Social Cognitive Strategies Research Articles

Social Communication Disorders and Social Cognitive Strategies and Attitudes in Victims of Child Abuse

This research analyzes social communication disorders, as well as social cognitive strategies and attitudes, in 12–17-year-olds in residential care. The research is carried out in the Residential Childcare Centers of the Region of Extremadura (Spain). The research shows that social communication disorders in victims of child abuse hinder social competence, making opportunities for interaction more difficult. The subjects show deficiencies in the use of communication for social purposes. As for prosocial attitudes, it can be seen that these young people are characterized by a lack of the following: social sensitivity, self-confidence and firmness in their interactions, and leadership. With respect to social cognitive strategies, what stands out is the following: an impulsive cognitive style, independence, a rigidity of ideas, and a tendency towards social distrust and suspicion. Furthermore, it is in the strategies for solving social problems that the greatest difficulties can be appreciated. The research stresses the need for the design of individual and group intervention plans focusing on the main difficulties observed.

Exploring psychological features in adolescents who assault their parents: a different profile of young offenders?

This study aimed to explore some psychological features of adolescents who have been reported by their parents for being violent towards them, analysing how they differ from other young offenders and from non-offender adolescents. Concretely, the presence of clinical diagnosis was explored and whether these juveniles received some psychological/psychiatric treatment. Moreover, this study examined substance use and some variables that characterise the social-cognitive style of these juveniles, along with the level of self-esteem. Information concerning clinical diagnosis and psychological/psychiatric treatment was extracted from the young offenders’ legal files. Measures included the social-cognitive subscale from the attitudes and social-cognitive strategies questionnaire (AECS), Rosenberg self-esteem scale, and a structured interview to assess substance use. Results indicated that juveniles who assaulted their parents present a different profile when compared to the other groups, as they showed a higher presence of psychopathology and more social-cognitive difficulties. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for the design and implementation of specific treatments with these aggressive adolescents.

Sex-specific mechanism of social hierarchy in mice.

The establishment of social hierarchies is a naturally occurring, evolutionarily conserved phenomenon with a well-established impact on fitness and health. Investigations of complex social group dynamics may offer novel opportunities for translational studies of autism spectrum disorder. Here we describe a robust behavioral paradigm using an automated version of the tube test. Isogenic groups of male and female mice establish linear social hierarchies that remain highly stable for at least 14 days, the longest interval tested. Remarkably, however, their social strategy is sex-specific: females primarily utilize intrinsic attributes, whereas males are strongly influenced by prior social experience. Using both genetic and pharmacological manipulations, we identify testosterone as a critical sex-specific factor for determining which social strategy is used. Males inheriting a null mutation of the sex-determining region Y (Sry) gene used a similar social cognitive strategy as females. In contrast, females with transgenic expression of Sry utilized a typically male social strategy. Analogously, castration of males and testosterone supplementation of females yielded similar outcomes, with a reversal of their social cognitive strategy. Together, our results demonstrate a sex-specific mechanism underlying social hierarchy, in which both males and females retain the functional capacity to adapt their social strategy. More generally, we expect the automated tube test to provide an important complementary approach for both fundamental and translational studies of social behavior.

What factors are predictive of benefit finding in women treated for non‐metastatic breast cancer? A prospective study

Patients with breast cancer are able to gain psychological benefits from cancer diagnosis and treatment, such as a greater purpose of life and closer relationships, termed as 'benefit finding' (BF). The objective of this study was to determine the effects of sociodemographic, pathological, and psychological variables on BF in women with non-metastatic breast cancer. A total of 404 patients with breast cancer were recruited to complete a demographic survey, a Chinese version of the Benefit Finding Scale, the Optimism-pessimism Scale, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire during the first week after the confirmation of the diagnosis (T1). All participants finished the Chinese version of the Benefit Finding Scale again 6 weeks after diagnosis (T2). Age and education of patients, perceived social support from family, acceptance, positive reappraisal, and the baseline level of BF exhibited a positive prediction on BF. Education, pessimism, and perceived social support from family had a positive prediction and perceived social support from friends and refocus on planning had a negative prediction on the family relationship of BF. Education, perceived social support from family and friends, and the baseline level of BF had a positive prediction on the acceptance of BF. Perceived social support and cognitive emotion regulation strategies employed in response to breast cancer are important contributing factors to BF in women with breast cancer. In order to improve the longer-term adaptation of patients, benefit finding, either directly or via cognitive emotion regulation strategies, could be targeted for intervention.

Focused and fired up: Narrowed attention produces perceived proximity and increases goal-relevant action

Insufficient physical activity contributes to rising obesity rates. We tested one social cognitive strategy aimed at increasing physical activity in the environment. Specifically, we tested whether attentional narrowing can shift people’s perceptual representations of the environment and improve exercise behavior. Participants who adopted a narrow focus of attention, compared to participants who looked around the environment as they naturally would, perceived a target as physically closer (Studies 1, 2). In addition, narrowed attention reduced the time required to walk to a finish line and increased subjective ease of physical task performance, two markers of improved exercise (Study 2). We discuss implications of attentional strategies for perception and action in regards to health and fitness.

All in the Family

All in the Family

Comparing the Quality of third, Fourth, and Fifth Graders’ Social Interactions and Cognitive Strategy use during Structured Online Inquiry

This study examined the social and cognitive interaction patterns of third, fourth, and fifth graders as they collaboratively read on the Internet and responded to an inquiry prompt. Data analysis revealed patterns of cognitive strategy use that intersected with social forms and functions of dialogue. Dyads that exhibited higher levels of cognitive strategy use and mutually collaborative social interactions were better able to accomplish the inquiry task. Pairs who read with little or no meaningful discussion were less successful. These contrasting cases show the range of interaction patterns that may occur during co-constructive inquiry-based online reading. Findings can inform the design of instructional scaffolds to foster productive dialogue and strategic reading in online spaces.

Factors influencing physical activity in older adults

The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which Korean seniors report employing different motivational and social cognitive strategies related to physical activity, and to evaluate which motivational and social cognitive strategies were related to physical activity, and which motivational and social cognitive strategies differentiate between high active and low-active Korean seniors. Community-dwelling older adults (N = 187) participated in the study and completed questionnaires assessing self-reported physical activity and a range of motivational and social cognitive variables. The results showed that physical activity was predicted by quality goal-setting practices, self-efficacy, social support from family and physical activity self-regulation subscales of social support and exercise planning and scheduling. Between the groups of highly physically active and low-active participants, we observed differences in satisfaction with life, self-efficacy, quality goal-setting practices, and self-regulatory strategies related to self-monitoring, goal-setting, social support and time management. In conclusion, these findings indicate that physical activity promotion efforts among Korean older adults should focus on enhancing self-efficacy, social support, and self-regulation skills.

Patient Perspectives About Depressive Symptoms in Heart Failure

Scientists have systematically established the prevalence and the consequences of depressive symptoms in patients with heart failure (HF). However, a comprehensive understanding of patient perspectives about depressive symptoms, in combination with HF, has not been published. A patient-centered approach may support the design of interventions that are effective and acceptable to patients with HF and depressive symptoms. The aim of this study was to review qualitative findings about patient perspectives of contributing factors, associated symptoms, consequences, and self-care strategies used for depressive symptoms in HF. Qualitative studies were included if they were published between 2000 and 2012, if they were in English, and if they described emotional components about living with HF. Three electronic databases were searched using the key words heart failure, qualitative, and depression or psychosocial or stress or emotional. Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Patients with HF reported that financial stressors, overall poor health, past traumatic life experiences, and negative thinking contributed to depressive symptoms. The patients described cognitive-affective symptoms of depression and anxiety but not somatic symptoms of depression. Perceived consequences of depressive symptoms included hopelessness, despair, impaired social relationships, and a decreased ability to engage in HF self-care. Recommended management strategies consisted of enhanced social support and cognitive strategies. Depressive symptoms in patients with HF were associated with a number of contributing factors, including those not specifically related to their disease, and serious consequences that reduced their self-care ability. Nonpharmacological management approaches to depressive symptoms that include improved social support or cognitive interventions may be effective and acceptable strategies.

Investigating the Language Learning Strategies of Students in the Foundation Program of United Arab Emirates University

Recently, language learning strategies have gained a lot of importance in different parts of the world, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Successful foreign or second language learning attempts are viewed in the light of using appropriate and effective language learning strategies. This study investigated the patterns of language learning strategies (LLS) used by 190 male and female students in the Foundation Program of the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU). It also explored the effects of language proficiency level and gender on the use of these strategies. An Arabic translated version of the Oxford’s (1990) Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) was used for collecting the data. The results demonstrate that these learners were overall medium strategy users. Metacognitive strategies were the most frequently used among the six strategies followed by social strategies, compensation strategies, affective strategies, cognitive strategies and memory strategies respectively. Proficiency level and gender had no significant effect on the overall strategy use nor on the use of each individual strategy. The findings of this study provide some implications for classroom instruction, curriculum design and teacher training. The study ended with some recommendations to direct future studies.

Altered social and non-social decision-making in recreational and dependent cocaine users

Maladaptive decision-making is assumed to be a core feature of cocaine addiction. Indeed, numerous studies have reported deficits in non-social decision-making tasks and reward-related impulsivity in dependent cocaine users. However, social decision-making has not been examined in cocaine users yet. Moreover, it is unknown if even recreational and non-dependent cocaine use is linked to decision-making deficits. Therefore, we investigated whether recreational and dependent cocaine users exhibit alterations in social and non-social decision-making. The performance of healthy controls (n = 68), recreational cocaine users (n = 68) and dependent cocaine users (n = 30) in classical decision-making paradigms (Iowa Gambling Task, Delay Discounting) and in social interaction paradigms (Distribution Game, Dictator Game) was assessed. Decisions in the social interaction tasks of both cocaine user groups were more self-serving compared with controls as cocaine users preferred higher monetary payoffs for themselves. In the Iowa Gambling Task, only dependent cocaine users were more likely to choose disadvantageous card decks, reflecting worse decision-making. They were also more likely to choose immediate smaller rewards over larger delayed rewards in the Delay Discounting task. Our results imply that both recreational and dependent cocaine users are more concerned with their own monetary gain when interacting with another person. Furthermore, primarily dependent cocaine users are less foresighted and more impulsive regarding immediate reward. Overall, social interaction deficits are already present in recreational users, while non-social decision-making deficits occur predominantly in dependent cocaine users. Thus, social interaction training and cognitive remediation strategies may improve treatment success and quality of life in cocaine dependence.

Adaptive Associations between Social Cognition and Emotion Regulation are Absent in Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder

Schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BD) are associated with impairments in facial emotion perception and Theory of Mind (ToM). These social cognitive skills deficits may be related to a reduced capacity to effectively regulate one’s own emotions according to the social context. We therefore set out to examine the relationship between social cognitive abilities and the use of cognitive strategies for regulating negative emotion in SZ and BD. Participants were 56 SZ, 33 BD, and 58 healthy controls (HC) who completed the Ekman 60-faces test of facial emotion recognition; a sub-set of these participants also completed The Awareness of Social Inference Test (TASIT) and the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ). SZ participants demonstrated impairments in emotion perception on both the Ekman and the TASIT Emotion Evaluation tests relative to BD and HC. While both SZ and BD patients showed ToM deficits (i.e., perception of sarcasm and lie) compared to HC, SZ patients demonstrated significantly greater ToM impairment compared to BD. There were also distinct patterns of cognitive strategies used to regulate emotion in both patient groups: those with SZ were more likely to engage in catastrophizing and rumination, while BD subjects were more likely to blame themselves and were less likely to engage in positive reappraisal, relative to HC. In addition, those with SZ were more likely to blame others compared to BD. Associations between social cognition and affect regulation were revealed for HC only: TASIT performance was negatively associated with more frequent use of rumination, catastrophizing, and blaming others, such that more frequent use of maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies was associated with poor social cognitive performance. These associations were not present in either patient group. However, both SZ and BD patients demonstrated poor ToM performance and aberrant use of emotion regulation strategies consistent with previous studies. SZ also showed basic emotion recognition deficits relative to BD and HC. That there were no associations between social cognition and the capacity to self-regulate negative emotion in SZ and BD (in the context of poor social cognition and maladaptive regulatory strategies) suggests that dysfunction in fronto-limbic brain networks may underpin both social cognitive deficits and the use of maladaptive cognitive strategies in these disorders, albeit by potentially different routes.

Future Directions for Social Cognitive Interventions in Schizophrenia

Social cognition is increasingly viewed as a viable treatment target. This is in large part due to a growing body of evidence demonstrating that social cognitive abilities contribute to real-world outcomes1,2 and that remediation of social cognitive impairments leads to improvements in functional outcome.3–5 The work of Lindenmayer and colleagues6 represents an important step in efforts to optimize social cognitive interventions and highlights several considerations for moving forward. First, the findings of Lindenmayer and colleagues6 clearly support the efficacy of social cognitive intervention strategies; however, an important open question is whether the same improvements would have resulted from their social cognitive intervention alone. Numerous studies have shown that social cognitive interventions can significantly improve emotion processing abilities,7 suggesting that improvements would be evident without the addition of cognitive remediation. Importantly, however, recent work by Bowie and colleagues8 indicates that cognitive remediation, despite having little effect on functional outcome itself, increased the positive effects of a treatment that specifically targeted functional outcome. With the caveat that this work addressed everyday functional skills and functional outcomes rather than social cognition and social outcomes, it suggests that adding cognitive remediation may result in a magnitude of change that exceeds that which can be achieved by targeted treatments alone. Thus, a critical question moving forward will be to determine whether cognitive remediation is a necessary adjunct to social cognitive interventions in order to produce the most efficient and efficacious interventions. Second, the results of Lindenmayer and colleagues6 also raise the possibility that social cognitive training may benefit neurocognition. The fact that their combined treatment yielded greater improvement in neurocognition than cognitive remediation alone suggests that this may indeed be the case. Strikingly, the combined group showed greater improvement despite receiving 12 fewer hours of cognitive remediation. Traditional models of social cognitive impairment assume a unidirectional relationship between neurocognition and social cognition, and recent work supports this view.9 However, the present results suggest a bidirectional relationship may also be possible within the context of targeted treatment. Investigating this possibility will likely result in intervention programs that are optimized for improving both social and neurocognition. Finally, it is noteworthy that Lindenmayer and colleagues6 used an intervention that was developed for individuals with autism spectrum disorders. This initial evidence showing that an autism intervention can be used profitably in schizophrenia underscores the possible benefits of interchange between these domains. Although autism and schizophrenia are distinct disorders, both manifest significant impairments in social cognition that appear to be qualitatively similar.10 This parallel suggests that treatments found to be efficacious in one disorder may be applied successfully across disorders, as was done here. Indeed, schizophrenia treatments have also been implemented in autism with positive effects. Social Cognition and Interaction Training (SCIT)11 was used with individuals with autism (as SCIT-A) and resulted in significant improvements.12 It should be noted however that some modifications of SCIT were necessary to make the treatment most applicable to the needs and areas of impairments of those with autism. Thus, studies that directly compare autism and schizophrenia are also needed to determine which impairments are shared and which are disorder specific. Doing so will save valuable effort and resources by allowing appropriate interventions to be shared across disorders while also providing a foundation for the development of disorder-specific components that will likely produce the most effective interventions.10

An Enriched Writers' Workshop for Beginning Writers with Developmental Disabilities

This article describes comprehensive, high-quality writing instruction for students with developmental disabilities. The Enriched Writers’ Workshop combines differentiated writing process instruction with social communication instruction and cognitive strategy instruction for students with complex writing needs across a wide range of ages. It draws on research-based writing practices for all students, with reference to the U.S. Common Core State Standards for writing but with modifications for students with developmental disabilities. Appropriate populations include students with autism spectrum disorders, intellectual developmental disabilities, and complex communication needs, requiring augmentative and alternative communication supports. This article describes the Enriched Writers’ Workshop framework of instruction, its tools, and the skills and strategies it targets. Illustrations are drawn from pilot implementation in special education classrooms team taught by special education teachers and speech‐language pathologists. Case examples for 3 students show how the framework can be applied for beginning writers with varying profiles of abilities and needs, leading to measurable social communication and writing outcomes and other educational benefits for students with diverse developmental disabilities.

Social Information-Processing and Coping in Adolescent Females Diagnosed With an Eating Disorder: Toward a Greater Understanding of Control

The objective of this study was to examine differences in social information-processing and coping strategies between adolescent females in treatment for an eating disorder and asymptomatic peers. Adolescent females in treatment for an eating disorder (n = 50) were compared to asymptomatic control participants (n = 59) on a measure of social information-processing. Participants were presented with 4 hypothetical, ambiguous social dilemmas in which the intent of a peer provocateur was unclear. Questions followed each dilemma assessing intent attributions, the participant's emotional reaction, the intensity of the emotion, and coping strategies. The participants in treatment for an eating disorder were significantly more likely to perceive hostile intent from a peer provocateur, reported a greater intensity of negative emotions, and identified a significantly greater number of avoidant coping strategies. Specifically, the eating disorder group identified significantly more intrapunitive avoidant coping strategies that reflect maladaptive and self-destructive means of coping with distressing events. Results indicate social cognitive processing biases and maladaptive coping strategies may be instrumental in perceived loss of control and influence the development/maintenance of eating disorders.

La Competencia Social en los Adolescentes. Efectividad de un Programa de Intervención Educativa sobre las Actitudes Sociales de los Estudiantes

The study has as objectives to implement and evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention program on the production of significant improvements in social competence, as associated with social attitudes, in secondary school students from Madrid in 2007, and to verify whether there are any significant differences regarding gender. This was implemented a quasi-experimental design with a nonequivalent control group and pretest and posttest measures; sample of 392 students between 12-13 years of age from 6 schools in Madrid, the Attitudes and Social Cognitive Strategies questionnaire (AECS) as an instrument of measurement; analysis using mixed effects ANOVA. The program showed statistically significant differences (p 0.001) in 89% of the variables, with the sex variable having no effects. We found limitations associated with lack of monitoring, the non-random sample and use a single instrument of measure.

Neuropsychological Profile of Autism and the Broad Autism Phenotype

Multiple articles describe a constellation of language, personality, and social-behavioral features present in relatives that mirror the symptom domains of autism, but are much milder in expression. Studies of this broad autism phenotype (BAP) may provide a potentially important complementary approach for detecting the genes causing autism and defining associated neural circuitry by identifying more refined phenotypes that can be measured quantitatively in both affected and unaffected individuals and that are tied to functioning in particular regions of the brain. To gain insight into neuropsychological features that index genetic liability to autism. Case-control study. The general community. Thirty-eight high-functioning individuals with autism and parents of autistic individuals, both with and without the BAP (n = 83), as well as control individuals. A comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tasks assessing social cognition, executive function, and global vs local processing strategies (central coherence). Both individuals with autism and parents with the BAP differed from controls on measures of social cognition, with performance in the other 2 domains being more similar to controls. Data suggest that the social cognitive domain may be an important target for linking phenotype to cognitive process to brain structure in autism and may ultimately provide insight into the genes involved in autism.

A longitudinal investigation of psychological morbidity in patients with ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cancer patients may experience psychological disorders due to the aggressive nature of the illness and treatment. We investigated the presence of psychological disorders longitudinally in women with a new diagnosis of ovarian cancer and the factors that predicted development and maintenance of these disorders. Patients were assessed in a prospective longitudinal study at the beginning of chemotherapy treatment, mid-treatment, end of treatment and 3 months follow-up for depression, anxiety, perceived social support, neuroticism and cognitive strategies to control unwanted thoughts. A total of 121 patients were recruited and 85 patients were assessed at all four time points. Three different longitudinal profiles of anxiety and depression caseness were found: non-cases (never cases), occasional cases (cases on at least one but not all four occasions) and stable cases (cases on all four occasions). Most of the women were occasional cases of anxiety (52%, 44), whereas for depression, the majority of women were non-cases (55%, 47). A subset of patients were stable cases of anxiety (22%, 19). Neuroticism and marital status were significant independent predictors of anxiety caseness profile. Neuroticism and use of anti-depressants were independent predictors of depression caseness profile. Social support was not related to psychological morbidity.

Mechanisms of moral disingagement in sex offenders

Objectives Moral disengagement (MD) consists of those social-cognitive strategies by which people disengage themselves from norms and responsibility. Through “dehumanization” victims are divested of human dignity so that they no longer arouse any feelings of identification, empathy and solidarity. In disengagement by “attribution of blame”, all responsibility for a given detrimental event is attributed to a presumed provocative attitude of the victim. This study aims to assess whether sex offenders (SO) have higher moral disengagement than non-offenders (NO) and if they show higher scores for “dehumanization” and “attribution of blame” than non-sexual offenders (NSO). Methods Participants were fifty-three male subjects: 13 convicted of sexual offences, 15 convicted of non-sexual offences and 25 non-offenders. After an interview regarding personal history and crime committed (offenders only) the “Moral Disengagement Scale” was administered. ANOVA and post hoc analysis were performed on total disengagement score, on “dehumanization” and on “attribution of blame”. Repeated measure ANOVA was performed among SO. Results The SO yielded a significantly lower score on total disengagement and “dehumanization”. The NSO scored significantly more highly on “attribution of blame”. Also, SO mostly utilize mechanisms of moral disengagement different from “dehumanization” and “attribution of blame”, i.e. “advantageous comparison”, “euphemistic labelling” and “moral justification”. Conclusions Such unexpected results may be explained by SO being more susceptible to social norms and expectations in the specific judicial contest (social desirability), although it cannot be ruled out that the instrument used is not sufficiently sensitive to detect MD among the specific population of SO.

Social Cognitive Writing Theory and Translation Strategy by Stages

Social Cognitive Writing Theory and Translation Strategy by Stages