Social Cognitive Skills Research Articles

Golden gazes: Gaze direction and emotional context promote prosocial behavior by increasing attributions of empathy and perspective-taking.

Prosocial behavior is fundamental to societies. But when and toward whom do humans act generously? We investigate the impact of a listeners' gaze direction and the emotional context of the story heard on (a) perceptions of their social cognition skills and (b) prosocial decisions toward them. In three experiments (two preregistered, N = 486), human participants witnessed prerecorded video encounters between a listener (visible) and a speaker (audible, not visible). The listener either established eye contact, averted gaze, or showed a mixed gaze pattern (gaze direction), while the speaker told a neutral or negatively valenced autobiographic episode (emotional context). Participants rated the listeners' empathy and perspective-taking after each video and played the trust game (Study 1) or the dictator game (Study 2) with the listener. Replicating previous findings, occasional gaze avoidance, especially during negative narrations, increased attributions of social understanding to the listener. Critically, mediation analyses revealed that listeners perceived as empathic and taking perspective were ultimately treated with more trust and generosity in strategic and nonstrategic economic games, suggesting that social signals and contextual cues can serve as an indication of another's reputation, thereby promoting indirect reciprocity. Last, in Study 3, we show that emotional context, but not listeners' gaze behavior, promoted the spread of generosity toward anonymous, previously unobserved individuals in a dictator game, driven by social cognition skills attributed to the listener. We conclude that social signals and contextual cues can be important drivers of cooperation in societies via mechanisms such as indirect reciprocity and social contagion of generosity. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Модель психического и макиавеллизм как факторы внутригрупповых отношений в подростковом возрасте

<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Objective. </strong>Analysis of differences in social cognition skills (theory of mind) and Machiavellianism in adolescents with different levels of popularity and preference among peers. <br><strong>Background. </strong>Despite the possible consensus on the positive relationship of high social cognition skills and successful socialization, it remains important to study how theory of mind and manipulative behavior are involved in the popularity and social preferences of adolescents. <br><strong>Study design. </strong>The paper studied the differences in the theory of mind and Machiavellianism in adolescents with different levels of popularity and social preference in the peer group. Statistical differences were tested using non-parametric differences tests. <br><strong>Participants. </strong>166 students (grades 6–8) from schools in the Moscow region. Age from 13 to 14 years (<em>M</em> = 13,39; <em>SD</em> = 0,49), including 90 girls (54,2%). <br><strong>Measurements. </strong>Theory of mind was assessed using the "Reading the Mind in the Eyes" test and tasks for understanding false believes of a higher order. The Russian-language version of the Mach scale is IV. Sociometric method. <br><strong>Results. </strong>Adolescents choose peers with high social cognition skills as friends. Machiavellianism plays into the evaluation of popularity and social preference by peers. Adolescents with a higher level of Machiavellianism are rated by their peers as more popular and preferred for communication. <br><strong>Conclusions. </strong>Popular teens and teens chosen to socialize differ in social cognition and machiavellian skills.</p>

Exploring social cognition in individuals with neuropsychiatric symptoms following acquired brain injury

In this study, we explored the social cognitive skills of individuals with neuropsychiatric symptoms following acquired brain injury (ABI). To this end, a retrospective chart review was carried out. We examined scores on social cognition tests that were administered as part of routine neuropsychological assessment at a Dutch specialized care facility for patients with neuropsychiatric symptoms following ABI. In addition, correlations with time post injury were explored. Aspects of social cognition (emotion recognition, Theory of Mind (ToM) and empathy) were measured using the Emotion Recognition Task (n = 40), the Ekman 60-Faces Test of the Facial Expression of Emotion: Stimuli and Tests (n = 11) and the Faux Pas Test (n = 36). 72.5% to 81.8% of participants scored very low or low on emotion recognition. Participants’ scores for ToM and empathy were lower than those reported recently for samples of Dutch stroke and traumatic brain injury patients. Correlations between social cognition scores and time since injury were non-significant or negative. While further research is necessary, our results indicate that social cognitive problems are prevalent and persistent in individuals who display neuropsychiatric symptoms after ABI. Future studies should employ a prospective approach in order to confirm our exploratory findings.

Evidence for a dissociation between moral reasoning and moral decision-making in Tourette syndrome.

Despite the growing interest on how Tourette syndrome (TS) affects social cognition skills, this field remains to date relatively under-explored. Here, we aim to advance knowledge on the topic by studying moral decision-making and moral reasoning in a group of adolescents with TS and a group of healthy controls. Overall, we found higher endorsement (i.e. a greater 'yes' response rate) for utilitarian solutions of incidental and instrumental moral dilemmas in TS compared to controls. By contrast, we reported an overall higher tendency of TS individuals to apply principles described in the moral foundation questionnaire to establish whether something is morally right or wrong. Our results document intact moral reasoning in TS and suggest that a deficit in suppressing inappropriate behaviours and/or altered sense of agency might be responsible for their higher utilitarian moral decision-making.

The relationship between socio-cognitive skills and ethnic prejudice in preservice special education teachers

ABSTRACT The current cross-sectional study aimed to increase the knowledge about socio-cognitive skills of preservice special education teachers that may affect their ethnic prejudices. In particular, the purpose of the study was to analyze the mediating role of empathy dimensions in the relationship between affective theory of mind and blatant and subtle prejudices. Participants included 531 Italian preservice special education teachers (76.4% females and 22.4% males), with an average age of 34.79 (SD = 6.10). Data were collected during the 2020–2021 academic year and all participants were administered, via the Google Form, the Reading the Mind in the Eyes test, Interpersonal Reactivity Index, and Subtle and Blatant Prejudice Scale. Path analysis showed that perspective taking and empathic concern play mediating roles in the relationship between the ability to infer people’s feelings and blatant and subtle prejudices. In addition, direct relations from affective theory of mind to ethnic prejudice and from empathic abilities to ethnic prejudice were found. These findings suggest that affective theory of mind and empathy are two cognitive-social skills involved in the expression of prejudice. The limitations and implications of the study were discussed.

Experiences with Lessons Learned Method in it Projects

The project manager plays a central role in project integration and successful project completion. Leadership skills, especially knowledge-based leadership skills, are critical to project success as they enable the effective creation, sharing and use of knowledge. Project managers’ social cognitive, interpersonal and strategic skills contribute to effective knowledge sharing. The Lessons Learned method is generally recommended for knowledge transfer in projects, but its effectiveness and implementation are controversial. The aim of this study is to investigate project managers’ experiences with the Lessons Learned method in IT project management. The focus is on how these experiences influence knowledge transfer in IT projects. A qualitative research design was used to gain insight into the experiences of project managers. Eleven experts responsible for IT projects were interviewed in guideline-based expert interviews. The collected data was analysed using content structuring qualitative content analysis. The study found that project managers are responsible for knowledge transfer, but often do not perceive this task. Different perceptions of knowledge transfer methods were observed between traditional and agile training. The Lessons Learned approach showed unsatisfactory results and project managers defined their own methods. To improve knowledge transfer, project management standards should include clear tasks and support decision making. Generic models need to be integrated in the project management standards to ensure consistent approaches in practice.

The relationship between adolescent reading habits and older adult social engagement – A longitudinal cohort analysis

ObjectivesTo investigate an access point during youth with the potential to have a positive impact on social engagement in later-life. Our social selves begin long before older adulthood, a life-stage during which people face extensive changes to their social milieu. Adolescence is a sensitive period for sociocultural processing and adolescent activities have the potential to impact social engagement in older adulthood. We examine reading since, in adolescence, it promotes social-cognitive skills which facilitate social engagement. MethodsOur main goal was to study the relationship between adolescent reading and older adult social engagement. We used longitudinal cohort data from Project Talent and ordered logistic regression as well as two-wave, cross-lagged panel model to analyze this relationship. Ancillary analyses examined recognized relationships between reading and social-cognition and between social-cognition and social engagement in both adolescence and older adulthood. ResultsAdolescent reading was related to more frequent older adult social engagement with both family and friends. This relationship was independent of reading during older adulthood, social engagement during adolescence, and social-cognition at both life-stages. Adolescent social engagement was not associated with older adult reading in the two-wave, cross-lagged model. Reading was positively related to social-cognition in adolescence, but was insignificant in older adulthood. And, social-cognition was positively related to social engagement in both adolescence and older adulthood. DiscussionReading is declining for both young and older Americans. Young Americans are also socializing less than in previous decades. These trends could have a detrimental influence on social engagement and social isolation in future cohorts of older adults. We recommend continuing to look for activities and experiences during youth, especially the sensitive period of adolescence, that could stimulate social engagement over the life-course and into older adulthood.

Oxytocin as a treatment for high-risk psychosis or early stages of psychosis: a mini review.

Individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR-P) present as help-seeking individuals with social deficits as well as cognitive and functional impairment and have a 23-36% risk of transition to first-episode psychosis. The therapeutic role of intranasal oxytocin (ΟΤ) in psychiatric disorders has been widely studied during the last decades, concerning its effects on social behavior in humans. A literature search was conducted via Pubmed and Scopus, using the search terms "oxytocin" and "psychosis." Six studies were included in the current review. There were differences in terms of demographics, intervention type, and outcome measures. ΟΤ may affect the social cognition skills of people at prodromal and early stages of psychosis, but its effect on clinical symptoms is ambiguous. Because of the high level of heterogeneity of existing studies, more original studies are needed to examine and clarify whether OT improves high-risk and early psychosis populations.

Adaptation and Feasibility of the Mandarin Version of PEERS® for Autistic Adolescents.

The Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS®) is a group-based social skills training program for adolescents on the autism spectrum. Although the program has been shown to be effective in improving social skills in autistic adolescents, evidence of its effectiveness from the Mandarin-speaking Chinese population is sparse. The present study used a non-randomized, pre- and post-intervention research design to investigate the feasibility and cultural validity of the program, as well as examine the moderators of intervention outcomes. Thirty-three autistic adolescents with intelligence quotient above 70 (Mage = 13.57, SDage = 1.43; Male: Female 25:8) and their parents received 14 concurrent 90-minute sessions. Adolescents' autistic traits, challenging behaviors, emotional functioning, socio-cognitive process, social environment factors (school support), and caregivers' well-being were evaluated. The findings suggest that with minor adjustments, the Mandarin version of PEERS® was generally acceptable and feasible for autistic adolescents and their parents. PEERS® may improve the social skills knowledge, reciprocal communication abilities, and emotional well-being of autistic adolescents. Also, participants with a higher level of school support, and parents with lower perceived subjective well-being at baseline may gain more benefits from PEERS®. The cultural adaptation and acceptability of the Mandarin Version of PEERS® were discussed. This feasibility study (Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR2200061417, 2022-06-23, retrospectively registered) provides a basis for further randomized control trials of the Mandarin version of PEERS®.

Role of bilingual experience in children's context-sensitive selective trust strategies

AbstractEarly bilingual language experience can enhance children's social-cognitive skills for effective communication. This study examined whether individual variability in bilingual language diversity, measured by language entropy, influenced 3- to 5-year-old children's engagement of contextual information in their selective trust strategies. One-hundred-and-forty Singaporean children (58 girls, Mage = 53.64 months, 97.1% Asian) were presented with an informant who provided either accurate or inaccurate information in a context with either adequate or limited information access. Bilingual children with greater language diversity, compared to those with less language diversity, were more likely to adapt their accuracy-based selective trust strategy to the informant's circumstances (i.e, information access). Results provide new insights into the role of diverse linguistic experiences in shaping children's social cognitive development.

Workplace skills as regional capabilities: relatedness, complexity and industrial diversification of regions

ABSTRACT The literature unanimously agrees that industrial diversification is path dependent: new industries build on the pre-existing capabilities of regions that are partly embodied and reflected in the skills of the region’s workforce. This paper explicitly accounts for regional capabilities as workforce skills to build skill relatedness and skill complexity measures, that is, the skill-spaces, for 107 Italian regions for the period 2013–19. The data-driven techniques we use reveal that skill-spaces form two highly polarised clusters into social–cognitive and technical–physical skills. We find evidence that social–cognitive skills yield the highest probabilities of regional competitive advantage. A comparison with co-location-based measures shows that our measures are able to capture a substantial part of regional capabilities that cannot be measured with previous measures.

Normative values and diagnostic optimisation of three social cognition measures for autism and schizophrenia diagnosis in a healthy adolescent and adult sample.

Awareness of the importance of assessing social cognition skills under conditions showing atypical social behaviours has increased over the years. However, the evaluation of the psychometric properties of the measures and the availability of normative values for the clinical context are still limited. This study aims to revise, provide normative values, and evaluate the clinical validity of the Italian version of three social cognition measures: Advanced Theory of Mind (A-ToM) task, the Emotion Attribution Task (EAT), and the Social Situation Task (SST). Measures were administered to 580 adolescents and adult healthy controls (age range 14-50). We performed differential item functioning and Rasch analysis to revise each task, so normative data of the revised measures were calculated. Moreover, the revised measures were administered to 38 individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and 35 individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD): ASD and SSD were matched by age, gender, and IQ with a control sample to evaluate clinical validity. ROC analysis showed that the SST is the best measure differentiating between healthy and clinical groups, compared to the A-ToM (AUCASD = 0.70; AUCSSD = 0.65) and EAT (AUCASD = 0.67; AUCSSD = 0.50), which showed poorer performance. For SSD diagnosis, two SST subscales (Violation and Gravity score) indicated the best accuracy (AUCs of 0.88 and 0.84, respectively); for the ASD diagnosis, we propose a combined score between the SST subscale and A-ToM (AUC = 0.86). The results suggest that the proposed measures can be used to support the diagnostic process and clinical practice.

Toward an integrative socio-cognitive approach in autism spectrum disorder: NEAR method adaptation-study protocol.

BackgroundThe cognitive impairments exhibited by people with ASD, threaten the development of social skills that are essential for establishing and maintaining harmonious social relationships. Cognitive remediation and social skills training are now considered as crucial therapeutic approaches in the management of these disorders. Several programs have already been validated and have shown improvements in social skills or cognitive performance. However, the effects of these training methods seem to be difficult to generalize to other everyday life. The aim of our study is to alleviate cognitive and social deficiencies by using a socio-cognitive framework to adapt the Neuropsychological Educational Approach to Remediation (NEAR) method for adolescents with ASD.Methods/designAdolescents meeting the DSM-5 criteria for ASD, older than 13 years, and following a regular school curriculum will be recruited from clinical population at the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in Razi University Hospital-Manouba- Tunisia. Our study is an open and non-randomized controlled trial including 30 patients: NEAR group / control group. The NEAR method combines computerized cognitive exercises and bridging groups inspired from cognitive behavioral therapy. NEAR group will be divided into three groups of five patients each. The duration of the sessions will vary according to the capacities of the participants and the exchanges between them (about 60–120 min). In our study, bridging groups will be amended by adding other tasks including planning role plays and scenarios of problematic social situations in autism, taking into account cultural particularities in order to promote social skills. Computerized exercises will be enriched by adding other tasks aiming to improve the recognition and expression of facial emotions by using digital videos and photographs expressing the six basic emotions. The duration of the program will be about 6 months. All selected patients will have an assessment of cognitive function: social cognition, neurocognition and pragmatic skills, social skills, self-esteem and global functioning at baseline, 1 week after the end of the NEAR program and 6 months later.ConclusionThis adaptive program is a promising socio-cognitive intervention that create new perspectives for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.

Analyzing structural and functional brain changes related to an integrative cognitive remediation program for schizophrenia: A randomized controlled trial.

Cognitive remediation has been shown to improve cognition in schizophrenia, but little is known about the specific functional and structural brain changes related to the implementation of an integrative cognitive remediation program. This study analyzed the functional and structural brain changes identified after implementing an integrative cognitive remediation program, REHACOP, in schizophrenia. The program combined cognitive remediation, social cognitive training, and functional and social skills training. The sample included 59 patients that were assigned to either the REHACOP group or an active control group for 20weeks. In addition to a clinical and neuropsychological assessment, T1-weighted, diffusion-weighted and functional magnetic resonance images were acquired during a resting-state and during a memory paradigm, both at baseline and follow-up. Voxel-based morphometry, tract-based spatial statistics, resting-state functional connectivity, and brain activation analyses during the memory paradigm were performed. Brain changes were assessed with a 2×2 repeated-measure analysis of covariance for group x time interaction. Intragroup paired t-tests were also carried out. Repeated-measure analyses revealed improvements in cognition and functional outcome, but no significant brain changes associated with the integrative cognitive remediation program. Intragroup analyses showed greater gray matter volume and cortical thickness in right temporal regions at post-treatment in the REHACOP group. The absence of significant brain-level results associated with cognitive remediation may be partly due to the small sample size, which limited the statistical power of the study. Therefore, further research is needed to clarify whether the temporal lobe may be a key area involved in cognitive improvements following cognitive remediation.

학령전기 자폐 아동 대상 사회인지 향상을 위한 개입

Objective: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of interventions for social cognition in preschool children with autism spectrum disorder and aimed to provide evidence regarding occupational interventions.
 Methods: The studies included in this review were collected by searching the PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest Health & Medical Collection (PML), and PsycARTICLES databases as well as two trial registries. We searched the databases and registries for articles from January 2013 to January 2023 using the following search strategy: [(autis*) AND (“social cognitive” OR “social cognition”) AND (Intervention or therapy or approach or treatment or training)]. A total of 3 studies were included in the analysis.
 Selection criteria: The studies included in the review were selected if they reported on an applicable intervention for social cognition, presented randomized controlled trial data, and included participants who had a confirmed diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. The interventions for social cognition were analyzed using descriptive analysis, and the effects of the interventions were meta-analyzed using the ReviewManager (RevMan) 5.4 program.
 Results: Three randomized controlled trials involving 378 participants were included. The Intervention program that includes social cognitive components for preschool children with autism spectrum disorder resulted in an increase in social cognition and functional play skills.
 Conclusion: Through this systematic review, we were able to identify and understand the effect of interventions on social cognition in preschool children with autism spectrum disorder. Further research is required on the need for accessible diagnosis, improving the quality and diversity of early intervention services, and policies for effective intervention provision.

Effectiveness of Adapted Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS) in Adolescents with ASD

PEERS® for Adolescents is an evidence-based social skills intervention for autistic youth and adolescents with other social challenges. Objective: To examine the effectiveness of the PEERS intervention in Pakistani adolescents with ASD. Methods: Total 98 parents (Mage = 41.60, SD = 3.90), and 63 teachers (Mean age = 36.63, SD = 7.80) of 98 adolescents (Mean age = 14.39, SD = 1.80) with ASD were recruited from two schools of Islamabad and one school of Rawalpindi via purposive sampling. Results: Findings demonstrated significant improvements in social skills knowledge of adolescents with adopted PEERS, F (1, 93) = 36.38, p<.001. Conclusions: Results indicated that PEERS is an effective program to enhance the overall socialization of Pakistani Adolescents with ASD.

Feasibility of six-month outpatient cognitive remediation in schizophrenia: Experience from the randomized controlled integrated social cognition and social skills therapy study

Patients with schizophrenia often have cognitive impairments that contribute to diminished psychosocial functioning. Cognitive remediation therapy (CRT) has proven efficacy and is recommended by evidence-based treatment guidelines. Important moderators of efficacy include integration of CRT into a psychiatric rehabilitation concept and patient attendance at a sufficient number of therapy sessions. These conditions can probably best be met in an outpatient setting; however, outpatient treatment is prone to higher rates of treatment discontinuation and outpatient settings are not as well protected as inpatient ones and less closely supervised.The present study investigated the feasibility of outpatient CRT in schizophrenia over a six-month period. Adherence to scheduled sessions and safety parameters were assessed in 177 patients with schizophrenia randomly assigned to one of two matched CRT programs.Results showed that 58.8 % of participants completed the CRT (>80 % of scheduled sessions) and 72.9 % completed at least half the sessions. Predictor analysis revealed a high verbal intelligence quotient as favorable for good adherence, but this factor had only low general predictive power. During the six-month treatment phase, serious adverse events occurred in 15.8 % (28/177) of the patients, which is a comparable rate to that reported in the literature.Our findings support the feasibility of six-month outpatient CRT in schizophrenia in terms of adherence to scheduled sessions and safety. Trial registration numberNCT02678858, DRKS00010033.

Do immigrants benefit from selection? Migrant educational selectivity and its association with social networks, skills and health

Recent scholarship suggests that immigrant selectivity – the degree to which immigrants differ from non-migrants in their sending countries – can help us understand their labour market outcomes in the receiving country. The selectivity hypothesis rests on three assumptions: first, that immigrants differ from non-migrants in their observed characteristics, such as education; second, that there is an association between such observed selection and (usually) unobserved characteristics, and third that this association drives positive relationships between observed selection and immigrant outcomes. While there is some evidence for a relationship between the degree of immigrants' selectivity and their children's outcomes, a comprehensive assessment of these assumptions for immigrants' own labour market outcomes remains lacking. We use high-quality, nationally representative data for the UK, with large numbers of immigrants from a wide range of different origins and with a rich set of measures of networks, traits and characteristics, as well as economic outcomes, not typically found in surveys of immigrants. This enables us to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the selectivity hypothesis and its assumptions. We find that immigrants to the UK are on average positively selected on educational attainment. However, counter to theoretical assumptions, educational selection has little association with labour market outcomes: it is not or negatively associated with employment; and it is only associated with pay for those with tertiary qualifications and with occupational position for women. We show that the general lack of economic benefits from selection is consistent with an absence of association between educational selectivity and (typically unobserved) mechanisms assumed to link selection and labour market outcomes: social networks, cognitive and non-cognitive skills, and mental and physical health. We contextualise our findings with heterogeneity analysis by migration regime, sending country characteristics, level of absolute education and location of credential.

Meeting the Needs of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Essential Role of School Social Workers

Autism spectrum disorder is a complex developmental disorder that affects a child’s social communication, behavior, and cognitive skills. This article reviews current literature on Autism spectrum disorder and the challenges that children having this disorder face in schools. It also examines the role of school social workers in providing support and intervention for children with Autism spectrum disorder, including individual and group counseling, family support, and collaboration with teachers and other professionals. The article emphasizes the importance of supporting autistic children in the school context and the necessity of a multidisciplinary approach that includes the involvement of school social workers. The findings of this study suggest that school social workers play a critical role in promoting the academic, social, and emotional well-being of children with Autism spectrum disorder in the school environment and can contribute to the better outcomes for these students.

358 Using autism symptom profiles at intervention baseline to predict social cognitive outcomes

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: 1) Investigate the utility of pragmatic communication profiles in a sample of children with autism at baseline to predict response to treatment in a randomized clinical trial (RCT) of oxytocin augmentation and social cognitive skills training at week 12. 2) Determine if levels of anxiety or hyperactivity moderate child outcome performance. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: 40 children (37M, 3F), aged 8-11(M=9.25, SD=1.10), with confirmed autism spectrum disorder (ASD), enrolled in an RCT(NCT02918864) were evaluated at baseline on: an assessment of ASD (Autism Diagnosis Observation Schedule, ADOS-2), a task of perspective taking, Theory of Mind ToM, (Reading the Mind from the Eyes Task), pragmatic communication (Pragmatic Rating Scale-School Aged; PRS-SA), IQ (WAIS_I, WISC-V) and anxiety and hyperactivity (Behavior Assessment Scales for Children-3; BASC-3). A Tobii T60 XL was used for eye-tracking visual patterns and attention during the RMET. The PRS-SA was coded by trained, reliable clinicians. Parent ratings indicated over half of the participants’ had At Risk levels or higher on anxiety and hyperactivity on the BASC-3. Week 12 measures included all but the PRS-SA and ADOS-2. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Baseline preliminary analysis indicated the participants spent more time looking at words (.41ms) than eye images on the RMET(.15ms, p DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Findings at baseline suggest pragmatic communication skills are more related to ToM than gaze and attention on the RMET. This relationship will be further investigated over the time of the trial. Mental health indicators need to be considered further in this population. Child profiles at baseline may inform appropriate triage and treatment targets.