Aspects Of Social Communication Research Articles

Facial expression recognition as a candidate marker for autism spectrum disorder: how frequent and severe are deficits?

BackgroundImpairments in social communication are a core feature of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Because the ability to infer other people’s emotions from their facial expressions is critical for many aspects of social communication, deficits in expression recognition are a plausible candidate marker for ASD. However, previous studies on facial expression recognition produced mixed results, which may be due to differences in the sensitivity of the many tests used and/or the heterogeneity among individuals with ASD. To ascertain whether expression recognition may serve as a diagnostic marker (which distinguishes people with ASD from a comparison group) or a stratification marker (which helps to divide ASD into more homogeneous subgroups), a crucial first step is to move beyond identification of mean group differences and to better understand the frequency and severity of impairments.MethodsThis study tested 46 individuals with ASD and 52 age- and IQ-matched typically developing (TD) participants on the Films Expression Task, which combines three key features of real-life expression recognition: naturalistic facial expressions, a broad range of simple and complex emotions, and short presentation time. Test-retest reliability was assessed in 28 individuals who did not participate in the main study and revealed acceptable reliability (ICC r = .74).ResultsCase-control comparisons showed highly significant mean group differences for accuracy (p = 1.1 × 10− 10), with an effect size (Cohen’s d = 1.6), more than twice as large as the mean effect size reported in a previous meta-analysis (Uljarevic and Hamilton, 2012, J Autism Dev Disord). The ASD group also had significantly increased mean reaction times overall (p = .00015, d = .83) and on correct trials (p = .0002, d = .78). However, whereas 63% of people with ASD showed severe deficits (they performed below two standard deviations of the TD mean, a small subgroup (15.3%) performed normally (within one standard deviation of the mean).ConclusionThese findings indicate that the majority of people with ASD have severe expression recognition deficits and that the Films Expression Test is a sensitive task for biomarker research in ASD. Future work is needed to establish whether ASD subgroups with and without expression recognition deficits differ from one another in terms of their symptom profile or neurobiological underpinnings.

Vitality Forms Expressed by Others Modulate Our Own Motor Response: A Kinematic Study.

During social interaction, actions, and words may be expressed in different ways, for example, gently or rudely. A handshake can be gentle or vigorous and, similarly, tone of voice can be pleasant or rude. These aspects of social communication have been named vitality forms by Daniel Stern. Vitality forms represent how an action is performed and characterize all human interactions. In spite of their importance in social life, to date it is not clear whether the vitality forms expressed by the agent can influence the execution of a subsequent action performed by the receiver. To shed light on this matter, in the present study we carried out a kinematic study aiming to assess whether and how visual and auditory properties of vitality forms expressed by others influenced the motor response of participants. In particular, participants were presented with video-clips showing a male and a female actor performing a “giving request” (give me) or a “taking request” (take it) in visual, auditory, and mixed modalities (visual and auditory). Most importantly, requests were expressed with rude or gentle vitality forms. After the actor's request, participants performed a subsequent action. Results showed that vitality forms expressed by the actors influenced the kinematic parameters of the participants' actions regardless to the modality by which they are conveyed.

التواصل الاجتماعي ومفهوم الذات لدى الأطفال المعاقين ذهنياً المدمجين وغير المدمجين دکتور / الســـيد سعـــد الخمـــيسي أستاذة/ فاطمة عبد الجبار الکوهجي

ملخص البحث: هدفت الدراسة الحالية إلى الکشف عن أهم مظاهر التواصل الاجتماعي ومفهوم الذات، وعن إمکانية التنبؤ بالتواصل الاجتماعي من خلال أبعاد مفهوم الذات لدى کل من الأطفال المعاقين ذهنيا المدمجين وغير المدمجين بمملکة البحرين. وقد تکونت عينة الدراسة من (70) تلميذا وتلميذة من التلاميذ المعاقين ذهنيا إعاقة بسيطة مقسمين إلى مجموعتين، الأولى : مکونة من (31) تلميذ وتلميذة من غير المدمجين بمدارس الدمج وهم الملتحقين بمعهد الأمل للتربية الفکرية ، تراوحت أعمارهم من (6) : (12) سنة بمتوسط (8.84) وانحراف معياري (1.77). والمجموعة الثانية من الملتحقين بفصول الدمج بثمان مدارس ابتدائية، وبلغ عددهم (39) تلميذ وتلميذة، تراوحت أعمارهم بين (6) :(12) سنة بمتوسط (9.44) وانحراف معياري (1.60). ، وقد استخدمت الدراسة کل من مقياس التواصل الاجتماعي ومقياس مفهوم الذات للأطفال المعاقين ذهنيا، وهما من إعداد الباحثان. وقد أشارت نتائج الدراسة إلى أنه على الرغم من اشتراک کلا المجموعتين في مظاهر التواصل الاجتماعي ، إلا أن الأطفال المدموجين کانوا أکثر تميزا في عدة مظاهر للتواصل الاجتماعي عن أقرانهم غير المدموجين، کما کان مفهوم الذات کان أکثر إيجابية لدى الأطفال المدموجين. کما أشارت النتائج أيضا إلى أن بعد مفهوم الذات الاجتماعي هو الذي يمکن التنبؤ من خلاله بالتواصل الاجتماعي لدى الأشخاص المعاقين ذهنيا سواء المدمجين أو غير المدمجين. الکلمات الدالة: الإعاقة الذهنية – الدمج- التواصل الاجتماعي – مفهوم الذات. Abstract: The present study aimed to identify the most aspects of social communication and self-concept, and the predictability of social communication through the dimensions of the self-concept for mainstreamed and non- mainstreamed intellectually disabled children in kingdom of Bahrain. The study sample consisted of (70) male and female students with mild intellectual disability, divided into two groups: the first group consisted of (31) non- mainstreamed students which were enrolled at the Institute of Hope Intellectual education, aged from (6): (12) year M (8.84) and SD (1.77). The second group consisted of (39) of mainstreamed students which were enrolled at eight elementary schools, aged between (6: 12) year M (9.44) SD (1.60). The scales of social communication and self-concept has been used, and were designed by the researchers. The results indicated that although both groups were participated in the manifestations of social communication, the mainstreamed children were more unique in several aspects of social communication and had a positive self-concept more than non- mainstreamed peers. The results also indicated that can predict by social communication through social self-concept subscale in people with intellectual disability, whether mainstreamed or non- mainstreamed. Keywords: intellectual disability- mainstreaming- social communication- self concept.

Visual systemizing preference in children with autism: A randomized controlled trial of intranasal oxytocin.

Several studies have suggested that the neuropeptide oxytocin may enhance aspects of social communication in autism. Little is known, however, about its effects on nonsocial manifestations, such as restricted interests and repetitive behaviors. In the empathizing-systemizing theory of autism, social deficits are described along the continuum of empathizing ability, whereas nonsocial aspects are characterized in terms of an increased preference for patterned or rule-based systems, called systemizing. We therefore developed an automated eye-tracking task to test whether children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared to matched controls display a visual preference for more highly organized and structured (systemized) real-life images. Then, as part of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study, we examined the effect of intranasal oxytocin on systemizing preferences in 16 male children with ASD, compared with 16 matched controls. Participants viewed 14 slides, each containing four related pictures (e.g., of people, animals, scenes, or objects) that differed primarily on the degree of systemizing. Visual systemizing preference was defined in terms of the fixation time and count for each image. Unlike control subjects who showed no gaze preference, individuals with ASD preferred to fixate on more highly systemized pictures. Intranasal oxytocin eliminated this preference in ASD participants, who now showed a similar response to control subjects on placebo. In contrast, control participants increased their visual preference for more systemized images after receiving oxytocin versus placebo. These results suggest that, in addition to its effects on social communication, oxytocin may play a role in some of the nonsocial manifestations of autism.

Speech Versus Speaking: The Experiences of People With Parkinson's Disease and Implications for Intervention.

In this project, we explore the experiences of people who report speech changes associated with Parkinson's disease as they describe taking part in everyday communication situations and report impressions related to speech treatment. Twenty-four community-dwelling adults with Parkinson's disease took part in face-to-face, semistructured interviews. Qualitative research methods were used to code and develop themes related to the interviews. Two major themes emerged. The first, called "speaking," included several subthemes: thinking about speaking, weighing value versus effort, feelings associated with speaking, the environmental context of speaking, and the impact of Parkinson's disease on speaking. The second theme involved "treatment experiences" and included subthemes: choosing not to have treatment, the clinician, drills and exercise, and suggestions for change. From the perspective of participants with Parkinson's disease, speaking is an activity requiring both physical and cognitive effort that takes place in a social context. Although many report positive experiences with speech treatment, some reported dissatisfaction with speech drills and exercises and a lack of focus on the social aspects of communication. Suggestions for improvement include increased focus on the cognitive demands of speaking and on the psychosocial aspects of communication.

Mirroring the Social Aspects of Speech and Actions: The Role of the Insula.

Action and speech may take different forms, being expressed, for example, gently or rudely. These aspects of social communication, named vitality forms, have been little studied in neuroscience. In the present functional magnetic resonance imaging study, we investigated the role of insula in processing action and speech vitality forms. In speech runs, participants were asked to listen or imaging themselves to pronounce action verbs gently or rudely. In action runs, they were asked to observe or imaging themselves to perform actions gently or rudely. The results showed that, relative to controls, there was an activation of the dorso-central insula in both tasks of speech and action runs. The insula sector specific for action vitality form was located slightly more dorsally than that of speech with a large overlap of their activations. The psycho-physiological interaction analysis showed that the insular sector involved in action vitality forms processing is connected with the left hemisphere areas controlling arm actions, whereas the sector involved in speech vitality forms processing is linked with right hemisphere areas related to speech prosody. We conclude that the central part of the insula is a key region for vitality forms processing regardless of the modality by which they are conveyed or expressed.

Developmental phonagnosia: Linking neural mechanisms with the behavioural phenotype

Human voice recognition is critical for many aspects of social communication. Recently, a rare disorder, developmental phonagnosia, which describes the inability to recognise a speaker's voice, has been discovered. The underlying neural mechanisms are unknown. Here, we used two functional magnetic resonance imaging experiments to investigate brain function in two behaviourally well characterised phonagnosia cases, both 32 years old: AS has apperceptive and SP associative phonagnosia. We found distinct malfunctioned brain mechanisms in AS and SP matching their behavioural profiles. In apperceptive phonagnosia, right-hemispheric auditory voice-sensitive regions (i.e., Heschl's gyrus, planum temporale, superior temporal gyrus) showed lower responses than in matched controls (nAS=16) for vocal versus non-vocal sounds and for speaker versus speech recognition. In associative phonagnosia, the connectivity between voice-sensitive (i.e. right posterior middle/inferior temporal gyrus) and supramodal (i.e. amygdala) regions was reduced in comparison to matched controls (nSP=16) during speaker versus speech recognition. Additionally, both cases recruited distinct potential compensatory mechanisms. Our results support a central assumption of current two-system models of voice-identity processing: They provide the first evidence that dysfunction of voice-sensitive regions and impaired connectivity between voice-sensitive and supramodal person recognition regions can selectively contribute to deficits in person recognition by voice.

La teoría de la mente como proceso mediador del funcionamiento social. Evaluación en el Síndrome de Turner.

The theory of mind is the ability to infer other people´s mind. Turner´s Syndrome is a chromosomal disorder characterized by an atypical development of certain brain areas involved in social cognitive processes, existing empirical evidence that support woman with this diagnosis present impairments in specific aspects involved in social functioning. Aim: characterize Theory of Mind in women with diagnosis of Turner´s Syndrome. Sample: 20 women with diagnosis of Turner´s Syndrome and its respective control cases. Methods: Metaphoric Communications and Strange Stories of Happe. Results and discussion: statistically significant differences were found between women with diagnosis of TS and their control group in many of the sub dimensions of strange stories, obtaining, significant differences in total score, with high effect magnitude. The social difficulties in women with diagnosis of Turner´s Syndrome may be associated to an impairment in Theory of Mind related to recognition of non-literal senses, implying a dephasing in the pragmatic aspects of social communication.

The impact of oxytocin administration on brain activity: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol.

BackgroundConverging evidence demonstrates the important role of the neuropeptide hormone oxytocin (OT) in human behaviour and cognition. Intranasal OT administration has been shown to improve several aspects of social communication, such as the theory of mind performance and gaze to the eye region, and reduce anxiety and related negative cognitive appraisals. While this early research has demonstrated the potential for intranasal OT to treat psychiatric illnesses characterized by social impairments, the neurobiological mechanisms are not well known. Researchers have used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine the neural correlates of OT response; however, results have been variable and moderating factors are poorly understood. The aim of this meta-analysis is to synthesize data examining the impact of intranasal OT administration on neural activity.Methods/designStudies that report fMRI data after intranasal OT administration will be identified. PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar databases will be searched as well as the citation lists of retrieved articles. Eligible articles written in English from 2005 onwards will be included in the meta-analysis, and corresponding authors of these papers will be invited to contribute t-maps. Data will be collected from eligible studies for synthesis using Seed-based d Mapping (SDM) or Multi-Level Kernel Density Analysis (MKDA), depending on the number of usable t-maps received. Additionally, publication bias and risk of bias will be assessed.DiscussionThis systematic review and meta-analysis will be the first pre-registered synthesis of data to identify the neural correlates of OT nasal spray response. The identification of brain regions underlying OT’s observed effects will help guide future research and better identify treatment targets.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42016038781 Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13643-016-0386-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Characterizing social communication changes in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Speech and language impairments are well-established in individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, knowledge about particular aspects of social communication and everyday conversational abilities is limited. To investigate self- and informant-report ratings of social communicative abilities in ALS participants and matched healthy controls. Thirty-two participants with ALS and 24 controls completed the La Trobe Communication Questionnaire (LCQ). Participants nominated a close other to provide an informant report on the LCQ. Demographic and clinical information was also collected. Informant ratings indicated greater difficulties in conversational initiation, effectiveness and partner sensitivity for ALS participants compared with controls. ALS participants did not rate their social communicative abilities as poorer than controls and self-reports only differed from informant ratings in the control group. LCQ scores were not significantly correlated with clinical/functional variables. Social communication can be reduced in ALS and individuals may lack insight into these difficulties. In order to understand and provide targeted interventions for such difficulties, clinical speech and language assessment should incorporate social communication assessment, including both a self- and informant-report format.

مظــاهــر التــواصــل الاجتمــاعی ومفهــوم الذات لدى الأطفال المعاقین ذهنیاً المدمجین وغیر المدمجین بمملکة البحرین Manifestations of social communication and self-concept among mainstreamed and non-mainstreamed children with intellectually disabled children in kingdom of Bahrain

هدفت الدراسة الحالية إلى الکشف عن أهم مظاهر التواصل الاجتماعي ومفهوم الذات، وعن إمکانية التنبؤ بالتواصل الاجتماعي من خلال أبعاد مفهوم الذات لدى کل من الأطفال المعاقين ذهنيا المدمجين وغير المدمجين بمملکة البحرين. وقد تکونت عينة الدراسة من (70) تلميذا وتلميذة من التلاميذ المعاقين ذهنيا إعاقة بسيطة مقسمين إلى مجموعتين، الأولى : مکونة من (31) تلميذ وتلميذة من غير المدمجين بمدارس الدمج وهم الملتحقين بمعهد الأمل للتربية الفکرية، تراوحت أعمارهم من (6): (12) سنة بمتوسط (8.84) وانحراف معياري (1.77). والمجموعة الثانية من الملتحقين بفصول الدمج بثمان مدارس ابتدائية، وبلغ عددهم (39) تلميذ وتلميذة، تراوحت أعمارهم بين (6) :(12) سنة بمتوسط (9.44) وانحراف معياري (1.60)، وقد استخدمت الدراسة کل من مقياس التواصل الاجتماعي ومقياس مفهوم الذات للأطفال المعاقين ذهنيا، وهما من إعداد الباحثان. وقد أشارت نتائج الدراسة إلى أنه على الرغم من اشتراک کلا المجموعتين في مظاهر التواصل الاجتماعي ، إلا أن الأطفال المدموجين کانوا أکثر تميزا في عدة مظاهر للتواصل الاجتماعي عن أقرانهم غير المدموجين، کما کان مفهوم الذات کان أکثر إيجابية لدى الأطفال المدموجين. کما أشارت النتائج أيضا إلى أن بعد مفهوم الذات الاجتماعي هو الذي يمکن التنبؤ من خلاله بالتواصل الاجتماعي لدى الأشخاص المعاقين ذهنيا سواء المدمجين أو غير المدمجين. The present study aimed to identify the most aspects of social communication and self-concept, and the predictability of social communication through the dimensions of the self-concept for mainstreamed and non- mainstreamed intellectually disabled children in kingdom of Bahrain. The study sample consisted of (70) male and female students with mild intellectual disability, divided into two groups: the first group consisted of (31) non- mainstreamed students which were enrolled at the Institute of Hope Intellectual education, aged from (6): (12) year M (8.84) and SD (1.77). The second group consisted of (39) of mainstreamed students which were enrolled at eight elementary schools, aged between (6: 12) year M (9.44) SD (1.60). The scales of social communication and self-concept has been used, and were designed by the researchers. The results indicated that although both groups were participated in the manifestations of social communication, the mainstreamed children were more unique in several aspects of social communication and had a positive self-concept more than non- mainstreamed peers. The results also indicated that can predict by social communication through social self-concept subscale in people with intellectual disability, whether mainstreamed or non- mainstreamed.

Mayores e Internet: La Red como fuente de oportunidades para un envejecimiento activo

Global ageing has led European and international organizations to develop programs for active ageing, in order to reconstruct the role of the elderly in society. Active ageing includes social communication aspects which have been the subject of less research than other more pressing ones linked to physical and economic characteristics. This research is centered on these communication variables; it addresses the link between the elderly and Internet, and has two main objectives: to discover how useful Internet is for this age group, and to explain the potential this medium has for active ageing. To do so, a qualitative methodology is used based on three discussion groups, each made up of four or five people between the ages of 56 and 81, led by an expert moderator. The results of the qualitative content analysis of each discussion indicate that the Internet is a source of opportunities for the elderly, and this potential may be divided into four categories: Information, communication, transactions and administration, together with leisure and entertainment. This potential improves the quality of life for the elderly and contributes to their active ageing. However, to maximize this, e-inclusion programs and methodologies are needed to make the Internet user-friendlier for the elderly and provide them with training in digital skills. El progresivo envejecimiento de las sociedades ha llevado a los organismos internacionales y europeos a desarrollar programas de envejecimiento activo, capaces de construir una nueva cultura sobre el papel de las personas mayores en la sociedad. Estos incluyen aspectos sociales de carácter comunicacional que, sin embargo, han tenido menos desarrollo investigador que otros más apremiantes, vinculados a aspectos físicos y económicos. Esta investigación atiende precisamente a estas variables comunicacionales, abordando la vinculación de los mayores con Internet y planteándose dos objetivos principales: Conocer las utilidades que tiene Internet para este colectivo y explicar los motivos que convertirían a este medio en una fuente de oportunidades para un envejecimiento activo. Para satisfacerlos, se utiliza una metodología cualitativa que se apoya en el desarrollo de tres grupos de discusión constituidos por entre cinco y seis personas de 56 a 81 años y moderados por un experto. Los resultados obtenidos del análisis cualitativo del contenido en cada discusión indican que Internet es una fuente de oportunidades para los mayores, que pueden aglutinarse en cuatro categorías: informativas, comunicativas, transaccionales y administrativas, y de ocio y entretenimiento. Estas oportunidades optimizan la calidad de vida de los mayores y contribuyen a su envejecimiento activo, si bien, su máximo aprovechamiento precisa de programas de «e-Inclusion» y metodologías que aproximen Internet a los mayores, facilitándoles una formación en competencias digitales.

Saving face: Managing rapport in a Problem-Based Learning group

This qualitative study investigated the complex social aspects of communication required for students to participate effectively in Problem-Based Learning and explored how these dynamics are managed. The longitudinal study of a group of first-year undergraduates examined interactions using Rapport Management as a framework to analyse communication with regard to the concepts of face, sociality rights and interactional goals. Problem-Based Learning requires students to engage in potentially face-threatening interactions as they discuss subjects of which they have little prior knowledge, placing them in situations that require negotiation using face-saving strategies in order to meet objectives to share their learning with others. The study described within this article focuses on the key role of the Problem-Based Learning chair and shows how failure by the chair to manage rapport effectively can influence the quality of group learning. The findings suggest that educators need to understand the complex interactional demands students have to face in undertaking Problem-Based Learning and support students to overcome these difficulties considering the three bases of rapport management.

Are you talking to me? Neural activations in 6-month-old infants in response to being addressed during natural interactions

Human interactions are guided by continuous communication among the parties involved, in which verbal communication plays a primary role. However, speech does not necessarily reveal to whom it is addressed, especially for young infants who are unable to decode its semantic content. To overcome such difficulty, adults often explicitly mark their communication as infant-directed. In the present study we investigated whether ostensive signals, which would disambiguate the infant as the addressee of a communicative act, would modulate the brain responses of 6-month-old infants to speech and gestures in an ecologically valid setting. In Experiment 1, we tested whether the gaze direction of the speaker modulates cortical responses to infant-direct speech. To provide a naturalistic environment, two infants and their parents participated at the same time. In Experiment 2, we tested whether a similar modulation of the cortical response would be obtained by varying the intonation (infant versus adult directed speech) of the speech during face-to-face communication, one on one. The results of both experiments indicated that only the combination of ostensive signals (infant directed speech and direct gaze) led to enhanced brain activation. This effect was indicated by responses localized in regions known to be involved in processing auditory and visual aspects of social communication. This study also demonstrated the potential of fNIRS as a tool for studying neural responses in naturalistic scenarios, and for simultaneous measurement of brain function in multiple participants.

Oxytocin increases eye contact during a real-time, naturalistic social interaction in males with and without autism.

Autism spectrum conditions (autism) affect ~1% of the population and are characterized by deficits in social communication. Oxytocin has been widely reported to affect social-communicative function and its neural underpinnings. Here we report the first evidence that intranasal oxytocin administration improves a core problem that individuals with autism have in using eye contact appropriately in real-world social settings. A randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subjects design is used to examine how intranasal administration of 24 IU of oxytocin affects gaze behavior for 32 adult males with autism and 34 controls in a real-time interaction with a researcher. This interactive paradigm bypasses many of the limitations encountered with conventional static or computer-based stimuli. Eye movements are recorded using eye tracking, providing an objective measurement of looking patterns. The measure is shown to be sensitive to the reduced eye contact commonly reported in autism, with the autism group spending less time looking to the eye region of the face than controls. Oxytocin administration selectively enhanced gaze to the eyes in both the autism and control groups (transformed mean eye-fixation difference per second=0.082; 95% CI:0.025–0.14, P=0.006). Within the autism group, oxytocin has the most effect on fixation duration in individuals with impaired levels of eye contact at baseline (Cohen's d=0.86). These findings demonstrate that the potential benefits of oxytocin in autism extend to a real-time interaction, providing evidence of a therapeutic effect in a key aspect of social communication.

Understanding the Psycho-Physiological Implications of Interaction With a Virtual Reality-Based System in Adolescents With Autism: A Feasibility Study.

Individuals with Autism are characterized by deficits in socialization and communication. In recent years several assistive technologies, e.g., Virtual Reality (VR), have been investigated to address the socialization deficits in these individuals. Presently available VR-based systems address various aspects of social communication in an isolated manner and without monitoring one's affective state such as, anxiety. However, in conventional observation-based therapy, a therapist adjusts the intervention paradigm by monitoring one's anxiety level. But, often these individuals have an inherent inability to explicitly express their anxiety thereby inducing limitations on conventional techniques. Physiological signals being continuously available and not directly impacted by these communication difficulties can be alternatively used as markers of one's anxiety level. In our research we aim at designing a Virtual-reality bAsed Social-communication Task (VAST) system that can address the various aspects of social communication, e.g., social context, subtle social cues, emotional expression, etc., in a cumulative and structured way. In addition, we augment this with a capability to use one's physiological signals as markers of one's anxiety level. In our preliminary feasibility study we investigate the potential of VAST to cause variations in one's performance and anxiety level that can be mapped from one's physiological indices.

Conversational turn-taking in adults with acquired brain injury

Background: Social communication problems are a major contributor to negative life outcomes for adults with brain injury, yet the basic skill deficits underlying these problems are poorly understood.Aim: To examine one aspect of social communication that may have a negative impact on social interactions: the ability to successfully take turns in a conversation.Methods & Procedures: Seventeen adults with traumatic brain injury and two with bilateral strokes, and their typical peers matched for age and sex, viewed video-recorded conversations and indicated when they could join in the conversation. Turn timing was compared between groups using a novel statistical method designed for this study.Outcomes & Results: There was a significant between-groups difference in timing of turn-taking but no significant difference in number of turns. The novel analysis method revealed between-groups differences in responding to specific conversational cues.Conclusions: Adults with brain injury may miss or misinterpret verbal and non-verbal cues to turn-taking, which could contribute to conversation partners’ perceptions of impaired conversation skills in adults in this population.

An investigation of facial emotion recognition impairments in alexithymia and its neural correlates

Alexithymia is a personality trait that involves difficulties identifying emotions and describing feelings. It is hypothesized that this includes facial emotion recognition but limited knowledge exists about possible neural correlates of this assumed deficit. We hence tested thirty-seven healthy subjects with either a relatively high or low degree of alexithymia (HDA versus LDA), who performed in a reliable and standardized test of facial emotion recognition (FEEL, Facially Expressed Emotion Labeling) in the functional MRI. LDA subjects had significantly better emotion recognition scores and showed relatively more activity in several brain areas associated with alexithymia and emotional awareness (anterior cingulate cortex), and the extended system of facial perception concerned with aspects of social communication and emotion (amygdala, insula, striatum). Additionally, LDA subjects had more activity in the visual area of social perception (posterior part of the superior temporal sulcus) and the inferior frontal cortex. HDA subjects, on the other hand, exhibited greater activity in the superior parietal lobule. With differences in behaviour and brain responses between two groups of otherwise healthy subjects, our results indirectly support recent conceptualizations and epidemiological data, that alexithymia is a dimensional personality trait apparent in clinically healthy subjects rather than a categorical diagnosis only applicable to clinical populations.

Visualising conversations between care home staff and residents with dementia

ABSTRACTPeople with dementia living in residential care often face the dual disadvantage of increasing difficulty with communication and reduced opportunities for conversation. Social interaction is central to wellbeing of residents with dementia, so it is important that care staff have the skills to engage in conversation with them. We studied conversations in 20 care staff–resident dyads, to examine conversation structure and content, patterns of engagement within conversations, including the topics around which engagement occurred, and communication behaviours by care staff that appeared to facilitate (or impede) participation by residents. The transcripts were analysed using Discursis, a computational information visualisation tool that allows interactive visual inspection, in context, of the contributions by each speaker, the turn-taking dynamics, and the content recurring within and between speakers. We present case examples (a) where care staff did most of the talking, initiated topics and were responsible for most recurrence of content; (b) where talk was more evenly shared between partners, with some topics initiated and/or elaborated by participants with dementia; and (c) where participants with dementia talked most, with care staff supporting the conversation. We identified accommodative strategies used by care staff, such as reflecting back the other person's responses to sustain engagement. We also noted care staff behaviours that impeded communication, such as not listening attentively and not allowing sufficient time for responses. The results from this study highlight aspects of social communication within the aged care context and suggest ways in which rewarding interactions between staff and residents with dementia might be encouraged.

Eye contact, a fundamental building block of social behavior, engages single unit activity in the monkey amygdala

In primates, the meaningful use of facial signals and eye contact is a prerequisite for normal social behavior. Just by looking at the face of another monkey, an individual can determine its age, sex, dominance status, health, etc. Facial expressions are useful to determine the emotional state and possible intentions of others. Eye contact facilitates affiliative behaviors such as facial mimicry in the context of mother-infant interactions, but also conveys threats and dominance status in adult-adult interactions. The neural circuitry that underlies these behaviors is largely unknown. One goal of our research is to determine the role of the primate amygdala in basic aspects of social communication that involve looking at the eyes of other individuals. To achieve this goal we developed an experimental paradigm that elicits reliably and reproducibly several aspects of social behavior including eye contact, facial mimicry, and gaze following [1]. Additionally, we recordeded single unit activity from the monkey amygdala to determine which of these social components (if any) reliably induce neural responses. Species-specific and socially meaningful behaviors were elicited using naturalistic videos that depicted unknown monkeys displaying neutral, agonistic, or affiliative behaviors. Each video contained segments of displays when the movie monkey's eye gaze was directed toward the viewer monkey. The eye movements of the viewer monkey were co-registered with each movie frame and with multiple channels of single unit activity recorded from the amygdala. We found that 23/123 (19%) of neurons in the amygdala discharged selectively or exclusively when the viewer monkey looked at the eyes of the movie monkey (Figure ​(Figure1).1). These neurons had a response latency of 100-150ms from the start of fixation on the movie monkey’s eyes. They exhibited either excitatory (13/23, 57%) or inhibitory responses to looking at the eyes, and either no response (or a polar opposite response) to looking at other parts of the face or body. Higher responses occurred when the movie monkey's eye gaze was directed at the viewer (eye contact) than for averted gaze. A subset of neurons showed phasic responses indicating that eye contact had been established, whereas others showed tonic, sustained changes in firing for the entire duration of the fixation. We conclude that the amygdala is likely an important center for the elaboration of a fundamental building block of social behavior: looking at the eyes of others and establishing eye contact. Figure 1 Rasterplot and peristimulus time histogram of a single unit recorded from the monkey amygdala. This neuron had an increased firing rate that was maintained for the entire duration that the viewer monkey fixated on the eyes of the movie monkey (left panel). ...