Mind Abilities Research Articles

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 role of theory of mind and edutainment messages in recognizing native advertising: a test of the CARE model

The use of native advertising (a.k.a. sponsored content) posing as journalistic content is a controversial practice. In particular, there are substantial concerns that ordinary news consumers are unable to recognize that such content is intended to be persuasive. Recent theorizing via the Covert Advertising Recognition and Effects (CARE) model suggests that news consumers need the motivation and/or ability to recognize these messages. This study tested these elements of the CARE model in an experiment with 567 college students. Specifically, this study examined whether increased ability to recognize advertising via theory of mind skills and updated format knowledge about native advertising affected participants ability to recognize native advertising as persuasive messaging. Results showed that participants were only successful in recognizing persuasive content when they had both higher theory of mind abilities and exposure to the edutainment message about native advertising. These findings provide key insights into how adults process native advertising.

Diversity in perceptual, social, and executive functions in preschoolers from Germany and Iran

The cultural background and age shape the cognitive and social development of children. This study aimed to compare perceptual, executive, and social functioning in two age groups of preschoolers from Germany and Iran. One hundred sixty-five children (83 Iranian and 82 German) participated in the study, with 87 children aged three years and 78 children aged four years. The participants completed a series of tasks to assess different cognitive functions, including the theory of mind as a measure of social cognition, picture mental rotation test to evaluate spatial ability, and several tests including digit span, Corsi block tapping, day-night, grass-snow, dimensional change card sort, and active and passive vocabulary tests to assess executive functions. The findings revealed that German children performed better than their Iranian peers regarding spatial ability and theory of mind. Additionally, German children outperformed Iranian children in working memory, cognitive flexibility, and verbal fluency, while Iranian children demonstrated better inhibitory control. Furthermore, the correlational analysis indicated that in German children, executive function correlated with the theory of mind, whereas in Iranian children, executive function was associated with perceptual functions. Age impacted the results. These results highlight the role of cultural factors in shaping cognitive functioning and emphasize the need to consider cultural influences when examining cognitive development in different populations.

Gaze communicates both cue direction and agent mental states.

Although it is well established that humans spontaneously attend to where others are looking, it remains debated whether this gaze following behavior occurs because gaze communicates directional information (i.e., where an agent is looking) or because gaze communicates an agent's inferred mental content (i.e., what an agent perceives), both of which rely on the processes involved in the general Theory of Mind ability. To address this question, in two Experiments we used a novel task to measure how spatially dissociated and spatially combined effects of an agent's gaze direction and perceived mental content influence target performance. We also contrasted performance for social directional cues and nonsocial arrows. Our data revealed that performance was compromised when cue direction and mental content dissociated relative to when they combined. Performance for dissociated components was especially prominent when a social avatar served as a cue relative to a comparison arrow. Together, these data show that a typical gaze signal communicates information about both where an agent is attending and what they are attending to.

Motor, cognitive, and socio-cognitive mechanisms explaining social skills in autism and typical development.

Challenges in social functioning are considered a core criterion for diagnosing autism. Although motor skills, executive functioning (EF), and theory of mind (ToM) abilities independently affect social challenges and are interconnected, these abilities' shared contribution to the explanation of social functioning in autism remains under-investigated. To address this disparity, we examined the motor, EF, and ToM abilities of 148 autistic and non-autistic youth (ages 6-16 years), evaluating these variables' impact on social ability and their interconnections. Our mediation model exploring the contribution of motor, EF, and ToM skills explained 85% of the variance in social functioning (Social Responsiveness Scale-SRS-2). Analysis yielded a direct path from study group to SRS-2-social (typically developing-TD > autistic) and two main parallel indirect joint paths: (a) Group ➔ motor ➔ EF ➔ SRS-2-social; and (b) Group ➔ motor ➔ ToM ➔ SRS-2-social. In two secondary indirect paths, autistic children showed lower motor skills, which in turn explained their higher EF and/or ToM impairment, which in turn explained their higher social skills impairment. Put differently, our results suggest that better EF and TOM proficiency may compensate for poorer motor skills. Findings also indicated that the collective impact of motor, EF, and ToM skills on social functioning, along with the mediating role played by EF and ToM on the social-motor linkage, may contribute to understanding individual differences in the social functioning of autistic children. These conclusions call for the inclusion of motor, EF, and ToM activities into daily practices to facilitate social functioning.

RELEVANSI PRINSIP-PRINSIP EKONOMI DAN AKUNTANSI TERHADAP QS. AL-BAQARAH AYAT 282

This article explains that Islam has a significant role in regulating the relationship and interaction between humans and God as well as fellow humans, other creatures, and the environment through the rules of muamalah. The concept of accounting in Islam, known as al-muhasābah, is included in the realm of muamalah which is related to the ability of the human mind. Accounting is the measurement, description, or provision of certainty regarding financial information that helps decision-making in companies, organizations, and government agencies. The Qur'an has explained the basic concept of accounting long before the introduction of the concept of double-entry bookkeeping economic and accounting by Lucas Pacioli. Surah Al-Baqarah verse 282 outlines the concept of accounting which emphasizes responsibility or accountability in muamalah. This verse emphasizes the importance of recording transactions correctly, openness, and justice between the two parties. This research uses library research method to identify and analyze the relevance of economic and accounting principles with verse 282 in the Qur'an. In the letter, there are three relevant accounting principles: accountability, fairness, and truth. The principle of accountability emphasizes the importance of each party involved in the transaction to be responsible for their actions. The principle of justice emphasizes correct and fair recording, while the principle of truth creates fairness in recognizing, measuring, and reporting economic transactions. Thus, the relationship of economic accounting principles with verse 282 of the Qur'an confirms the importance of integrity, fairness, and obedience in economic activities in accordance with Islamic values. This study aims to strengthen the understanding of the relevance of accounting principles to Islamic teachings, so as to contribute to the development of business practices that are in accordance with Islamic value

Exploring the relationships between dominance behavioral system, mentalization, theory of mind and assertiveness: analysis in a non-clinical sample.

The dominance behavioral system, a fundamental aspect of human behavior, orchestrates the drive for dominance, regulates dominant-subordinate dynamics, and shapes responses to perceived power dynamics. While the existing literature extensively delves into the components of this system, scant attention is paid to its interplay with mentalization, theory of mind, and assertiveness. Moreover, gender disparities in dominance behaviors are largely studied in terms of biological variables (levels of testosterone) and clinical populations. This study aims to understand the relationships between activation strategies of the dominance behavioral system, mentalization processes, theory of mind abilities, and levels of social discomfort in assertive communication. Moreover, to identify gender differences in the dominance behavioral system in a non-clinical sample. Our sample was composed of 67 students from a non-clinical population. They claimed the absence of any psychological, neurological, or developmental disorders. A regression analysis was performed, and we found that levels of mentalization predict levels of hyperactivation of dominance behavioral system, but no significant results for the deactivation levels of the system were found. Moreover, no gender differences were found in levels of activations of the dominance behavioral system. These findings underscore the pivotal role of mentalization abilities in interpersonal dynamics, emphasizing the need for individuals to navigate social interactions adeptly. Furthermore, our research unveils implications for individual well-being and psychopathology, urging further investigation into how these dimensions intersect with various psychological disorders. By discerning the intricate mechanisms at play, we can develop targeted therapeutic interventions tailored to specific behavioral patterns, ultimately enhancing psychological resilience and fostering healthier social relationships in a non-clinical population.

Attachment and inter-individual differences in empathy, compassion, and theory of mind abilities

ABSTRACT Social processing, namely the ability to understand others’ cognitive and affective states, is crucial for successful social interaction. It encompasses socio-affective abilities such as empathy and compassion, as well as socio-cognitive abilities such as theory of mind (ToM). This study examined the link between social processing and attachment. Our study goes beyond previous research in that social processing abilities were assessed in a single, state-of-the-art behavioral paradigm using video narratives, the EmpaToM. Attachment was captured with the Adult Attachment Interview (N = 85; 50.60% women, M age = 25.87 ± 4.50 years) measuring participants’ present-day capacity to think about and communicate attachment-relevant information about the past. Additionally, a self-report attachment questionnaire was employed (N = 158). We found that AAI-based attachment security (vs. insecurity) was associated with higher behavioral ToM abilities. Furthermore, self-reported attachment avoidance was negatively correlated with behavioral compassion abilities. Our findings provide further evidence that interview-based and self-reported attachment measures do not converge, but may rather be understood as capturing different facets of attachment that relate to different components of social processing. We conclude that individuals with secure, non-avoidant attachment show social abilities that allow them to better understand others’ thoughts and generate positive, caring emotions in face of others’ distress.

Theory of mind abilities during the course of bipolar disorder: A longitudinal study using mixed models

Theory of mind (ToM) deficits, difficulties in recognizing the intentions, propensities, and beliefs of others have been shown in individuals with bipolar disorder in several studies; however, it is not yet elucidated how ToM abilities changes over the course of bipolar disorder and is related to illness symptoms. This is one of the first longitudinal studies to compare the ToM abilities of euthymic bipolar individuals and healthy controls over a four and a half years period. ToM abilities were measured using the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET). A total of 91 euthymic bipolar individuals and 91 healthy controls were included in the analyses. Linear mixed models were used to compare ToM abilities of bipolar individuals and healthy controls. It was found that bipolar individuals scored lower on average on the RMET than healthy controls and that these RMET scores were stable over four and a half years. The results of this study suggest that ToM deficits are a stable (possibly endophenotypic) trait of bipolar disorder. This understanding can contribute to better identification, assessment, and treatment strategies for individuals with bipolar disorder, ultimately improving their overall care and outcome.

50 years of research on working memory

Exactly 50 years ago, Allan Baddeley and Graham Hitch's (1974) working memory model fascinated academics and diagnosticians dealing with human cognition and fundamentally transformed the landscape of memory research. Working memory is the ability of the human mind that enables the creation and reception of messages, mental arithmetic, decision-making and other complex cognitive activities that require the temporary storage of necessary information and manipulation of it in order to perform current tasks (e.g. following the flow of a conversation). It is therefore one of the most dynamically developed areas of mind research in cognitive psychology, cognitive science, neuropsychology and the psychology of individual differences (especially in the diagnosis of intellect). The research dispute concerns many aspects of the construct of working memory described in detail: its structure, functions, capacity limitations, connection with consciousness, long-term memory, attention, etc. (cf. Logie, Belletier et al., 2021). The proposed solutions are so detailed that people who do not closely follow the literature on the subject may have difficulty understanding their essence. The origins of this creative confusion date back to the proposals of Baddeley and Hitch (1974), who carefully analyzed data on temporary memory and recognized it as a system composed of many interacting components, that is, separate subsystems storing information in different formats (e.g., visual or auditory), and from their superior subsystem, which manages the flow and use of the collected information. This article presents the context in which Baddeley and Hitch's (1974) multi-component model of working memory was developed, describes the milestones marking the dynamic changes it underwent, and lists the research projects that prompted a more detailed description of the individual components of the model. Although an influential part of contemporary competing approaches to working memory abandons many of Baddeley's theses (Cowan, 2017; Oberauer, 2019), each of them follows the conceptual paths forged by this author and must specify their positions in the questions asked during the fifty-year journey of working memory researchers.

The roles of language and executive function in Mandarin-speaking children's theory of mind development.

Research has indicated that language and executive function relate closely to first-order false belief reasoning, yet their roles in second-order false belief reasoning are under-explored, and their interplay in theory of mind development remains obscure. This study assessed 160 Mandarin-speaking preschoolers' and early primary schoolers' language, executive function, and theory of mind abilities to examine the unique roles and interplay of language and executive function in first-order and second-order false belief reasoning. Results showed that language significantly uniquely predicted the children's first-order as well as second-order false belief reasoning when controlling for the effects of age and executive function. Although executive function significantly predicted first-order FB reasoning when controlling for age, it was no longer a significant predictor of first-order FB reasoning when language was included in the model. However, executive function played a significant unique role in second-order FB reasoning when controlling for the effects of age and language. The current findings suggest that language plays a greater role than executive function in Mandarin-speaking children's theory of mind development and the contributors to theory of mind development vary in different levels of false belief reasoning.

Testing theory of mind in large language models and humans

At the core of what defines us as humans is the concept of theory of mind: the ability to track other people’s mental states. The recent development of large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT has led to intense debate about the possibility that these models exhibit behaviour that is indistinguishable from human behaviour in theory of mind tasks. Here we compare human and LLM performance on a comprehensive battery of measurements that aim to measure different theory of mind abilities, from understanding false beliefs to interpreting indirect requests and recognizing irony and faux pas. We tested two families of LLMs (GPT and LLaMA2) repeatedly against these measures and compared their performance with those from a sample of 1,907 human participants. Across the battery of theory of mind tests, we found that GPT-4 models performed at, or even sometimes above, human levels at identifying indirect requests, false beliefs and misdirection, but struggled with detecting faux pas. Faux pas, however, was the only test where LLaMA2 outperformed humans. Follow-up manipulations of the belief likelihood revealed that the superiority of LLaMA2 was illusory, possibly reflecting a bias towards attributing ignorance. By contrast, the poor performance of GPT originated from a hyperconservative approach towards committing to conclusions rather than from a genuine failure of inference. These findings not only demonstrate that LLMs exhibit behaviour that is consistent with the outputs of mentalistic inference in humans but also highlight the importance of systematic testing to ensure a non-superficial comparison between human and artificial intelligences.

Feasibility and Efficacy of a Virtual Reality Social Prediction Training in Children and Young Adults with Congenital Cerebellar Malformations.

This study tested the feasibility and efficacy of a Virtual Reality (VR) social prediction training (VR-Spirit) specifically designed for patients with congenital cerebellar malformation. The study is a randomised controlled trial in which 28 cerebellar patients aged 7-25 yo were randomly allocated to the VR-Spirit or to a control intervention in VR. The VR-Spirit required participants to compete with different avatars in scenarios that prompted them to form predictions about avatars' intentions. The control intervention consisted of games currently adopted for motor rehabilitation. Social prediction as well as secondary neuropsychological and behavioural outcomes were assessed at the beginning (T0), at the end (T2) and after 2months (T3). The experimental group showed a significant increase, compared to the control participants, in social prediction assessed through a VR task. Moreover, at least at T3, the VR-Spirit enhanced the use of contextual predictions in a computer-based action prediction task. Importantly, these effects were generalized to secondary neuropsychological outcomes, specifically theory of mind and, only at T2, inhibition. No differences between the interventions were detected on emotional-behavioural problems. Lastly, both interventions showed high feasibility and acceptability. These findings confirm that it is possible to develop condition-specific rehabilitative training on the basis of neurocognitive functions impaired in case of congenital malformation. The VR-Spirit demonstrated to generalize its effects to theory of mind abilities, and it might be thus extended to other neurodevelopmental disorders that present social perception deficits and alterations of predictive processing.Trial registration: ISRCTN, ID: ISRCTN22332873. Retrospectively registered on 12 March 2018.

It is not all about you: Communicative cooperation is determined by your partner's theory of mind abilities as well as your own.

We investigated the relationship between Theory of Mind (ToM) and communicative cooperation. Specifically, we examined whether communicative cooperation is affected by the ToM ability of one's cooperative partner as well as their own. ToM is the attribution of mental states to oneself and others; cooperation is the joint action that leads to achieving a shared goal. We measured cooperation using a novel communicative cooperation game completed by participants in pairs. ToM was measured via the Movies for Assessment of Social Cognition (MASC) task and fluid intelligence via the Raven task. Findings of 350 adults show that ToM scores of both players were predictors of cooperative failure, whereas Raven scores were not. Furthermore, participants were split into low- and high-ToM groups through a median split of the MASC scores: high-ToM individuals committed significantly fewer cooperative errors compared to their low-ToM counterparts. Therefore, we found a direct relationship between ToM and cooperation. Interestingly, we also examined how ToM scores of paired participants determine cooperation. We found that pairs with two high-ToM individuals committed significantly fewer errors compared to pairs with two low-ToM individuals. We speculate that reduced cooperation in low-low ToM pairs is a result of less efficient development of conceptual alignment and recovery from misalignment, compared to high-high ToM dyads. For the first time, we thus demonstrate that it is not all about you; both cooperative partners make key, independent, contributions to cooperative outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Strengthening AI via ToM and MC dimensions

Theory of Mind (ToM) highlights the social-cognitive ability of the individual to communicate and interact effectively with the members of each social group. Essentially, it is the cornerstone of social knowledge that allows the recognition and understanding of the thoughts, intentions, and feelings of all involved, promoting social interaction and engagement. Metacognition (MC) is a higher mental ability of the biological mind and is characterized by the observation, control, evaluation, differentiation, and readjustment of the cognitive mechanism, aiming at its optimal performance and maintaining the homeostasis of mental, social, and emotional becoming of an organism. The rapid development of technology in recent decades has promoted the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) intertwined with the need to integrate ToM and MC capabilities, enriching human communication. This paper investigates how the above-described human cognitive functions are involved in the conception and development of an artificial agent and their influence on human society. The conclusions suggest the importance of being able to read beliefs, emotions, and other factors, but also introspection by an intelligent system for social benefit, including the necessary ethical constraints.

The change in aesthetic experience and empathic concern predicts theory of mind ability: Evidence from drama improvisation training

Drama improvisation is recognized for its benefits in the Western context, particularly in enhancing performers’ social awareness and interaction skills. However, there is a gap in evidence from diverse cultural backgrounds, and few studies have examined the dynamic shifts in individuals before and after brief drama improvisation training. In this study, first-year Chinese college students not majoring in arts underwent a semester-long training encompassing six modules related to drama improvisation. The participants’ social anxiety, interpersonal sensitivity, intentional self-regulation, and aesthetic experience were measured pre- and post-training. Notably, the training was observed to reduce students’ social anxiety and elevate their flow experience—a state marked by deep concentration, pleasure, and heightened focus. The change in the flow experience and the empathic concern, predicted one’s theory of mind. These findings suggest that drama improvisation training can potentially bolster mental well-being in young adults, alter their aesthetic experiences, and enhance their socio-communicative skills, fostering creative thinking within the Chinese cultural framework.

Agreeableness modulates mental state decoding: Electrophysiological evidence.

Agreeableness is one of the five personality traits which is associated with theory of mind (ToM) abilities. One of the critical processes involved in ToM is the decoding of emotional cues. In the present study, we investigated whether this process is modulated by agreeableness using electroencephalography (EEG) while taking into account task complexity and sex differences that are expected to moderate the relationship between emotional decoding and agreeableness. This approach allowed us to identify at which stage of the neural processing agreeableness kicks in, in order to distinguish the impact on early, perceptual processes from slower, inferential processing. Two tasks were employed and submitted to 62 participants during EEG recording: the reading the mind in the eyes (RME) task, requiring the decoding of complex mental states from eye expressions, and the biological (e)motion task, involving the perception of basic emotional actions through point-light body stimuli. Event-related potential (ERP) results showed a significant correlation between agreeableness and the contrast for emotional and non-emotional trials in a late time window only during the RME task. Specifically, higher levels of agreeableness were associated with a deeper neural processing of emotional versus non-emotional trials within the whole and male samples. In contrast, the modulation in females was negligible. The source analysis highlighted that this ERP-agreeableness association engages the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Our findings expand previous research on personality and social processing and confirm that sex modulates this relationship.

The Revealing Accounting For Waste Entrepreneurs Seen From Sharia Perspective

Garbage is a problem that must be faced by the public due to discharges of waste is generated from human activities unused (Yansen & Arnatha, 2012). Waste problem is to encourage the growth Of public awareness to participate take part in waste management (Utami & Indrasti, 2008). According to (Adnan, 1995: 47) side of science, accounting is actually a domain "muamalah" in Islamic studies. That is, given the ability of the human mind to develop it (Harahap, 2004). Shariah is thus selling goods rosok automatically be referred to as merchandise goods rosok is a rosok used items, but with the up to date and efficient pengelolahan rosok goods has had a good selling price without compromising the quality and quantity (Sholichudin 2009). This type of method that will be used in this study is aqualitative research study based phenomenology. Qualitative research is research that aims to understand the social reality, which is to see the world from what it is, not the world should be, which have open minded nature. Based on interviews with searchers and collect waste, it acquired the meaning of accounting is A recording of value responsibility, and a sense of divinity in the form of income and sustenance of Allah without gharar that bring a sense of inner satisfaction.

Telaah Pemikiran Al Kindi: Konsep Ketuhanan dalam Prespektif Islam

Al-Kindi lived at a time when philosophy was not yet well known in the tradition of Islamic thought, precisely during the transition from traditional theology to philosophy. Al-Kindi was the first Arab to introduce philosophy into Arab thought and was given the title "Philosopher of the Arab Nation". Al-Kindi brought together religion and philosophy on the basis of the consideration that both are sciences of truth, so that there is no difference between the two. The influence of the Mu'tazilah group was clearly visible in his way of thinking when he determined the ability of the human mind to know the secrets brought by the Prophet Muhammad saw. The first philosophical science which includes divinity, oneness, primacy, and other sciences which teach how to obtain useful things and get rid of harmful things was also brought by God's apostles.

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

Impairments in executive function and social cognition are highly prevalent in individuals with an alcohol use disorder (AUD). Some studies show that similar difficulties are displayed by individuals with a positive family history of AUD (FH+) compared with individuals with a negative family history (FH-). Yet, no studies have jointly investigated cognitive and affective theory of mind at the behavioral level. Moreover, some studies show preserved executive and socioemotional functioning in FH+ participants. One possible explanation for these divergent results is that FH+ individuals are cognitively heterogeneous. In this study, we examined the frequency and co-occurrence of difficulties in executive function and social cognition among FH+ individuals at the individual level. Sixty FH+ and 60 FH- participants matched on age, sex, and education level were included. They completed tasks assessing executive functions (Stroop, Trail Making Test) and affective and cognitive theory of mind (Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition). They also completed self-report questionnaires measuring impulsivity, alexithymia, and empathy. Single-case analyses assessed the proportion of FH+ participants with difficulties in executive function and/or theory of mind. FH+ individuals exhibited difficulties in response inhibition and made more errors during theory of mind processing, indicating an absence of mental state representation, compared with FH- individuals. In the FH+ sample, 53.33% had executive function and/or theory of mind difficulties. Those with lower theory of mind scores reported higher alexithymia and lower empathy on self-report measures. FH+ individuals display heterogeneous executive function and theory of mind abilities. Given that they mostly occur independently of one another, executive function and theory of mind difficulties may be distinct vulnerability markers in AUD.