (SC) in these patients, although impaired SC is related to social-behavioral problems and poor societal participation. Frontal brain areas are important for SC and LGG frequently have a frontal location. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate whether emotion recognition, a key component of SC, was impaired, and related to general cognition, tumor location, laterality, tumor volume, and histopathological characteristics in patients with LGG, postsurgery, and before start of adjuvant therapy. A total of 121 patients with LGG were matched with 169 healthy controls (HC). Tumor location [including (frontal) subregions; insula, anterior cingulate cortex, lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC), orbitofrontal-ventromedial PFC] and tumor volume were determined on MRI scans. Emotion recognition was measured with the Ekman 60 faces test of the Facial Expressions of Emotion-Stimuli and Tests (FEEST). Patients with LGG performed significantly lower on the FEEST than HC, with 33.1% showing impairment compared to norm data. Emotion recognition was not significantly correlated to frontal tumor location, laterality, and histopathological characteristics, and significantly but weakly with general cognition and tumor volume. Emotion recognition is impaired in patients with LGG but not (strongly) related to specific tumor characteristics or general cognition. Hence, measuring SC with individual neuropsychological assessment of these patients is crucial, irrespective of tumor characteristics, to inform clinicians about possible impairments, and consequently offer appropriate care.

H - 19 "Clinical Validation of a Video- Based Instrument to Assess Social Cognition: INEVICS".

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ADS), are characterized by the lack of social cognition (SC). The evaluation instrument used in this study has the purpose of contributing as an evaluation method directly to the various components of S.C. and demonstrating the possible clinical and discriminatory validity of this audiovisual instrument in the Puerto Rican (P.R.) population with ASD. Exploratory quantitative approach was implemented. This pilot project used 9 videos to assess components of SC, administered virtually. Correction: sum of the results of all the videos, max.81 points. The population selected based on availability: participants with a diagnosis of ASD level one (clinical group) and participants with neurotypical development (control group). Groups were constituted of P.R. males and females between the ages of 8 to 12years. A total of forty-one participated (n = 41). significant difference component: Theory of mind: control group (x-=12.1, SD = 2.84), (x-=14.74, SD = 2.1) clinical group (x-=7.65, SD = 3.07), (x-=10.6, SD = 2.95), t (39) = 4.82 = P < 0.0000 and t (39) = 5.19 = P < 0.0000. Significant difference: S.C.: control group: (x-=56.83, SD = 8.11) clinical group: (x-=40.7, SD = 10), t (39) = 5.68 = P < 0.0000. Discriminant validity video 1: least (0.343) video 3: highest (0.716). Internal consistency: (α= 0.86). INEVICS discriminated against difficulties with S.C. in participants with ASD. The theory of mind component was the most captured. The evaluation of social cognition cannot be dependent on a single social situation but rather requires the identification of the different components in different social situations.

Characteristics of theory of mind impairment and its relationship with clinical symptoms and neurocognition in patients with schizophrenia

BackgroundSchizophrenia (SCZ) is a mental disorder that can cause severe disability, including impairment of social cognition, which is considered a core feature of SCZ, and the Theory of Mind (ToM) is a core component of social cognition. Although many studies have confirmed the presence of ToM impairment in patients with SCZ, its characteristics in terms of different orders (first-order and second-order) and components remain unclear, and no studies have investigated the independent correlations between such impairment and clinical symptoms. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the characteristics of ToM impairment in patients with SCZ.MethodsThis study included 30 patients with SCZ and 30 healthy controls who were matched for age, sex, and level of education. The clinical symptoms of the patients with SCZ were evaluated using the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS), and the neurocognitive ability of the subjects was evaluated using the Trail Making Test, Symbol Coding Test, and Digit Span Test. The degree of ToM impairment of the subjects at different stages (first- and second-order) and for individual components was evaluated using the Yoni task. Latent profile analysis and network analysis were conducted to identify and analyze the potential ToM performance types, and independent correlations were assessed between ToM impairment and clinical symptoms.ResultsThe patients with SCZ exhibited significant first-order and second-order impairment (P < 0.05), and the second-order affective ToM component was mainly reflected by complex affective states (P = 0.003). The latent profile analysis revealed that ToM impairments in patients with SCZ could be classified into groups with complete, second-order, and comprehensive defects, whereas it was impossible to classify patients according to differences in the cognitive and affective ToM components. The Network analysis demonstrated that the cognitive component of ToM was associated with positive symptoms, whereas the affective ToM component was associated with negative symptoms.ConclusionPatients with SCZ exhibited differences in order levels and ToM impairments, as well as different defect types. In addition, cognitive and affective ToM components may be related to different psychotic symptoms; therefore, understanding these differences could promote the rehabilitation of patients with SCZ.

Social Cognition in Idiopathic Generalized Epilepsies and Nonlesional Temporal Lobe Epilepsy

Objectives. Social cognition (SC) is a multifaceted concept involving mental processes to understand, store, and apply information regarding social relationships. Brain lesions in key areas can impair critical components of SC, but seizures and epileptiform discharges could also be associated with deficits in SC. To verify this hypothesis, this study evaluated SC in persons with generalized or focal epilepsy without detectable brain lesion. Materials and Methods. Forty-eight adult persons with idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) or temporal lobe epilepsy without brain lesion (cryptoTLE) and 24 healthy controls were evaluated by means of the Faux Pas Test (FPT), Social Situation Test (SST), Moral/Conventional Distinction Test (MCDT), and Empathy Questionnaire (EQ) which assess theory of mind (ToM), recognition of social behaviors and moral and conventional rules, and empathy. Clinical work-up included information on age at seizure onset, epilepsy duration, seizure symptoms and frequency, demographic characteristics, and the presence of comorbidities. Results. Compared to controls, persons with IGE or cryptoTLE were impaired in the understanding of existent faux pas on the FPT. On the SST, persons with cryptoTLE also showed significant deficits, whereas the IGE persons only were less accurate in recognizing normative behaviors. In cryptoTLE persons, the capacity to recognize cognitive and affective mental states correlated with seizure frequency and age, whereas, in IGE persons, the SST and MCDT scores correlated with schooling and age, respectively. Conclusions. CryptoTLE can cause extensive deficits in ToM and recognition of social situations, whereas IGE is only associated with deficits in fewer domains. Dysfunction of temporolimbic areas could be related to seizure frequency and associated with more severe SC impairment in cryptoTLE. Older age and poor education may be associated with SC deficits in focal or generalized epilepsy.

Reciprocity in Dyads and Triads: Female Rats Alter Their Prosocial Behavior According to the Social Context

Recognizing and appropriately responding to others' helpful actions are critical components of social cognition and reciprocity. This ability has been well-documented in various species where animals differentiate between experimenters who are “unwilling” versus “unable” to provide help, but it is unclear if this ability extends to rats. The present studies investigate the prosocial decision-making behavior of female rats in response to the prior actions of another rat in both triadic and dyadic social contexts. In Experiment One, an "actor" rat repeatedly pressed a lever to open a restrainer door, enabling a trapped conspecific to access food. Consistent with reciprocity, when the roles were reversed, the previously trapped conspecific helped the actor. In Experiments Two and Three, the actor rat's ability to open the door was manipulated, with some trials where the door was blocked and the actor was unable to open it and some trials where the actor was able to, but rarely opened the door. In the triadic context, the previously trapped rat then had the opportunity to help the actor, a neutral control, both, or neither (Experiment Two). In the dyadic context, the previously trapped rat could then help the actor (Experiment Three). Reciprocity was not observed in the triadic context. However, unexpectedly, relative to a neutral control conspecific, rats showed a stronger preference for the less helpful actor compared to the helpful or unable actor. In contrast, in the dyadic context, rats did show reciprocity and displayed a higher propensity to help the helpful or unable actor compared to the less helpful actor. These findings shed light on rats' complex social behavior and highlight the context-dependent nature of their helping behavior.

Impaired facial emotion recognition in relation to social behaviours in de novo Parkinson's disease.

Facial emotion recognition (FER) is a crucial component of social cognition and is essential in social-interpersonal behaviour regulation. Although FER impairment is well-established in advanced PD, data about FER at the time of diagnosis and its relationship with social behavioural problems in daily life are lacking. The aim was to examine FER at the time of PD diagnosis compared to a matched healthy control (HC) group and to associate FER with indices of social behavioural problems. In total, 142 de novo, treatment-naïve PD patients and 142 HC were included. FER was assessed by the Ekman 60 faces test (EFT). Behavioural problems in PD patients were assessed using the Dysexecutive Questionnaire (DEX-self and DEX-proxy) and the Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES-self). PD patients had significantly lower EFT-total scores (p = .001) compared to HC, with worse recognition of Disgust (p = .001) and Sadness (p = .016). Correlational analyses yielded significant correlations between AES-self and both EFT-total (rs = .28) and Fear (rs = .22). Significant negative correlations were found between DEX-proxy and both EFT-total (rs = -.28) and Anger (rs = -.26). Analyses of DEX-subscales showed that proxy ratings were significantly higher than patient-ratings for the Social Conventions subscale (p = .047). This DEX-proxy subscale had the strongest correlation with EFT-total (rs = -.29). Results show that de novo PD patients already show impaired FER compared to HC. In addition, lower FER is linked to self-reported apathy and proxy-reported social-behavioural problems, especially concerning social conventions. These findings validate the importance of the inclusion of social cognition measures in the neuropsychological assessment even in early PD.

학령전기 자폐 아동 대상 사회인지 향상을 위한 개입

Objective: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of interventions for social cognition in preschool children with autism spectrum disorder and aimed to provide evidence regarding occupational interventions.&#x0D; Methods: The studies included in this review were collected by searching the PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest Health &amp; Medical Collection (PML), and PsycARTICLES databases as well as two trial registries. We searched the databases and registries for articles from January 2013 to January 2023 using the following search strategy: [(autis*) AND (“social cognitive” OR “social cognition”) AND (Intervention or therapy or approach or treatment or training)]. A total of 3 studies were included in the analysis.&#x0D; Selection criteria: The studies included in the review were selected if they reported on an applicable intervention for social cognition, presented randomized controlled trial data, and included participants who had a confirmed diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. The interventions for social cognition were analyzed using descriptive analysis, and the effects of the interventions were meta-analyzed using the ReviewManager (RevMan) 5.4 program.&#x0D; Results: Three randomized controlled trials involving 378 participants were included. The Intervention program that includes social cognitive components for preschool children with autism spectrum disorder resulted in an increase in social cognition and functional play skills.&#x0D; Conclusion: Through this systematic review, we were able to identify and understand the effect of interventions on social cognition in preschool children with autism spectrum disorder. Further research is required on the need for accessible diagnosis, improving the quality and diversity of early intervention services, and policies for effective intervention provision.

Every individual makes a difference: A trinity derived from linking individual brain morphometry, connectivity and mentalising ability.

Mentalising ability, indexed as the ability to understand others' beliefs, feelings, intentions, thoughts and traits, is a pivotal and fundamental component of human social cognition. However, considering the multifaceted nature of mentalising ability, little research has focused on characterising individual differences in different mentalising components. And even less research has been devoted to investigating how the variance in the structural and functional patterns of the amygdala and hippocampus, two vital subcortical regions of the "social brain", are related to inter-individual variability in mentalising ability. Here, as a first step toward filling these gaps, we exploited inter-subject representational similarity analysis (IS-RSA) to assess relationships between amygdala and hippocampal morphometry (surface-based multivariate morphometry statistics, MMS), connectivity (resting-state functional connectivity, rs-FC) and mentalising ability (interactive mentalisation questionnaire [IMQ] scores) across the participants ( ). In IS-RSA, we proposed a novel pipeline, that is, computing patching and pooling operations-based surface distance (CPP-SD), to obtain a decent representation for high-dimensional MMS data. On this basis, we found significant correlations (i.e., second-order isomorphisms) between these three distinct modalities, indicating that a trinity existed in idiosyncratic patterns of brain morphometry, connectivity and mentalising ability. Notably, a region-related mentalising specificity emerged from these associations: self-self and self-other mentalisation are more related to the hippocampus, while other-self mentalisation shows a closer link with the amygdala. Furthermore, by utilising the dyadic regression analysis, we observed significant interactions such that subject pairs with similar morphometry had even greater mentalising similarity if they were also similar in rs-FC. Altogether, we demonstrated the feasibility and illustrated the promise of using IS-RSA to study individual differences, deepening our understanding of how individual brains give rise to their mentalising abilities.

Assessing the Use of Social Cognitive Theory Components in Cooking and Food Skills Interventions

Increased cooking skill development may reduce the risk of disease and promote healthy eating behaviors in the home. The social cognitive theory (SCT) is one of the most common theories used in cooking and food skill interventions. This narrative review aims to understand how commonly each SCT component is implemented in cooking interventions, as well as identifying which components are associated with positive outcomes. The literature review was conducted using three databases: PubMed, Web of Science (FSTA and CAB), and CINHAL, yielding thirteen included research articles. None of the studies in this review comprehensively included all SCT components; at most, five of the seven were defined. The most prevalent SCT components were behavioral capability, self-efficacy, and observational learning, and the least implemented component was expectations. All studies included in this review yielded positive outcomes for cooking self-efficacy and frequency, except for two studies with null outcomes. Findings from this review suggest that the SCT may not be fully realized, and future studies should continue to define how theory influences intervention design for adult cooking interventions.

Exploring Emotion Recognition Patterns Among Iranian People Using CANTAB as an Approved Neuro-Psychological Assessment.

Emotion recognition is the main component of social cognition and has various patterns in different cultures and nationalities. The present study aimed to investigate emotion recognition patterns among Iranians using the Cambridge neuro-psychological test automated battery (CANTAB) as a valid neuropsychological test. In this descriptive-analytical study, 117 males and females (Mean±SD of age 32.1±6.4) were initially assessed by computerized intelligence and progressive matrices of RAVEN-2. Furthermore, the excitement recognition subtest taken from the Cambridge neuro-psychological test automated battery (CANTAB) was performed. The correct response of participants to each of the six basic emotions as well as the recognition time was used for analysis. The maximum correct response rate was 75.83% related to happy emotion. The correct responses for sadness, surprise, disgust, anger, and fear were 70%, 68.48%, 47.84%, 42.54%, and 38.26%, respectively. Moreover, the shortest recognition time was related to disgust at 322 ms, while sadness with a mean response time of 1800 ms and fear response time at 1529 ms indicated the longest recognition time. In addition, participants recognized happiness with a mean response time of 1264 ms better than other emotions; however, post-hoc t-test analyses showed that only the correct responses for sadness and surprised emotions did not differ significantly, (t(112)=-0.59, P=0.55, d=0.05). These results suggested that different emotions have various correct responses. However, sadness and surprise did not differ. The findings of this study could be beneficial for evaluating cognitive elements, as well as cognitive abilities and inabilities among the Iranian population. Moreover, the findings could be used for investigating social cognition in this population. Emotion recognition patterns among Iranians were investigated using a valid neuropsychological test.Iranians showed higher accuracy in recognizing happiness and lower accuracy in recognizing fear.Disgust was recognized with the shortest response time, while sadness and fear had the longest recognition time.The findings highlight cultural differences in emotion recognition and can aid in evaluating cognitive abilities and social cognition in the Iranian population.The study emphasizes the importance of considering cultural factors in assessing and understanding emotion recognition. Understanding how people recognize emotions is crucial for effective communication and building social connections. However, the ability to recognize emotions can vary across cultures. This study aimed to investigate how Iranians recognize emotions using a reliable test. The researchers assessed 117 Iranian adults, both males and females, using a computer-based test. Participants were asked to identify six basic emotions (happiness, sadness, anger, disgust, fear, and surprise) displayed on a screen. The researchers measured the participants' accuracy in identifying each emotion and the time it took them to recognize it. The findings revealed that Iranians were most accurate in recognizing happiness and least accurate in recognizing fear. They were better at identifying positive emotions like happiness and surprise compared to negative emotions like disgust and anger. Participants took the least time to recognize disgust and the longest time to recognize sadness and fear. These results show that Iranians have specific patterns in recognizing emotions, which can be influenced by cultural factors. Understanding these patterns is important for assessing cognitive abilities and social cognition in the Iranian population. Moreover, these findings have broader implications. They highlight the need to consider cultural differences in emotion recognition, as it can impact communication and social interactions. The study's outcomes can be valuable for various applications. For instance, they can aid in developing tests to assess emotion recognition difficulties in individuals with conditions such as autism or schizophrenia. Furthermore, these findings can be useful for professionals, such as employees in customer service or mental health providers, who need to accurately interpret others' emotions. By shedding light on cultural variations in emotion recognition, this research contributes to our understanding of human emotions and their role in interpersonal relationships.

Looking through goal theories in language learning: A review on goal setting and achievement goal theory.

A growing interest can be seen in the studies on the motivation related to second/foreign learning in recent decades. All in all, research verdicts designate that academic motivation plays a key function in the extent to which students are successful in their research. One of the dimensions of academic motivation is goal orientation, which accounts for why learners carry out achievement activities. This type of goal is indicative of the importance one attaches to success concerning a performance standard. Furthermore, goal setting is deemed as a significant cognitive interface that connects motivation to motivational behavior. Indeed, goal setting is an inseparable part of L2 learning that has caught the attention of many researchers. It functions as a booster of motivation and success in various fields. Goals render the activities purposeful, providing individuals with directions. Moreover, goal drives them to invest more resources and effort, pushing them to persevere in learning. The new versions of motivational theories emphasize social-cognitive components underlying motivated behavior. Therefore, they are more inclusive than traditional ones. Achievement goal theory (AGT) has been developed as a motivation-related theory in recent decades. This theory serves as an effective framework to account for motivation associated with social achievement and learning environments. It also deals with the outcomes concerning cognitive and behavioral aspects. Another theory related to motivation is the Goal setting theory, which functions as a cognitive mediator between motivation and second/foreign learning behavior. It also impacts the students' application of strategies. Drawing on the recent conceptual developments, this review seeks to make a contribution to the related literature on theories of achievement goals, i.e., AGT and goal setting associated with the L2 context. Such a review has pedagogical implications for EFL stakeholders.