Measures Of Social Cognition Research Articles

Does Adding Social Cognitive Remediation Therapy to Neurocognitive Remediation Therapy Improve Outcomes in Young People With a Severe Mental Illness?-The Advantage Trial.

IntroductionCognitive impairments are a common and significant issue for young people with a severe mental illness. Young people with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression all experience significant cognitive problems that impede their ability to return to work or study. These neurocognitive problems are frequently exacerbated by social cognitive deficits that interfere with their ability to integrate into the community and understand the social and emotional nuances about them. This study aimed to assess if the addition of a social cognitive remediation treatment to a neurocognitive remediation therapy improved functional outcome.MethodsFive youth mental health services were trained in both the Neuropsychological Educational Approach to Remediation (NEAR) and the Social Cognition and Interaction Training (SCIT) treatments. Participants were randomised between receiving either NEAR + SCIT or NEAR + treatment as usual (TAU) over a 20-week period, with all participants receiving the NEAR treatment first. Symptoms, neurocognition, social cognition and functioning were examined at baseline, end of treatment and at 3 months follow-up and compared between the two arms of the study. The primary outcome was function.ResultsThirty-nine participants were randomised to treatment (Schizophrenia spectrum = 28, Bipolar disorder = 7, Major Depression = 2). The trial was curtailed by Covid-related service restrictions. There was an overall significant improvement in function over time with a trend towards a greater improvement in the NEAR + SCIT arm. No changes in symptoms, neurocognitive or social cognitive measures were seen. While 74% completed treatment only 49% agreed to follow up at 3 months affecting our ability to interpret the findings. Attrition did not differ by arm.ConclusionsIn a pragmatic, service-based research project, treatment aimed at improving cognition enhanced functional outcome in young people with a range of severe mental illnesses. There was a trend towards improved function in young people who had a combined NEAR + SCIT approach.Clinical Trial RegistrationIdentifier: ACTRN12622000192785.

"Visual Perspective Taking in Young and Older Adults": Correction.

Reports an error in "Visual perspective taking in young and older adults" by Andrew K. Martin, Garon Perceval, Islay Davies, Peter Su, Jasmine Huang and Marcus Meinzer (Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 2019[Nov], Vol 148[11], 2006-2026). In the article "Visual Perspective Taking in Young and Older Adults" by Andrew K. Martin, Garon Perceval, Islay Davies, Peter Su, Jasmine Huang, and Marcus Meinzer (Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 2013, Vol. 148, No. 11, pp. 2006-2026. https://doi:10.1037/xge0000584), incorrect versions of Figures 3 and 4 were set due to a copyediting error.. The online version of this article has been corrected. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2019-20323-001.) Advanced age is associated with difficulties in social understanding. However, little is known about the underlying cognitive processes. In the present study, healthy young and older adults completed measures of implicit and explicit visual perspective taking (VPT) and measures of executive and social cognition across four experiments. Congruency effects (slower response times or reduced accuracy when scenes were incongruent with the alternate perspective) were identified for the egocentric ("self") and allocentric ("other") conditions of both Level 1 ("line of sight") and Level 2 ("egocentric transformation") explicit VPT. Older adults showed less influence of the alternate perspective during Level 1 VPT, as indexed by fewer errors when the alternate perspective was incongruent. However, during Level 2 VPT, compared with young adults, older adults showed greater influence of the allocentric perspective during egocentric judgments as indexed by slower response times when the scene was incongruent with the allocentric perspective. Older adults were also slower at taking the allocentric perspective in general across both Level 1 and 2 tasks. An implicit VPT effect was identified that was consistent across both age groups. Several VPT measures were associated with executive and social cognition, with different patterns in young and older adults suggesting differing underlying strategies or cognitive processes may partially explain VPT differences between the groups. Difficulties in higher order social tasks may arise from underlying cognitive processes involved in perspective taking and these may be different depending on the requirement to perform an egocentric transformation into the allocentric frame of reference. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Registered report: Moderators of the relationship between implicit and explicit measures of evaluation and identification

Researchers and theorists have explained variations in the relationship between implicit and explicit measures of social cognition by citing differences in measurement and cognitive processing. The present research explored how features of measured attributes and individual differences affect the relationship between implicit and explicit measures using existing data (Hussey, Hughes, & Nosek, 2018). In the original study, participants completed measures of explicit evaluation or identification (i.e., difference scores between self-report items) and implicit evaluation or identification (i.e., the Implicit Association Test; Greenwald, McGhee, & Schwartz, 1998) for one of 95 target pairs. First, we attempted to conceptually replicate Nosek's (2005) findings that self-presentation, distinctiveness, elaboration/importance, and complementarity moderated the relationship between implicit and explicit evaluations across individuals irrespective of attribute targets. These attribute features each moderated the relationship between implicit and explicit evaluations and accounted for unique variation in implicit-explicit relations. Second, we tested whether these features affected the relationship between implicit and explicit identifications. We found moderating effects of distinctiveness and complementarity but not of the other attribute features, likely due to their operationalization. Finally, we examined whether theoretically relevant individual difference measures moderated the relationship between implicit and explicit evaluations or identifications. Across almost all analyses, these measures (i.e., socially desirable responding, self-monitoring, need for cognition, personal need for structure, and need for cognitive closure) did not moderate implicit-explicit relations. Taken together, our results suggest that relationships between implicit and explicit measures reflect individual experiences with attribute targets rather than the cultural context, targets, or individuals themselves.

Neurocognitive Profiles of Caucasian Moyamoya Disease Patients in Greece: A Case Series.

The impact of Moyamoya Disease (MMD) on cognition inadult Caucasian patients has not yet been thoroughly investigated. The current study is the first to present detailed neuropsychological data on a series of Greek patients with MMD. A group of eight patients was assessed with an extensive neuropsychological battery, including measures of episodic memory, working memory, executive functions, language, and social cognition. The results indicated that MMD may be characterized by a trichotomous neurocognitive profile, characterized by prominent impairment in working memory, executive functions, and social cognition. Overall, we stress the need for a thorough cognitive evaluation of MMD patients and further highlight the potential importance of social cognition in this particular disease. Possible associations between the three impaired cognitive domains in our group are also discussed.

Computerized social cognitive training in the subacute phase after traumatic brain injury: A quasi-randomized controlled trial

Objectives To assess the usefulness of a computerized tasks module designed for the rehabilitation of social cognition (SC) in acquired brain injury. Methods Quasi-randomized controlled trial (ClinicalTrials.gov:NCT03479970) involving 45 patients with moderate-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) in a subacute inpatient rehabilitation hospital. The experimental group (n = 28) received treatment with a computerized SC module in combination with a non-SC module. The control group (n = 26) only received a treatment with non-SC module. Results Intragroup comparisons showed that the experimental group had better results for all SC measures, except for International Affective Picture System (IAPS). The control group improved for Facial Expressions of cEmotion-Stimuli and Tests (FEEST) and Moving Shapes Paradigm (MSP), showing no changes with respect to pretreatment in IAPS, MSP and Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET). Intergroup comparisons did not present differences between the two groups for pretreatment measures. Post-treatment comparison showed that the experimental group obtained better results for RMET than the control group. Conclusion The computerized SC module was useful for the rehabilitation of SC in patients with moderate-severe TBI in the subacute phase. The group that received combined rehabilitative treatment (SC + non-SC) obtained better results for SC than the group that received treatment intended only for non-SC.

Development of an Ecologically Valid Assessment for Social Cognition Based on Real Interaction: Preliminary Results.

Many social cognitive assessment measures that are appropriate for clinical use are currently available, but there is a general concern about their ecological validity. This study aimed to develop an applicable real interaction-based test to assess social cognition. A sample of 50 subjects (mean age 22 ± 5.8, 56% women) took the Social Interaction Test as well as two instruments for assessing social cognition: (1) the Movie for Assessment of Social Cognition (MASC) and (2) branch 4 from the Mayer–Salovey–Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT). The test showed no incidence on its application. The reliability of the 18-item final version of the test was a medium-high level (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.701). To assess the internal structure of the test, a multidimensional scaling procedure was used. The common space of coordinates for the two-dimensional solution showed a normalized raw stress of 0.076 and Tucker’s congruence coefficient of 0.965. The social interaction test showed stronger association with MASC (more realistic, video-based format) than with MSCEIT (less realistic, paper-based format). The Social Interaction Test is applicable and feasible to use it to assess social cognition in the general population.

Ventral subicular lesion impairs pro-social empathy-like behavior in adult Wistar rats

The subiculum, an important structure of the hippocampal formation, regulates spatial information processing, social cognition, and affective behavior. Earlier we demonstrated deficits in sociability and social novelty as a measure of social cognition in ventral subicular lesioned (VSL) rats. The present study investigated empathy-like pro-social behavior and the associated affective states in VSL rats. The ability of free rats to release trapped cagemates was assessed using a modified door-opening empathy task.The rat pairs (free rat and the trapped cagemate) used were from the same group and tested for eight days to assess the pro-social behavior displayed by the free rats. The controlfree rats learned to open the door quickly to release the trapped cagemate and both the rats displayed social responses by emitting ‘hedonic’ calls (50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations) while playing after the release. The VSLfree rats, however, were less exploratory, displayed apathy towards the trapped cagemate, demonstrated freezing behavior following door-opening and did not interact with the cagemate even after its release. These findings indicate deficits of social motivation and reinforcement learning associated with lesions in possibly both the rats. In addition, the VSL rat pairs elicited more 22-kHz ‘alarm’ calls and fewer 50-kHz ‘hedonic’ calls highlighting the lesion-induced alterations of contextual processing and threat perception abilities. In conclusion, VSL led to significant pro-social deficits implicating the role of ventral subiculum in social cognition and empathy. More studies are needed to substantiate whether the subiculum is implicated in social deficits associated with psychiatric conditions such as autism spectrum disorder.

Social cognitive measures related to exercise behaviour: Validation in Indonesian middle-aged and older adults

IntroductionEvidence shows that exercise adoption and maintenance are influenced by social-cognitive processes. Instruments have been developed to measure these processes, but none have been validated for use in the Indonesian context. This study aimed to validate scales measuring social cognitive constructs related to exercise in Indonesian middle-aged and older population. MethodsThe Self-Efficacy for Exercise, the Exercise Self-Efficacy, the Multidimensional Outcome Expectations for Exercise, the Exercise Goal-Setting, the Exercise Planning and Scheduling, and the Social Support for Exercise Behavior scales underwent forward-backward translation, readability, and content validity assessments with middle-aged and older Indonesian adults (n = 126; age = 61.2 ± 8.2 years, 72% female). Psychometric testing included assessments of internal consistency and 1-week test-retest reliability, convergent validity, known-group validity with self-reported moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and construct validity using confirmatory factor analyses (CFA). ResultsThe scales were found to be readable and content valid. Internal consistencies were acceptable to excellent (Cronbach's α = 0.76–0.93). Moderate to good repeatability estimates were demonstrated (ICC = 0.72–0.88). Convergent validity was supported by moderate correlations between scale scores and MVPA (r = 0.42–0.72). Participants with sufficient MVPA levels consistently scored higher on scales than those with insufficient PA levels. The CFA showed a moderate fit for all scales except the Social Support for Exercise Behavior scale. ConclusionAlthough the factor structure of the Social Support scale warrants further investigation, the evidence supports the use of the six scales in Indonesian middle and older adults, including for evaluating the impact of theory-based physical activity interventions in this population.

Invited Session V: GABAergic function and dysfunction in visual perception: Sensory processing in autism: Translational markers and circuit-level insights

Atypical sensory experience is estimated to occur in as many as 90% of autistic individuals and to affect every sensory modality: taste, touch, audition, olfaction and vision. Because the neural computations underlying sensory processing are relatively well understood in typically developing individuals and are conserved between humans and other animals, sensory paradigms have considerable potential for shedding light on autistic neurobiology. But are sensory traits, in fact, core phenotypic markers of autism? In this talk, I will argue that the answer is "yes". The evidence I review shows that the autistic cortex is affected by distinct, low-level changes in neural circuitry that is dedicated to perceptual processing (including primary sensory areas). Further, perceptual symptoms in individuals with autism are evident early in development, account for independent variance in diagnostic criteria of the condition, and show a persistent relationship to clinical measures of higher-order social cognition and behavior. Finally, I will present data from a recent line of work in my laboratory using behavioral, neuroimaging, and pharmacological techniques to identify a marker of autism in low-level visual processing, which has provided concrete insight into the neurobiology of autism in humans.

Determinants of Virtual Exercise Equipment Use: An Integrated Model Investigation.

Given the limited research on behavioral determinants of using virtual exercise machines to engage in exercise during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study applied an integrated behavior change model to identify behavioral determinants using these machines. Adult owners of livestreaming virtual exercise equipment (N = 123) completed measures of social cognition, planning, motivation, virtual exercise machine features, and sociostructural variables at an initial occasion (T1) and 4 weeks later (T2). Hypothesized relations among model constructs were tested using a cross-lagged structural equation model with past behavior and sociostructural variables as covariates. Autonomous motivation predicted intentions and habit indirectly via attitudes and perceived behavioral control at T1; virtual exercise machine features predicted intention and habit indirectly via social cognition constructs at T1; and intention and habit at T1 predicted exercise behavior at T2. This study supports social cognition constructs and virtual features as predictors of exercise using virtual exercise machines.

LevelMind@JC: Development and evaluation of a community early intervention program for young people in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong's existing mental health services are inadequate in addressing young people's needs. The LevelMind@JC project established an early intervention platform of community-based youth-specific mental health centres involving youth workers, cross-disciplinary professionals, and young people. The project intends to (1) pilot a community platform that incorporates a youth-friendly early screening tool with preventative intervention capabilities, (2) set up a state-of-the-art training system for youth mental health workers, (3) establish a community clinical support team and (4) develop a timely evaluation system to monitor the service and evaluate its outcome and cost-effectiveness against generic youth services. Six hundred LevelMind@JC service users will be assessed alongside 600 young people visiting generic youth centres and 100 young people in the community. Participants will be matched according to age, gender, years of education, socioeconomic status, and level of distress. Assessments, administered at baseline and at 3, 6 and 12 months, will cover demographic characteristics, psychological distress, quality of life, depressive and anxiety symptoms, functioning, physical health and lifestyle, personality and social measures, cognitive measures and health economics. Mixed-model ANOVAs will be used to indicate interactions between services and between time points. Built upon a community-based support model, LevelMind@JC aims to promote positive mental health in young people through the collaboration of cross-disciplinary mental health professionals. If efficacy and cost-effectiveness are established, the project could be scaled up, implicating a wider reach of care. We anticipate its success to be critical in combatting mental health issues stemming from both personal and population-level stressors.

Source-Specific Information on Social Cognition: A Matter of Context or Concept?

This work tackles the measurement invariance of the social cognition construct when different observers, age and participant’s age are considered. This is a prior question that needs to be answered before attributing discrepancies in information coming from diverse sources just to the varying behavior occurring across setting, and mainly interpret the discrepancies as indicative of cross-contextual variability. The article also studies the link between discrepancies and source-specific information and the validity of that information to predict several outcomes. The measurement invariance across sex, time and informant of a social cognition measure applied to children’s parents and teachers was longitudinally tested in a Spanish general population sample, at ages 5 (N = 581) and 10 (N = 438). Full or partial metric and scalar equivalence were found across sex and over time within informants. Partial scalar invariance was not obtained across informants. Latent class analysis identified 2 classes of difficulties in social cognition for both informants at both ages: low social cognition and high social cognition. Comparison of classes resulting predicting outcomes yielded differential predictions due not only to varying context but also to a different concept of social cognition across informants. In general, significant differences between raters were informant dependent. We conclude that it is important to consider both teachers’ and parents’ observations to fully understand the construct of social cognition.

Neuropsychological assessment of diverse populations in Europe: The European Consortium for Cross‐Cultural Neuropsychology (ECCroN)

AbstractBackgroundPopulations living in European countries are becoming increasingly diverse. As performance on traditional neuropsychological tests is heavily influenced by culture, language, (level and quality of) education, literacy, and other factors, neuropsychological assessment practices need to be adapted to account for this diversity.MethodThe European Consortium for Cross‐Cultural Neuropsychology (ECCroN) aims to improve assessment of culturally, educationally, and linguistically diverse individuals across Europe by 1) collaborating on the validation and implementation of cross‐cultural neuropsychological tests and 2) working on initiatives geared at improving interpreter use and training programs for neuropsychologists.ResultThe consortium was founded in late 2019 and currently consists of 16 experts based in 9 countries – some of whom work in multinational contexts. The first meetings of the network stressed several points. First, ECCroN aims to develop and/or validate cross‐culturally applicable tests, as opposed to race‐based norms for existing tests; for example, current projects aim to validate measures of social cognition and language (naming) in patients with migration backgrounds. Second, ECCroN emphasizes the importance of taking into account diversity across the entire spectrum, both in populations traditionally considered to be ‘majority’ and ‘minority’ groups, e.g. best practices should be developed for those with little education regardless of native‐born or migrant status. Third, ECCroN aims to identify and share suitable instruments to measure factors potentially influencing the assessment, such as bilingualism, acculturation and educational quality.ConclusionJoint efforts should be undertaken to develop, validate, publish, and implement cross‐cultural tests across European countries to reduce misdiagnoses in diverse patient populations.

The effect of sex on social cognition and functioning in schizophrenia

Social cognitive impairment is a core feature of schizophrenia and plays a critical role in poor community functioning in the disorder. However, our understanding of the relationship between key biological variables and social cognitive impairment in schizophrenia is limited. This study examined the effect of sex on the levels of social cognitive impairment and the relationship between social cognitive impairment and social functioning in schizophrenia. Two hundred forty-eight patients with schizophrenia (61 female) and 87 healthy controls (31 female) completed five objective measures and one subjective measure of social cognition. The objective measures included the Facial Affect Identification, Emotion in Biological Motion, Self-Referential Memory, MSCEIT Branch 4, and Empathic Accuracy tasks. The subjective measure was the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), which includes four subscales. Patients completed measures of social and non-social functional capacity and community functioning. For objective social cognitive tasks, we found a significant sex difference only on one measure, the MSCEIT Branch 4, which in both patient and control groups, females performed better than males. Regarding the IRI, females endorsed higher empathy-related items on one subscale. The moderating role of sex was found only for the association between objective social cognition and non-social functional capacity. The relationship was stronger in male patients than female patients. In this study, we found minimal evidence of a sex effect on social cognition in schizophrenia across subjective and objective measures. Sex does not appear to moderate the association between social cognition and functioning in schizophrenia.

A Visual Task-Based Assessment of Theory of Mind and Social Perception Within Bipolar Disorder.

Evidence suggests that theory of mind (TOM) and social perception (SP) may be impaired within bipolar disorder (BD). However, it remains unclear whether these deficits are facet specific and predictive of functioning. This study assessed the manifestation of TOM and SP in a BD sample. Twenty-six individuals diagnosed with BD and 25 controls were recruited and assessed for TOM, SP, and functioning. Whereas differences were observed regarding functional outcome, differences were not observed regarding social cognitive performance, regardless of facet. Correlations between social cognitive and functional outcome domains were nonsignificant, whereas significant associations were observed between the social cognitive measures. Results suggest that despite functional differences, TOM and SP, independent of facet assessed, seem preserved within the BD sample. Although evidence was not provided supporting the utility of TOM and SP in the prediction of functional outcome, evidence supports the possible dependence of these social cognitive domains on shared underlying processes.

The conceptualization and assessment of social cognition in personality and common mental disorders.

Social Cognition is a crucial transdiagnostic construct with clinical and functional relevance across a range of neuropsychiatric disorders. Most research has focused on schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders and has informed frameworks for assessing social cognition in schizophrenia. The current review focuses on the more recent developments pertaining to personality and common mental disorders (PCMDs). Two main questions are addressed: 1. What are the important domains and patterns of social cognition impairments among the personality and common mental disorders? 2. What are the trends in the assessment of social cognition among personality and common mental disorders? We synthesize research findings on the conceptualization of SC and the application of these frameworks for assessment with PCMDs. We have outlined a typology of criteria and guidelines for selecting and developing measures of SC in the PCMDs. We conclude that there is a need for a reconceptualization of social cognition or PCMDs with a focus on higher-order processes and suggest that mentalization could be a suitable framework to understand and examine social cognition in the PCMDs. Future efforts to develop, adapt and use more complex, nuanced, sensitive, and culturally valid measures of social cognition in interpersonal contexts can aid the detection of subtle, context-dependent, and dynamic impairments across these disorders. Social cognition is a promising transdiagnostic construct and warrants more conceptual clarity and research on the varied patterns of impairments across disorders.

An Investigation of the Validity of the Edinburgh Social Cognition Test (ESCoT) in Acquired Brain Injury (ABI).

Social cognition is frequently impaired following an acquired brain injury (ABI) but often overlooked in clinical assessments. There are few validated and appropriate measures of social cognitive abilities for ABI patients. The current study examined the validity of the Edinburgh Social Cognition Test (ESCoT, Baksh et al., ) in measuring social cognition following an ABI. Forty-one patients with ABI were recruited from a rehabilitation service and completed measures of general ability, executive functions and social cognition (Faux Pas; FP, Reading the Mind in the Eyes; RME, Social Norms Questionnaire; SNQ and the ESCoT). Forty-one controls matched on age, sex and years of education also performed the RME, SNQ and ESCoT. A diagnosis of ABI was significantly associated with poorer performance on all ESCoT measures and RME while adjusting for age, sex and years of education. In ABI patients, the ESCoT showed good internal consistency with its subcomponents and performance correlated with the other measures of social cognition demonstrating convergent validity. Better Trail Making Test performance predicted better ESCoT total, RME and SNQ scores. Higher TOPF IQ was associated with higher RME scores, while higher WAIS-IV working memory predicted better FP performance. The ESCoT is a brief, valid and internally consistent assessment tool able to detect social cognition deficits in neurological patients. Given the prevalence of social cognition deficits in ABI and the marked impact these can have on an individual's recovery, this assessment can be a helpful addition to a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment.

6.26 Lost in Translation: Expressed Emotion and Social Functioning in Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Existing studies substantiate a relationship between high familial expressed emotion (EE) and externalizing behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD); however, little is known about the relationship between EE and the severity of core symptoms of ASD, specifically social communication and adaptive functioning. This study assesses the hypothesis that EE demonstrates significant relationships with measures of social cognition, perception of the quality of peer relationships, and adaptive functioning. A preliminary analysis includes 16 adolescents with ASD ages 13 to 17 years old, and 12.5% were female. The Social Responsiveness Scale, Second Edition (SRS-2) was administered to measure social interaction and communication deficits. The Child and Adult versions of the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Tests (RMET-C and RMET-A, respectively) were administered as measures of theory of the mind. The Adaptive Behavior Composite score from the Vineland-3 (VABS-3) assessed adaptive functioning. The NIH Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) measure was used to evaluate the perception of quality of peer relationships. EE was determined using the Five-Minute Speech Sample. There was a nonsignificant difference in the hypothesized direction between SRS-2 total score (p = 0.34), Social Communication subscale score (p = 0.34), and Social Communication and Interaction DSM-5–compatible subscale score (p = 0.36) between the high and low EE groups. On the RMET-C and -A, subjects with high caregiver EE had similar error rates as those with low EE (p = 0.18 for RMET-C and p = 0.36 for RMET-A). There was no significant difference between the groups on the VABS-3 (p = 0.86). High EE youth rated the quality of their peer relationships lower by 4.9 points on the PROMIS Peer Relationship scale than individuals with low EE (p = 0.16). Although these preliminary results do not support our hypotheses, the nonsignificant differences were in the hypothesized direction. Our sample size was small (N = 16) and likely lacking the power needed to identify significant differences in the social communication of youth with ASD living with low vs high degrees of caregiver EE. Directions for future study include reexamining these hypotheses with a larger sample size and identifying directionality in the association between EE and core deficits.

6.30 Biological and Psychosocial Correlates of Social Cognition in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

The dysfunctional immune responses in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) associated with increased impairments in social cognition and the impact of interpersonal and social stress in ASD on inflammatory pathways are well known. The connection between psychosocial stress, the immune system, and core deficits may provide greater insight into this debilitating disorder. Our major objectives include: 1) to examine the association of psychosocial stress with measures of social cognition; and 2) to assess the relationship between peripheral inflammatory and neurotrophic proteins, psychosocial stress, and social cognition. Preliminary analysis includes 30 adolescents ages 13 to 17 years old (N = 16 ASD; 12.5% female; N = 14 typically developed [TD; controls]; 21% female]. The Social Responsiveness Scale, Second Edition (SRS-2) was administered to measure social interaction and communication deficits. The Child and Adult versions of the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Tests (RMET-C and RMET-A, respectively) were administered as measures of theory of mind. Psychosocial stress measures included the Expressed Emotion (EE) assessed by the Five-Minute Speech Sample, NIH PROMIS scales. ProcartaPlex bead-based multiplex immunoassays were performed for simultaneous detection and quantitation of multiple protein targets in a subset of the plasma. Youth with ASD demonstrated higher familial EE than TD, although it was not statistically significant (p = 0.2). Parent-reported psychological stress in youth with ASD was significantly greater than TD (p = 0.001). Youth with ASD described greater impairments in peer relationships than TD youth (p = 0.004). Youth with ASD with greater psychological stress and impaired family and peer relationships demonstrated more errors on the RMET-A (p = 0.003, p = 0.03, and p = 0.009, respectively). Higher scores on the SRS-2 were seen in youth with ASD with greater psychosocial stress in EE and PROMIS measures, but this did not reach statistical significance. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) demonstrated significant associations with measures of psychological stress (p = 0.07 and p = 0.01, respectively), but no group differences were noted. The preliminary results are consistent with our hypotheses suggesting the presence of higher psychosocial stress in youth with ASD that contributes to greater impairments in social cognition and a dysregulated immune profile. Further analyses with the larger dataset could help identify risk factors that may affect the development and/or maintenance of these deficits and be prime targets for intervention.

Retiring or rewiring? Test of a social cognitive model of retirement planning.

Using the social cognitive model of career self-management (CSM; Lent & Brown, 2013), we examined theory-based predictors of retirement planning goals, decisional anxiety, and level of decidedness. Participants were 525 older workers in the United States and Canada. We first examined the psychometric properties of new or revised social cognitive measures linked to retirement planning with part of the sample (n = 200) and then tested the stability of the factor structure with the remainder of the sample (n = 325). The measurement and structural models indicated good overall model-data fit in the larger sample and across most grouping variables (nationality, income level, and gender), and support was found for most of the paths predicting retirement planning, decisional anxiety, and level of decidedness. However, some gender differences were found in aspects of self-efficacy (confidence at time vs. financial management) that were predictive of decidedness. We consider the implications of the findings for future research and practice directions applying the social cognitive model to retirement planning. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).