Level Of Social Cognition Research Articles

Social Competence of Adolescents: The Role of Social Cognition and Behavior Control

Social competence during adolescence plays a crucial role in socialization and psychological well-being. Available data suggest that social cognition (theory of mind, ToM) and self-regulation (behavioral control) abilities make a significant contribution to social competence at a young age, but research on their role in adolescence is still limited. The purpose of the research is to study the role of behavior control and ToM in the social competence of adolescents. The study involved 106 6-8-grade students (girls - 51), aged 12-15 years ( Me = 13, SD = 0.87). The BRIEF questionnaire was used to assess their behavior control; ToM was assessed using tasks for understanding high-order false beliefs. For external assessment of the social competence of the participants, a questionnaire for teachers and a sociometric method were used. The groups of the adolescents, divided by the median criterion, were compared using the overall BRIEF regulation index and the total score for false-belief understanding. The most salient differences in the teachers’ and peers’ assessments of the social competence were found between the contrasting groups of the participants, i.e., with high levels of ToM and behavior control and with low levels of these abilities. At the same time, differences in the teachers’ assessments were observed for both positive and negative assessments but, in sociometric indices, only for negative ones. The teachers considered the adolescents with high levels of behavior control to be more socially competent, regardless of their level of social cognition. For the peers, the level of behavioral control mattered only when the ability to assess the mental states of other people was weak. The results of our study show the importance of the role of social cognition and behavioral control in the implementation of socially competent behavior in adolescents. At the same time, the data obtained indicate the heterogeneity of the contribution of these abilities to the social competence of adolescents assessed by peers and teachers.

88 Social Cognition and Information Processing Speed in Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis and Co-Morbid Diabetes: An Interim Analysis

Objective:Multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with cognitive and social cognitive deficits. Social cognition impairments may include difficulty with facial expression and emotion recognition. People with MS (PwMS) may also not be aware of their cognitive challenges as demonstrated through discrepant objective and subjective assessments. Research recently conducted in demyelinated mouse models demonstrated that metformin, a drug typically used to treat type II diabetes mellitus (DMII), promotes remyelination and reverses existent social cognition impairment by repressing the monoacylglycerol lipase (MgII) enzyme in the brain. We aim to translate this basic science research and are conducting a pilot study to determine if metformin improves social cognition in PwMS. This project will compare social cognition in those with MS and comorbid DMII who are treated with metformin and those who are not. For the purposes of this interim data analysis, we collapse across both MS groups who are, and who are not, treated with metformin. The current objective is to evaluate the relationship between subjective (i.e., perceived empathy), objective social cognition and information processing speed (IPS) in PwMS and co-morbid diabetes.Participants and Methods:Preliminary data on 15 PwMS are included. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, a cognitive assessment battery, an objective social cognition assessment and self-report questionnaires. These questionnaires assessed subjective social cognition, fatigue, mood, and disability level.Results:Preliminary results showed that IPS was positively correlated with the affective empathy domain of social cognition, r = .53, p = .04. Additionally, IPS was positively correlated with objective social cognition, r = .71, p = 003. Follow-up regression analyses demonstrated that IPS predicted objective social cognition, R2 = .71, SE = 3.04, F(1,13) = 13.36, p = .003 and subjective social cognition, R2 = .53, SE = 5.39, F(1,13) = 4.97, p = .04. However, subjective and objective measures of social cognition were not correlated, p > .05 and remained uncorrelated when IPS was controlled for, p > .05.Conclusions:A majority of the variance in social perception is explained by IPS, suggesting that how quickly one can think may be a fundamental cognitive process to allow optimal functioning in social situations. While the reason for the relationship between IPS and subjective social cognition is perhaps less apparent, it may reflect a more global cognitive compromise that impacts both cognitive and social processes. This lends support to the Relative Consequence Model that suggests IPS deficits are a fundamental cognitive deficit underlying other more complex cognitive processes. The lack of correlation between subjective perception of empathy and objective social cognition requires further exploration and could potentially be related to some individuals with MS having a diminished ability to judge their own social proficiency. Further analyses with a larger sample will be conducted to assess group differences in social cognitive outcomes and MgII levels between metformin and non-metformin groups. If PwMS who take metformin have better social cognition compared to PwMS who do not take metformin, Mgll levels can be used as a biomarker to guide metformin treatment with the goal of improving social cognition.

The Impact of Social Interaction, Academic Achievement, and Cognitive Flexibility Levels on Clinical Reasoning: Statistical Discourse Analysis

This study aims to analyze the impact of intern physicians' social interaction during teamwork, their cognitive flexibility and academic achievement on clinical reasoning. The study, designed through sequential exploratory mixed method, was carried out with 20 intern physicians working in 4 teams. The process of how they approach to the case was recorded. The verbal interactions made during the discussions in the teams were analyzed, the discourses obtained from the videos were coded and modelled by regression. In addition, the cognitive flexibility and academic achievement levels of intern physicians were also included in the regression modelling. The results showed that, according to the initial signs and symptoms of the first period of the case (when uncertainty was high), the team members informing each other resulted in success in clinical reasoning. Although guiding in the first period was not very effective, excessive guiding in the second period played a negative role in clinical reasoning. In the second period, ignoring, reminding, and suggesting had a negative impact on clinical reasoning. Our study demonstrated that academic achievement and cognitive flexibility levels of the students in teamwork has a positive impact on the quality of clinical reasoning. Moreover, for effective clinical reasoning, the quality of discourses in the team is more important than how many discourses are created during the discussions

Characterizing the personality and gray matter volume of chimpanzees that exhibit autism-related socio-communicative phenotypes.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder characterized by stereotypies or repetitive behaviors and impairments in social behavior and socio-communicative skills. One hallmark phenotype of ASD is poor joint attention skills compared to neurotypical controls. In addition, individuals with ASD have lower scores on several of the Big 5 personality dimensions, including Extraversion. Here, we examine these traits in a nonhuman primate model (chimpanzees; Pan troglodytes) to further understand the relationship between personality and joint attention skills, as well as the genetic and neural systems that contribute to these phenotypes. We used archival data including receptive joint attention (RJA) performance, personality based on caretaker ratings, and magnetic resonance images from 189 chimpanzees. We found that, like humans, chimpanzees who performed worse on the RJA task had lower Extraversion scores. We also found that joint attention skills and several personality dimensions, including Extraversion, were significantly heritable. There was also a borderline significant genetic correlation between RJA and Extraversion. A conjunction analysis examining gray matter volume showed that there were five main brain regions associated with both higher levels of Extraversion and social cognition. These regions included the right posterior middle and superior temporal gyrus, bilateral inferior frontal gyrus, left inferior frontal sulcus, and left superior frontal sulcus, all regions within the social brain network. Altogether, these findings provide further evidence that chimpanzees serve as an excellent model for understanding the mechanisms underlying social impairment related to ASD. Future research should further examine the relationship between social cognition, personality, genetics, and neuroanatomy and function in nonhuman primate models.

Effects of different doses of lithium on the central nervous system in the rat valproic acid model of autism

Epidemiological studies have shown that low doses of lithium in the environment can have beneficial effects on mental health. Autism spectrum disorder, a neurodevelopmental disorder in which patients exhibit abnormal behaviors, pharmacological interventions usually relied on a range of psychotropic medications. However, such medications often produce severe side effects or are ineffective in symptoms. Finding alternative ways to improve abnormal behaviors in individuals with autism are warranted, in which case lithium may be a relatively safe and effective medication. Lithium salt therapy is used to treat a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders and has neuroprotective effects. In this study, we investigated the effects of different doses of lithium on neurobehavioural disorders using the rat model of autism established by valproic acid (VPA) injection. Lithium was observed to have an ameliorative effect on the social cognitive, social memory and anxiety levels in the rat model of autism. Immunofluorescence staining showed that subchronic LiCl administration (1.0 mmol/kg) significantly reduced the number of Iba-1 positive cells in the CA1 region of the hippocampus in VPA group and brought it close to the levels of control group. Significantly lower levels of the pro-inflammatory marker IL-6 were observed in the hippocampus and serum after lithium treatment. In addition, the lithium treatment increased the levels of H3K9 acetylation in the hippocampus of VPA-exposed rats. The results showed a defensive effect of environment-related lithium exposure doses on neurobehavioural deficits in the rat valproic acid model of autism, suggesting that it may be a potential drug for the treatment of autism.

Children's dynamic use of face- and behavior-based cues in an economic trust game.

Who do children trust? We investigated the extent to which children use face-based versus behavior-based cues when deciding whom to trust in a multiturn economic trust game. Children's (N = 42; aged 8 to 10 years; 31 females; predominantly White) trust decisions were informed by an interaction between face-based and behavior-based cues to trustworthiness, similarly to those of adults (N = 41; aged 17 to 48 years; 23 females; predominantly White). Facial trustworthiness guided children's investment decisions initially, such that they invested highly with trustworthy-looking partners and less with untrustworthy-looking partners. However, by the end of the trust game, after children had experienced game partners' fair or unfair return behavior, they overcame this bias and instead used partners' previous behavior to guide their trust decisions. Using partners' return behavior to guide decisions was the most rational strategy, because partners' facial trustworthiness was not an accurate cue to their actual trustworthiness. This dynamic use of different cues to trustworthiness suggests sophisticated levels of social cognition in children, which may reflect the social importance of trust impressions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Reporting the Case of Violence Against a Healthcare Worker in Detikcom during COVID-19

This research was motivated by the news of violence that happened to a nurse at Pameungpeuk Health Center, Garut Regency. The incident of violence was recorded by CCTV surveillance cameras and went viral online, as published by Detikcom. This study aims to explain the level of text, social cognition, and social context of reporting violence cases against the healthcare worker. The research method used was descriptive and qualitative in line with a critical paradigm. The data collection techniques conducted were through in-depth interviews, observation and literature study. The results showed that at the text level, the elements of macro structure, superstructure and micro structure explained an unfavourable situation experienced by the victim or nurse who had been beaten. Social cognition shows that the journalists’ point of view in cases of violence against health workers have had an impact on their psychological condition. In this case journalists must provide information objectively, so the victim gets justice. The social context in this news discourse is the practice of power performed by Detikcom on publishing news and power of full access in handling cases by Pameungpeuk Sector Police and Garut Resort Police. The implication of this research is that the media can broadcast balanced news, uphold the ideals of journalists, provide a sense of security and increase public awareness that media discourse affects social life. Keywords: Critical discourse analysis, social cognition, social context, violence, healthcare worker.

Factors influencing resilience of parents with children with neurodevelopmental disorders: The role of structural language, social cognition, and social support.

BackgroundResilience allows a more positive coping and improves parents' wellbeing when they face a difficult situation like having a child with a neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD). We aim to analyze the development of resilience in parents of children with different NDD (ASD, DLD and ADHD) with different levels of structural language and social cognition, as well as the social support available for their families, and compare it to children with typical development (TD).MethodWe analyzed the level of resilience of 156 parents, 73 with children with TD and 73 with three different NDD, taking into account variables such as age, structural language (receptive grammar) and social cognition (emotional understanding) of the children, and also the type of social support available to them.ResultsChildren with DLD and ASD showed lower receptive grammar and emotional comprehension skills, although only parents of children with ASD obtained better resilience scores. Moreover, age of children and formal support variables predicted the resilience of the parents according to the type of NDD.DiscussionThe severity of social cognition and structural language difficulties of children with NDD and the fact of having support from professionals and family associations have a significant influence on the development of parental resilience.

Self-transcendence through self-inhibition?: God primes reduce self-accessibility.

This article reports 7 studies showing that God primes inhibit self-concept accessibility. Study 1A provided the first supportive evidence using undergraduate samples. Study 1B replicated the findings using working adult participants. Study 2A to 2C showed that the inhibitory effect of the God concept on implicit self-concepts was not due to concepts related to love, power, hope, religion, devil, and father. Study 3 found the same inhibitory effect when the God prime was subliminally presented. Study 4 showed that God concept priming influenced implicit self-representations, but not other types of implicit representations. Finally, a meta-analysis of our findings reveal a large effect of priming. In addition, the effect was consistent across different religious affiliations. These findings provide evidence at the social–cognitive level that activation of God concepts can induce lower self-orientation: a possible mechanism for religious self-transcendence.

An examination of neurocognition and theory of mind as predictors of engagement with a tailored digital therapeutic in persons with serious mental illness

There is an increasing interest in the development and implementation of digital therapeutics (apps) in individuals with serious mental illness (SMI). However, there is limited understanding of the role of neurocognition and social cognition on engagement with apps. The present study is a secondary analysis of a pilot randomized controlled trial (N = 62) comparing a tailored digital intervention to treat tobacco use disorder in individuals with SMI to a standard of care digital intervention for the general population. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of neurocognition, social cognition, and clinical characteristics on indices of app engagement in users of the tailored app compared to users of the standard of care app. Correlational analyses demonstrated that individuals with low levels of neurocognition and social cognition engaged more often and for longer duration with the tailored app compared to the standard of care app. In a series of multilevel zero-inflated negative binomial models, assignment to the tailored app remained the most robust predictor of app interactions (Risk Ratio [RR] = 1.72; p < .01), duration of app use (RR = 6.47; p < .01), and average length of interaction (RR = 2.70; p < .01), after adjusting for key demographic and clinical characteristics, and two measures of cognition. This is one of the first studies to demonstrate that digital therapeutics can be designed to mitigate the impact of neurocognition and social cognition on device engagement in SMI populations. Recommendations are made to advance the use of new analytic models to uncover patterns of engagement with digital therapeutics.

Covid-19 on Online News Media: A Discourse Analysis of Indonesian Government Crisis Management on Kompas.com

The COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia had attracted debate over how the Government dealt with this crisis. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Government has denied the spread of Covid-19 in Indonesia, although several cases were found in neighbouring countries. This research aims to analyse how the Indonesian Government handles the pandemic, based on news published online. Further, the research looked at the levels of text, social cognition, and social context of the relevant news in Kompas.com. The research method used was Teun van Dijk's Critical Discourse Analysis. The research result shows that Kompas.com presented the issue succinctly and criticised how the Indonesian Government handled the pandemic. The discourse built was that the Jokowi government was not ready to deal with the pandemic. The Government tended to ignore inputs from academics, research results, and other parties. Kompas.com sought to uncover the Government's initial response to the pandemic and subsequent policies. Further, the Government issued policies that were unclear, not firm, and constantly changing. Kompas.com positioned itself as a media that always presented news objectively, intact, independent perspective, unbiased by various political, economic, and power interests. The substance of this study contributes in the form of new policy recommendations for the heads of online media news editors on how to deliver news to the public in an open, straightforward, and critical manner that prioritises social responsibility. Keywords: Covid-19, critical discourse analysis, online news media, Kompas.com, Jokowi administration.

The Neglected C of Intercultural Relations. Cross-Cultural Adaptation Shapes Sojourner Representations of Locals

We investigated, by means of the Reverse Correlation Task (RCT), visual representations of the culturally dominating group of local people held by sojourners as a function of their degree of cross-cultural adaptation. In three studies, using three different methods (reduced RCT, full RCT, conceptual replication) with three independent samples of sojourners and seven independent samples of Portuguese and US-American raters, we gathered clear evidence that poor adaptation goes along with more negative representations of locals. This indicates that sojourner adaptation is reflected, at a social-cognitive level, in the valence of outgroup representations.

Subject Exploration in the Field of Library and Information from the Perspective of the Theory of Social Cognition

In the theory of social cognitive hierarchy, topic detection is an important part of research. It can provide readers with more information and enable them to obtain a better cognitive experience. The subject detection tasks in the field of library and information in our country are constantly developing, and great achievements have been made. In order to improve the efficiency of subject detection in the field of library and information, this paper proposes a subject detection method under the perspective of social cognitive level. This article mainly uses statistical analysis and survey methods to analyze the key factors of subject detection. The experimental results show that the reasonableness score of the four factors proposed in this paper is about 15 points on average. This shows that the factors studied in this article are closely related to topic detection.

The Critical Discourse Analysis on Pornography News of “V Garut” at TribunJabar.id Online Media

The emergence of pornography cases that had gone viral on social media with the tagline "V Garut" shocked the public because the act was committed by a woman and several men. The female suspect claimed that this act was done because of coercion and pressure that the male suspect had put on her. The research aims to explain the level of text, social cognition and social context of the pornography news of "V Garut" on the online media of TribunJabar.id. The research used a qualitative descriptive method with the theoretical approach of critical discourse analysis by Teun A. Van Dijk. Data collection techniques used observation, interviews, and documentation. The research object was related to the news of "V Garut" on the online media TribunJabar.id with two informants. The results of research at the text level in the elements of macrostructures, superstructures and microstructures explain the existence of a discourse indicating an unfavourable situation such as violence and marginalization on the role of "V Garut". Journalists’ social cognition tends to judge this case as “unique” phenomenon, not focusing on a social issue that must be addressed in society. Based on the analysis of the social context of this news, it can be seen that there is a powerful practice of the media and the authority’s access in reporting the “V Garut” case. Keywords: Critical discourse analysis, pornography, social cognition, social context, text.

Social cognition and social functioning in people with borderline personality disorder and their first-degree relatives.

BackgroundA few papers studying healthy, first-degree relatives of people with borderline personality disorder (BPD) have found that this group presents attention and memory problems. However, current research has not analyzed their social cognition.Materials and MethodsWe designed an age-, gender- and education-level matched case-control study involving 57 people with BPD, 32 of their first-degree relatives, and 57 healthy controls in Spain in 2018–2019. All were assessed for social cognition and functioning using the Movie for Assessment of Social Cognition and the Social Functioning Scale; other potential confounders were also collected (marital status, occupation and household variables).ResultsThere were differences in the social cognition domain of overmentalizing errors, with the BPD group scoring significantly higher than controls; however, there was no significant difference with relatives; in the social functioning domain of family relationships, with the controls showing the highest scores. Social engagement/withdrawal, interpersonal behavior, independence-competence, prosocial activities, full scale and categorization domains showed the same pattern: the BPD group had lower scores than their relatives and the controls. Relatives were significantly different from BPD patients in family relationships, social engagement/withdrawal and interpersonal behavior, as well as on the full Social Functioning Scale (both as a linear and categorical variable). However, only controls showed differences with relatives in family relationships.ConclusionsAll in all, relatives show similar levels of social cognition and functioning compared with controls, and people with BPD show some alterations in different domains of both social cognition and functioning.

Relationship between Basic Neurological Cognition and Social Cognition among Allen Cognitive Disability Levels of Acquired Brain Injury.

(1) Background: There are various cognitive, perceptual, and social problems associated with acquired brain injury (ABI). The Allen cognitive impairment level indicates the degree of cognitive function required for everyday activities. Until recently, there have been no studies on the relationship between basic neurological cognition and social cognitive function according to the Allen cognitive level (ACL). The aim of this study is to identify the relationship between basic neurological and social cognition among Allen cognitive disability levels of ABI. (2) Methods: Thirty-four patients with ABI were identified. Cartoon Intention Inference Task (CIIT), Social Behavior Sequence Task (SBST), Korean version Mimi-Mental Status Examination (K-MMSE), and Lowenstein Occupational Therapy Cognitive Assessment (LOTCA)-tests were administered to examine the differences in neurological and social cognitive functions according to each participant’s Allen Cognitive Level Screening (ACLS). (3) Results: There were significant differences between K-MMSE, LOTCA, CIIT and SBST results among Allen cognitive levels (p < 0.05). There was a linear correlation between K-MMSE (r = 0.778, p < 0.01), LOTCA-total score (r = 0.627, p < 0.01), LOTCA-orientation (r = 0.470, p = 0.01), LOTCA-thinking operation (r = 0.341, p < 0.05), CIIT (r = 0.817, p < 0.05), and SBST (r = 0.376, p < 0.05) and ACL. Stepwise multivariate regression showed that the subscales affecting the ACLS score were SBST (β = 0.239, p = 0.000) and K-MMSE (β = 0.068, p = 0.001). The explanatory power of this regression equation, R2, was 0.767. (4) Conclusions: A significant difference was found in neurological and social cognitive function according to the ACL level of the ABI patient. In addition, there was a linear correlation between the ACLS scores of the ABI patients and the underlying neurological cognitive function and social cognition. The higher the overall functional cognitive level (i.e., the group with higher ACLS scores), and the lower the degree of help required in daily life, the higher both the neurological cognition level and social cognitive level were determined to be.

Research on the Obstacles and Optimized Path of the Development of the Mode of Combination of Medical and Support for the Aged in China

There are four relatively mature modes of the combination of medical and support for the aged in China, named “setting up pension services in the medical institution”, “setting up medical services in pension institution”, “medical and nursing cooperation” and community home care. But it is still facing problems like low enthusiasm of social forces to participate in the combination of medical and health care, low supply-demand matching degree of integrated medical care and pension service, insufficient caregivers, and poor professional quality. Therefore, it is significant to strengthen the attraction of social capital and mobilize the enthusiasm of social forces to participate in the combination of medical and health care. In addition, it is also necessary to construct a multi-layered model of integrated medical care and pension service and improve the salary and social cognitive level of nursing staff to retain talents.

Successful Funding Through the Crowd: Towards a Research Synthesis Framework

In the past ten years, crowdfunding has emerged as promising online fundraising tool for entrepreneurial finance and has inspired a rich body of literature. Due to the different crowdfunding types and success models, multidisciplinary findings on crowdfunding performance are fragmented and there is needs for theory building. With this paper we explain how and why crowdfunding campaigns are successful. We apply mechanism-based theorizing and develop an explanatory research synthesis framework based on fifty-seven evidence-based empirical crowdfunding studies published in the top management and business journals. We identify five social mechanisms and their boundary conditions. Crowdfunding success can be explained by relational, economical and personal impact considerations of individuals, which are formed and guided by social norms. When the context specific social norms and cognitive level aspects align and induce trust in beneficial outcomes of the own behavior, reciprocity and social sanctioning drive collective action and crowdfunding success.

Social cognition and executive functions in children and adolescents with focal epilepsy.

Deficits in facial emotion recognition and Theory of Mind are frequent in patients with epilepsy. Although this evidence, studies on pediatric age are few and the relation between these abilities and other cognitive domain remains to be better elucidated. The purpose of our study is to evaluate facial emotion recognition and Theory of Mind in children and adolescents with focal epilepsy, and correlate them with intelligence and executive functions. Our work is a cross-sectional observational study. Sixty-two children and adolescents aged between 7-16 years diagnosed by focal epilepsy and 32 sex/age-matched controls were recruited. All participants were administered a standardized battery tests to assess social cognition (NEPSY-II), executive functions (EpiTrack Junior) and cognitive non-verbal level (Raven Progressive Matrices). Emotion recognition mean score was significantly lower in the epilepsy group than in the controls to Student's t-test (p<0.05). Epilepsy group showed an impairment in happiness, sadness, anger and fear recognition, compared to controls (p<0.05). Theory of Mind mean score was also significantly lower in epilepsy group than controls (p<0.05). Deficits in emotion recognition seemed to be related to low age at onset of epilepsy, long duration of disease, low executive functions and low non-verbal intelligence. Deficits in Theory of Mind seemed to be related to a high seizure frequency. Our results suggest that children and adolescents with focal epilepsy had deficit in facial emotion recognition and Theory of Mind, compared to their peer. Both these difficulties seem to be related to some features of epilepsy itself. Our results also suggest that deficits in facial emotion recognition are potentially related to difficulties in executive functions and non-verbal intelligence. More studies are needed to confirm these hypotheses.

Contemporary Expansion of Chinese Landscape Painting

Since ancient times, Chinese literati have a special dependence and belief in landscape painting, Since ancient times, Chinese literati have a special dependence and belief in landscape painting, Confucius' theory puts forward that "benevolent people enjoy mountains, wise people enjoy water". The artistic form of landscape theme is the world outlook and outlook on life condensed by Chinese literati in thousands of years of social changes, and the way to view the way of the universe. This paper discusses how to innovate and expand the form of Chinese landscape painting in the contemporary context, how to effectively convey the painter's feelings and ideas in the performance, and how to accept and recognize Chinese landscape painting on the international stage. The inheritance and innovation of Chinese landscape painting needs painters to have a keen sense of people's psychological deficiencies and spiritual demands in this era, to refine the social cognitive level in life, to separate from the surface form that interferes with vision, to go deep into the nature of the problem, to find a way out of the Predicament and to achieve transcendence, to achieve "two forgets of things and one forgetting of man and nature", and to lead the audience with Chinese landscape painting Enter the pure spiritual world to resist the impetuosity and alienation caused by the rapid pace of life in the era of information technology.