Aspects Of Social Cognition Research Articles

EXPRESS: ALTERCENTRISM IN PERSPECTIVE-TAKING: THE ROLE OF HUMANIZATION IN EMBODYING THE AGENT'S POINT OF VIEW.

We investigated the role of humanization in Visual Perspective-Taking (VPT) by testing whether and how agent's human-likeness and attractiveness ('hedonic quality') interact with social cues (action and eye gaze) in influencing the participants' disposition to embody another's perspective. In a VPT task, participants viewed scenes displaying an actor (human or robotic) grasping, gazing (or both) a target object, or adopting a still posture, and were required to judge the left/right location of the target, without receiving any instruction on the perspective to be assumed. Across two studies we selected human and robotic agents to use as actors in the VPT task. Results consistently demonstrated that participants could be effectively clustered by a data-driven method into two perspective-taking styles, depending on the presence of a systematic tendency to locate the target object in the VPT scenarios from own (egocentric) or the actor's (altercentric) point of view. The human vs. non-human nature of the agent seemed able to affect the participants' egocentric or altercentric tendency whereas both the agent's hedonic quality and social cues were not able to influence this propensity. Identifying the factors influencing altercentrism during human-robot interactions can be essential for developing artificial agents favouring user's acceptance and willingness to interact. In this respect, considering differences among individuals in their propensity to take another's point of view may be of central importance. Clustering approaches can represent a useful means to capture interindividual differences in this central aspect of human social cognition.

Social isolation and social cognition: A cross-sectional analysis.

The impact of social isolation on social cognition is not entirely clear. The aim of the study is to investigate the association between social isolation and social cognition. In a population-based sample of 83 individuals aged 50+ years without dementia, we assessed the relationship between social isolation (measured by the Lubben Social Network Scale - LSNS-6) and performance on emotional recognition (measured by the Emotion Recognition Task (ERT)) and on Theory of Mind (ToM) abilities (measured by the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET)), two core aspects of social cognition. No significant association was found between social isolation and ToM abilities for both the unadjusted and adjusted models. Similarly, no significant association was observed between social isolation and emotion recognition. Further research is needed to understand the complex correlation between social relationships and cognitive health, particularly in different cognitive domains, adopting a life course perspective.

The relationship of neurocognitive and social cognitive performance to social competence and appropriateness on a performance-based social skills assessment in individuals with psychosis and unaffected controls

Social deficits are common in psychosis. The Social Skills Performance Assessment (SSPA) is a performance-based measure used to approximate an individual's social skills. Those with psychosis perform worse than do unaffected controls. Prior work has examined two social skills domains derived from the SSPA: social competence and social appropriateness. Social competence and appropriateness are associated with neurocognition and functioning outcomes. However, no study to date has examined the relationship of social cognition to social competence and appropriateness. We aimed to examine the relationships among different aspects of social cognition and performance-based social functioning and hypothesized that social cognitive performance would be related to social competence and appropriateness. We also hypothesized that after controlling for neurocognition, social cognition would account for unique variance in social competence and appropriateness in separate regression models. Forty-one participants who had experienced psychosis and 42 unaffected controls completed a comprehensive battery of neurocognitive, social cognitive, and social functioning measures. Social competence was associated with neurocognition and some aspects of social cognition, while social appropriateness was only marginally associated with neurocognition. Regression models revealed that social cognition did not account for additional and unique variance in social competence or appropriateness, after adjusting for demographic covariates and neurocognition. Findings suggest that aspects of social functioning performance are differentially related to neurocognitive and social cognitive skills. Social skill interventions may be most effective when targeting both neurocognitive and social cognitive skills in treatment.

Visual perspective taking and action understanding

Understanding what others are doing is a fundamental aspect of social cognition and a skill that is arguably linked to visuospatial perspective taking (VPT), the ability to apprehend the spatial layout of a scene from another's perspective. Yet, with few and notable exceptions, action understanding and VPT are rarely studied together. Participants (43 females, 37 males) made judgements about the spatial layout of objects in a scene from the perspective of an avatar who was positioned at 0°, 90°, 270° or 180° relative to the participant. In a variant of a traditional VPT task, the avatar either interacted with the objects in the scene, by pointing to or reaching for them, or was present but did not engage with the objects. Although the task was identical across all conditions - to say whether a target object is to the right or left of a control object - we show that the avatar's actions modulates performance. Specifically, participants were more accurate when the avatar engaged with the target object, and correspondingly, less accurate and slower when the avatar interacted with the control objects. As these effects were independent of the angular disparity between participant and avatar perspectives, we conclude that action understanding and VPT are likely linked via the rapid deployment of two separate cognitive mechanisms. All participants provided a measure of self-reported empathy and we show that response times decrease with increasing empathy scores for female but not for male participants. However, within the range of ‘typical’ empathy scores, defined here as the interquartile range where 50 % of the data lie, females were faster than males. These findings lend further insight into the relationship between spatial and social perspective taking.

Effects of mini-basketball training program on social communication impairments and salience network in preschool children with autism spectrum disorder

Objectives This study aims to explore the impact of a 12-week mini-basketball training program (MBTP) on social communication impairments and salience network in preschool children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and to reveal the potential neural mechanisms by which MBTP improves social communication impairments in ASD children. Methods 34 ASD children aged 3–6 were assigned to the experimental group (n = 19) or the control group (n = 15). The experimental group received MBTP for 12 wk, while the control group received routine behavioral rehabilitation interventions from institutions. Social communication impairments in preschool ASD children is measured with the Social Response Scale Second Edition (SRS-2). Functional connectivity of salience network before and after testing is evaluated by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). Results This study suggests improvement in the social cognitive dimension of preschool ASD children with the aid of MBTP as well as optimization of the functional connectivity of ASD children’s salience network. The potential neural mechanism of MBTP in improving social cognitive dimension in ASD children involved changes in functional connectivity in the left middle frontal gyrus and left thalamus. Conclusions This study infers that the MBTP may not improve the social communication impairments of the ASD children while it is likely to improve social cognitive aspect of social communication impairments and reduce the maladaptive traits of ASD children. Under this circumstance, the study could provide new evidence to explore the neural mechanisms of physical exercise improving social communication impairments and new targets for developing exercise intervention programs to improve social communication impairments in ASD children.

Social perception of animacy: Preferential attentional orienting to animals links with autistic traits

Animate cues enjoy priority in attentional processes as they carry survival-relevant information and herald social interaction. Whether and in what way such an attention effect is associated with more general aspects of social cognition remains largely unexplored. Here we investigated whether the attentional preference for animals varies with observers' autistic traits — an indicator of autism-like characteristics in general populations related to one's social cognitive abilities. Using the dot-probe paradigm, we found that animal cues can rapidly and persistently recruit preferential attention over inanimate ones in observers with relatively low, but not high, autistic traits, as measured by Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ). Moreover, individual AQ scores were negatively correlated with the attentional bias toward animals, especially at the early orienting stage. These results were not simply due to low-level visual factors, as inverted or phase-scrambled pictures did not yield a similar pattern. Our findings demonstrate an automatic and enduring attentional bias beneficial to both rapid detection and continuous monitoring of animals and reveal its link with autistic traits, highlighting the critical role of animacy perception in the architecture of social cognition.

Modeling social cognition in alcohol use disorder: lessons from schizophrenia.

A better understanding of social deficits in alcohol use disorder (AUD) has the potential to improve our understanding of the disorder. Clinical research shows that AUD is associated with interpersonal problems and the loss of a social network which impedes response to treatment. Translational research between animal models and clinical research may benefit from a discussion of the models and methods that currently guide research into social cognition in AUD. We propose that research in AUD should harness recent technological developments to improve ecological validity while maintaining experimental control. Novel methods allow us to parse naturalistic social cognition into tangible components, and to investigate previously neglected aspects of social cognition. Furthermore, to incorporate social cognition as a defining element of AUD, it is critical to clarify the timing of these social disturbances. Currently, there is limited evidence to distinguish factors that influence social cognition as a consequence of AUD, and those that precede the onset of the disorder. Both increasing the focus on operationalization of social cognition into objective components and adopting a perspective that spans the clinical spectrum will improve our understanding in humans, but also possibly increase methodological consistency and translational dialogue across species. This commentary underscores current challenges and perspectives in this area of research.

Neuroanatomical markers of social cognition in neglected adolescents

Growing up in neglectful households can impact multiple aspects of social cognition. However, research on neglect's effects on social cognition processes and their neuroanatomical correlates during adolescence is scarce. Here, we aimed to comprehensively assess social cognition processes (recognition of basic and contextual emotions, theory of mind, the experience of envy and Schadenfreude and empathy for pain) and their structural brain correlates in adolescents with legal neglect records within family-based care. First, we compared neglected adolescents (n = 27) with control participants (n = 25) on context-sensitive social cognition tasks while controlling for physical and emotional abuse and executive and intellectual functioning. Additionally, we explored the grey matter correlates of these domains through voxel-based morphometry. Compared to controls, neglected adolescents exhibited lower performance in contextual emotional recognition and theory of mind, higher levels of envy and Schadenfreude and diminished empathy. Physical and emotional abuse and executive or intellectual functioning did not explain these effects. Moreover, social cognition scores correlated with brain volumes in regions subserving social cognition and emotional processing. Our results underscore the potential impact of neglect on different aspects of social cognition during adolescence, emphasizing the necessity for preventive and intervention strategies to address these deficits in this population.

Fostering autonomy in vocational college students: A fusion of metacognitive strategies and social cognitive learning theory

The aim of this study is to investigate how to foster vocational college students' autonomy in learning by integrating metacognitive strategies and social cognitive learning theory. The study uses social cognitive learning theory to look at metacognitive strategies in a systmematic and thorough way. It looks for similarities and places where the two can be combined in order to come up with a new and effective way to teach. 1) The integration of metacognitive strategies and social cognitive learning theory offers innovative perspectives and strategies for educational practice, fostering students' autonomy and social adaptability; 2) Through dual monitoring of cognition, nurturing social cognition, and deep integration of metacognitive strategies, educational practices can enhance students' cognitive control and social interaction abilities. 3) Future educational endeavors should focus on eliciting metacognitive awareness, integrating metacognitive strategies into teaching practices, and emphasizing social cognitive elements in evaluation mechanisms to address the complex challenges of modern education. 4) The fusion of these theories presents challenges in theoretical integration, teaching practices, assessment systems, and professional development, requiring innovative solutions and comprehensive support for educators and students alike. This study emphasizes the importance of teaching students reflective learning practices and actively cultivating metacognitive regulation abilities through cooperative learning. Furthermore, it underscores the necessity of integrating social cognitive aspects into assessment practices, thereby proposing an innovative educational approach.

Exploring the associations between structural and functional aspects of social relationships and cognition in very old age

Objectives Few studies have examined the associations between social relationships and cognition in very old adults (80+ years). Moreover, limited research has considered structural and functional aspects of social relationships together when exploring their associations with cognition. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the associations between structural and functional social aspects and cognition in very old age. Method The sample comprised 518 two-wave participants of the NRW80+ Study, who showed no indication of dementia and an average age of 85 years at baseline (range: 80–97 years). They were assessed twice over an approximate 2-year interval. Multilevel linear growth curve analysis was employed to model cognitive development over very old age and to examine the associations between structural and functional aspects of social relationships and cognitive development. It was controlled for demographic and health characteristics. Results A larger social network size (ß = 0.05, 95% CI [0.02, 0.08], p = 0.002) and frequent compared with occasional, seldom, and no contact with others (ß = 0.16, 95% CI [0.03, 0.28], p = 0.013) were associated with higher global cognition in the fully-controlled model. Model comparisons further revealed that structural aspects better predicted global cognition in very old age compared to functional aspects (χ2(2) = 16.17, p < 0.001). Conclusion The findings underline the positive association between structural aspects of social relationships and global cognition in very old age. They also highlight the need for interventions promoting a socially active lifestyle to prevent cognitive decline in this vulnerable age group.

Association of empathy with clinical symptoms and cognitive function in chronic schizophrenia patients with and without suicide attempts.

Cognitive impairment is recognized as a risk factor for suicide in schizophrenia (SZ) patients. Despite empathy being an important aspect of social cognition, the association between suicidal behavior and empathy has received little attention. We aimed to compare empathy and neurocognition in SZ patients with and without suicide attempts (SAs), and to explore the relationship between empathy, neurocognition, and clinical symptoms in SZ patients with and without SAs. Data on SAs and socio-demographic characteristics were collected from 628 chronic SZ patients. The patients' symptomatology was measured by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Empathy and neurocognition were assessed with the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) and Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS), respectively. Patients with SAs performed better on all IRI domains (except for Perspective Taking) and total scores. Regression results showed that negative symptoms, positive symptoms, and duration of illness were independently associated with IRI total score in patients without SAs (adjusted R2 = 0.048). In patients without SAs, negative symptoms, general psychopathology, education, age, and sex were independently associated with RBANS total score (adjusted R2 = 0.265), while in patients with SAs, education, PANSS total score, and age at onset were independently associated with RBANS total score (adjusted R2 = 0.456). Our results show that SZ patients with SAs may have better empathic performance than patients without SAs. In chronic SZ patients, negative and positive symptoms may have different effects on cognition in the SAs and non-SAs groups.

Are Autistic Children with Theory of Mind Delays Unexpectedly Competent at Moral Reasoning?

ABSTRACT Moral reasoning and theory of mind (ToM) are two distinct but related aspects of social cognition. While past research has clearly documented serious delays in ToM development for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) both cross-sectionally (e.g. Happe, 1995) and longitudinally (Peterson & Wellman, 2020) much less is known about the timing of ASD children’s development of moral reasoning. The present study addresses this knowledge gap with a special focus on three key research questions: (a) Is moral judgement delayed (in parallel with ToM) among children with ASD or is its timing comparable to that of typically-developing (TD) children their age? (b) Do ToM and moral reasoning significantly interconnect with one another among children with ASD? (c) If so, is the pattern of linkages the same as for TD children?

The COVID-19 pandemic and changes in social behavior: Protective face masks reduce deliberate social distancing preferences while leaving automatic avoidance behavior unaffected

Protective face masks were one of the central measures to counteract viral transmission in the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior research indicates that face masks impact various aspects of social cognition, such as emotion recognition and social evaluation. Whether protective masks also influence social avoidance behavior is less clear. Our project assessed direct and indirect measures of social avoidance tendencies towards masked and unmasked faces in two experiments with 311 participants during the first half of 2021. Two interventions were used in half of the participants from each sample (Experiment 1: protective face masks; Experiment 2: a disease prime video) to decrease or increase the salience of the immediate contagion threat. In the direct social avoidance measure, which asked for the deliberate decision to approach or avoid a person in a hypothetical social encounter, participants showed an increased willingness to approach masked as opposed to unmasked faces across experiments. This effect was further related to interindividual differences in pandemic threat perception in both samples. In the indirect measure, which assessed automatic social approach and avoidance tendencies, we neither observed an approach advantage towards masked faces nor an avoidance advantage for unmasked faces. Thus, while the absence of protective face masks may have led to increased deliberate social avoidance during the pandemic, no such effect was observed on automatic regulation of behavior, thus indicating the relative robustness of this latter behavior against changes in superordinate social norms.

Social cognition, emotion regulation and social competence in classical galactosemia patients without intellectual disability.

Classical galactosemia (CG) is an inborn error of galactose metabolism. Many CG patients suffer from long-term complications including poor cognitive functioning. There are indications of social dysfunction but limited evidence in the literature. Therefore, this study aims to improve our understanding of social competence in CG by investigating social cognition, neurocognition and emotion regulation. A comprehensive (neuro)psychological test battery, including self and proxy questionnaires, was administered to CG patients without intellectual disability. Social cognition was assessed by facial emotion recognition, Theory of Mind and self-reported empathy. Standardised results were compared to normative data of the general population. Data from 23 patients (aged 8-52) were included in the study. On a group level, CG patients reported satisfaction with social roles and no social dysfunction despite the self-report of lower social skills. They showed deficits in all aspects of social cognition on both performance tests (emotion recognition and Theory of Mind) and self-report questionnaires (empathy). Adults had a lower social participation than the general population. Parents reported lower social functioning, less adaptive emotion regulation and communication difficulties in their children. Individual differences in scores were present. This study shows that CG patients without intellectual disability are satisfied with their social competence, especially social functioning. Nevertheless, deficits in social cognition are present in a large proportion of CG patients. Due to the large variability in scores and discrepancies between self- and proxy-report, an individually tailored, comprehensive neuropsychological assessment including social cognition is advised in all CG patients. Treatment plans need to be customised to the individual patient.

The reverse congruency effect elicited by eye-gaze as a function of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms.

Individuals diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been found to have impairments in multiple aspects of social cognition, thus including the attentional processing of socially relevant stimuli such as eye-gaze. However, to date, it remains unclear whether only the social-specific but not the domain-general directional components, elicited by eye-gaze are affected by ADHD symptomatology. To address this issue, the present study aimed to investigate the impact of ADHD-like traits on the social-specific attentional processing of eye-gaze. To this purpose, we conducted an online experiment with a sample of 140 healthy undergraduate participants who completed two self-reported questionnaires designed to assess ADHD-like traits, and a social variant of an interference spatial task known to effectively isolate the social-specific component of eye-gaze. To make our research plan transparent, our hypotheses, together with the plans of analyses, were registered before data exploration. Results showed that while the social-specific component of eye-gaze was evident in the sample, no significant correlation was found between this component and the measured ADHD-like traits. These results appear to contradict the intuition that the attentional processing of the social-specific components of eye-gaze may be impaired by ADHD symptomatology. However, further research involving children and clinical populations is needed in order to clarify this matter.

Penerapan Artificial Intelligence Menggunakan Fuzzy Logic dalam Dunia Pendidikan

This research aims to apply artificial intelligence or what is commonly known as Artificial Intelligence (AI) using fuzzy logic in the world of education. The topic of artificial intelligence has become a hot and important topic of conversation today. Fuzzy logic allows processing unclear information and is used to overcome uncertainty that exists in the world of education. This article discusses the use of fuzzy logic techniques to improve the quality of education. One application of fuzzy logic is in the development of an automatic assessment system used by lecturers in providing assessments to students in the learning process. Fuzzy logic can carry out assessments objectively and enable more appropriate curriculum adjustments based on students' interpersonal skills which can ultimately increase the efficiency of the learning process. The use of fuzzy logic can provide recommendations for the learning process that can help students find material that suits their interests and needs. Fuzzy logic can be used to measure student development in social and emotional cognitive aspects. The application of AI with fuzzy logic aims to improve the quality of education and student learning experiences in the world of education.

Differences in Social Knowledge Between Persons with Intellectual Disability and Persons with Dual Diagnoses

ABSTRACT Introduction Social knowledge is an important aspect of social cognition that pertains to broader knowledge of social concepts and norms. People with intellectual disabilities are more likely to experience mental health challenges, and it’s important to pay special attention to how comorbid conditions can affect their social cognition skills, potentially weakening these skills. Consequently, the present study seeks to compare social knowledge between two groups of adults in Bosnia and Herzegovina: those with intellectual disabilities and those diagnosed with a dual diagnosis encompassing intellectual disability and psychiatric conditions. An additional goal was to identify the factors contributing to social knowledge in these groups. Methods The study sample included 62 adults with mild intellectual disability, divided into two groups based on their comorbid psychiatric condition. We used a demographic questionnaire, Raven’s Progressive Matrices, Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT), MINI PAS – ADD scale, and The Social Knowledge Test to assess social knowledge and intellectual functioning. We compared the social knowledge scores between the two groups and identified the predictors of social knowledge in each group. Results The results indicated that adult participants with dual diagnoses had lower social knowledge scores than those with intellectual disabilities only, even after controlling for intellectual functioning and verbal abilities. The predictors of social knowledge differed between the two groups, with age being the only statistically significant predictor in both groups. In individuals with intellectual disabilities, age and the presence of obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms were important predictors of social knowledge, while in the group of participants with dual diagnoses, age and PPVT were significant predictors of social knowledge. Conclusion This study highlights the importance of social knowledge in individuals with intellectual disabilities and dual diagnoses. The findings suggest that individuals with dual diagnoses may have a specific deficit in social knowledge that is not fully explained by their intellectual functioning or verbal abilities. Clinicians and educators should focus on identifying and addressing social knowledge deficits in individuals with dual diagnoses to improve their overall social functioning.

Cognitive improvement in patients with major depressive disorder after personalised multi domain training in the CERT-D study

The CERT-D program offers a new treatment approach addressing disturbed cognitive and psychosocial functioning in major depressive disorder (MDD). The current analysis of a randomised controlled trial (RCT) comprises two objectives: Firstly, evaluating the program's efficacy of a personalised versus standard treatment and secondly, assessing the treatment's persistence longitudinally. Participants (N = 112) were randomised into a personalised or standard treatment group. Both groups received 8 weeks of cognitive training, followed by a three-month follow-up without additional training. The type of personalised training was determined by pre-treatment impairments in the domains of cognition, emotion-processing and social-cognition. Standard training addressed all three domains equivalent. Performance in these domains was assessed repeatedly during RCT and follow-up. Treatment comparisons during the RCT-period showed benefits of personalised versus standard treatment in certain aspects of social-cognition. Conversely, no benefits in the remaining domains were found, contradicting a general advantage of personalisation. Exploratory follow-up analysis on persistence of the program's effects indicated sustained intervention outcomes across the entire sample. A subsequent comparison of clinical outcomes between personalised versus standard treatment over a three-month follow-up period showed similar results. First evidence suggests that existing therapies for MDD could benefit from an adjunct administration of the CERT-D program.

47 Social Cognition and Moral Decision Making in Korsakoff's Syndrome

Objective:Korsakoff's syndrome (KS) is a neuropsychiatric disorder, caused by vitamin B1 insufficiency. KS is characterized by severe declarative amnesia. Often, also executive disorders are present. Emotion recognition and theory of mind are gold-standard measures of social cognition. Moral decision making is often assessed by means of moral dilemmas. Surprisingly social cognition and moral decision making has received hardly any attention in research on KS, although the severity of behavioural problems in KS suggest possible problems in both domains. The aim of this study was therefore to broadly assess social cognition and moral decision-making capacities in patients with KS.Participants and Methods:20 KS patients and 20 age-, education-, and gender-matched healthy controls were assessed on standardized tests for social cognition, namely the mini-Social Cognition and Emotional Assessment battery (mini-SEA), and a specialized version of the Sally-Anne Test. Moral decision making was assessed by means of the Moral Behaviour Inventory (MBI) for everyday moral dilemmas, and ten cartoons of abstract moral dilemmas. For moral decision making, “yes” and “no” responses were scored, together with a scoring for moral reasoning according to the Kohlberg stages of moral maturity.Results:KS patients have large impairments in both cognitive and affective aspects of social cognition. Their ability to recognize emotions, take the perspective of others, and understand socially awkward situations is vastly compromised. While KS patients were able to replicate the Sally Anne storyline, their task performance was on chance level. Regarding moral decision making, there was a tendency to more frequently carry out the moral dilemma. Moral maturity, as indexed by means of their reasoning behind the decision was of a lower level. Of interest, moral immaturity could find its origin already before the onset of the KS diagnosis, as suggested by elevated premorbid levels of delinquent behavior.Conclusions:Both social cognition and moral decision making are compromised in KS patients. Specifically social cognitive disorders are the direct result of KS, and are likely to strongly relate to social and neuropsychiatric issues in KS. Moral decision making was more likely to be already of a lower level of maturity, based on a strong relationship between premorbid delinquency and moral immaturity in KS patients. This study highlights the importance to properly index social cognition in neuropsychological assessments for individuals with a possible KS diagnosis

56 Outcome Probability Task: Association with Safety Behaviors and Avenues for Future Imaging Research

Objective:Probability bias—overestimation of the likelihood that feared social outcomes will occur—is a mechanism targeted for symptom reduction in cognitive behavioral therapy for social anxiety. Safety behaviors (i.e., the conscious and unconscious actions taken to reduce discomfort in feared social situations) are related to cognitive biases and can be manipulated to reduce probability bias. The purpose of this research was to test the hypothesis that scores from a newly developed computer task to measure probability bias, the Outcome Probability Task (OPT; Draheim &amp; Anderson, 2022) would be associated with self-reported safety behaviors during a speech task.Participants and Methods:Participants (N=90) included diverse students from a university in a southern, metropolitan area. Individuals reported an average age of 20.74 (SD=3.57) and self-identified as 'Woman’ (69%), 'Man’ (30%), 'Transgender’ (1%), or 'Non-binary/Agender’ (1%), and 'African American or Black’ (52%), 'Asian or Asian American’ (19%), 'White’ (16%), 'Multi-racial’ (7%), 'Hispanic or Latine’ (5%), or 'Middle Eastern’ (1%). Participants viewed social images and imagined themselves in the scenarios, then rated the likelihood that they would be negatively evaluated on a 0-100% scale (higher ratings indicate greater probability bias), gave a speech, and completed a standardized self-report measure of safety behaviors to rate how often they engaged in avoidant safety behaviors during the speech.Results:Results from a linear regression indicated that OPT scores (ß=.43) were positively associated with self-reported safety behaviors during a speech task, R2 = .19, F(1, 88) = 20.02, p &lt; .001, 95% CI [0.170, 0.443].Conclusions:Negatively biased expectations about fear-relevant social situations—measured by a digital imagery task, the OPT—may contribute to increased engagement in avoidant safety behaviors during a speech task among a convenience sample. Outcome probability bias has previously only been measured through self-report, and the OPT is a promising new measure to multi-modally assess this aspect of social cognition. This task could be used along with imaging techniques to better understand the functional brain activity involved in outcome probability bias. Future studies could explore how activity in the orbitofrontal cortex, which is associated with the anticipation of negative outcomes, relates to responses on the OPT. If there is a connection, this brain region could be an indicator of improvement following intervention, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, for probability biases involved in social anxiety.