The factor structure of social cognition in schizophrenia: Weak evidence for separable domains

Social cognition has become a major focus in psychosis research aimed at explaining heterogeneity in functional outcome and developing interventions oriented to functional recovery. However, there is still no consensus on the structure of social cognition in psychosis, and research in this area has been plagued by lack of replication. Our first goal was to replicate the factor structure of social cognition using nearly identical tasks in independent samples. Our second goal was to externally validate the factors as they relate to nonsocial cognition and various symptoms in the prediction of functioning using machine learning. Confirmatory factor analyses validated a three-factor model for social cognition in psychosis (low-level, high-level, attributional bias factor). A least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression and cross-validation provided evidence for external validity of data-driven linear models including the social-cognitive factors, nonsocial cognition, and symptoms. We addressed the replicability problems that have impeded research in this area, and our results will guide future psychosis studies.

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Exploring the Factor Structure of the Social Cognition and Object Relations–Global Rating Method: Support for Two- and Three-Factor Models

Journal of Personality Assessment ◽

10.1080/00223891.2017.1336716 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 100 (2) ◽

pp. 122-134 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Caleb J. Siefert ◽

Michelle Stein ◽

Jenelle Slavin-Mulford ◽

Greg Haggerty ◽

Samuel J. Sinclair ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Cognition ◽

Object Relations ◽

Factor Structure ◽

Factor Models ◽

Global Rating ◽

The Social ◽

Rating Method ◽

Three Factor

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Social cognition in schizophrenia: Factor structure of emotion processing and theory of mind

Psychiatry Research ◽

10.1016/j.psychres.2016.05.034 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 242 ◽

pp. 150-156 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Julia Browne ◽

David L. Penn ◽

Tenko Raykov ◽

Amy E. Pinkham ◽

Skylar Kelsven ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Cognition ◽

Theory Of Mind ◽

Factor Structure ◽

Emotion Processing

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Toward a Two-Dimensional Model of Social Cognition in Clinical Neuropsychology: A Systematic Review of Factor Structure Studies

Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society ◽

10.1017/s1355617717001163 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 24 (4) ◽

pp. 391-404 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Aurore Etchepare ◽

Antoinette Prouteau

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Information Processing ◽

Social Cognition ◽

Factor Structure ◽

Facial Emotion ◽

Future Research ◽

Two Dimensional ◽

Dimensional Model ◽

Two Dimensional Model ◽

High Level

AbstractObjective: Social cognition has received growing interest in many conditions in recent years. However, this construct still suffers from a considerable lack of consensus, especially regarding the dimensions to be studied and the resulting methodology of clinical assessment. Our review aims to clarify the distinctiveness of the dimensions of social cognition.Method: Based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statements, a systematic review was conducted to explore the factor structure of social cognition in the adult general and clinical populations.Results: The initial search provided 441 articles published between January 1982 and March 2017. Eleven studies were included, all conducted in psychiatric populations and/or healthy participants. Most studies were in favor of a two-factor solution. Four studies drew a distinction between low-level (e.g., facial emotion/prosody recognition) and high-level (e.g., theory of mind) information processing. Four others reported a distinction between affective (e.g., facial emotion/prosody recognition) and cognitive (e.g., false beliefs) information processing. Interestingly, attributional style was frequently reported as an additional separate factor of social cognition.Conclusions: Results of factor analyses add further support for the relevance of models differentiating level of information processing (low-vs. high-level) from nature of processed information (affectivevs. cognitive). These results add to a significant body of empirical evidence from developmental, clinical research and neuroimaging studies. We argue the relevance of integrating low-versushigh-level processing with affective and cognitive processing in a two-dimensional model of social cognition that would be useful for future research and clinical practice. (JINS, 2018,24, 391–404)

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The Early Social Cognition Inventory (ESCI): An examination of its psychometric properties from birth to 47 months

Behavior Research Methods ◽

10.3758/s13428-021-01628-z ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Elena Hoicka ◽

Burcu Soy-Telli ◽

Eloise Prouten ◽

George Leckie ◽

William J. Browne ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Cognition ◽

Parent Education ◽

Factor Structure ◽

Age Groups ◽

Parent Report ◽

Structure Study ◽

Internal Reliability ◽

Current Test ◽

Test Retest Reliability ◽

Report Measure

AbstractSocial cognition refers to a broad range of cognitive processes and skills that allow individuals to interact with and understand others, including a variety of skills from infancy through preschool and beyond, e.g., joint attention, imitation, and belief understanding. However, no measures examine socio-cognitive development from birth through preschool. Current test batteries and parent-report measures focus either on infancy, or toddlerhood through preschool (and beyond). We report six studies in which we developed and tested a new 21-item parent-report measure of social cognition targeting 0–47 months: the Early Social Cognition Inventory (ESCI). Study 1 (N = 295) revealed the ESCI has excellent internal reliability, and a two-factor structure capturing social cognition and age. Study 2 (N = 605) also showed excellent internal reliability and confirmed the two-factor structure. Study 3 (N = 84) found a medium correlation between the ESCI and a researcher-administered social cognition task battery. Study 4 (N = 46) found strong 1-month test–retest reliability. Study 5 found longitudinal stability (6 months: N = 140; 12 months: N = 39), and inter-observer reliability between parents (N = 36) was good, and children’s scores increased significantly over 6 and 12 months. Study 6 showed the ESCI was internally reliable within countries (Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, United States, Trinidad and Tobago); parent ethnicity; parent education; and age groups from 4–39 months. ESCI scores positively correlated with household income (UK); children with siblings had higher scores; and Australian parents reported lower scores than American, British, and Canadian parents.

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Factor structure of social cognition in remitted schizophrenia patients

International Clinical Psychopharmacology ◽

10.1097/01.yic.0000405884.32956.37 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 26 ◽

pp. e147

Author(s):

U.M. Mehta ◽

H.D. Bhagyavathi ◽

J. Thirthalli ◽

C. Naveen Kumar ◽

D.K. Subbakrishna ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Cognition ◽

Factor Structure

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Social cognition in schizophrenia: factor structure, clinical and functional correlates

Journal of Mental Health ◽

10.3109/09638237.2015.1124397 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 25 (4) ◽

pp. 330-337 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Benjamin E. Buck ◽

Kristin M. Healey ◽

Emily C. Gagen ◽

David L. Roberts ◽

David L. Penn

Keyword(s):

Social Cognition ◽

Factor Structure

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Lower- and Higher-Level Social Cognitive Factors Across Individuals With Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders and Healthy Controls: Relationship With Neurocognition and Functional Outcome

Schizophrenia Bulletin ◽

10.1093/schbul/sby114 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 45 (3) ◽

pp. 629-638 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Lindsay D Oliver ◽

John D Haltigan ◽

James M Gold ◽

George Foussias ◽

Pamela DeRosse ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Cognition ◽

Functional Outcome ◽

Measurement Invariance ◽

Factor Structure ◽

Negative Symptoms ◽

Social Cognitive ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders ◽

Schizophrenia Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorders

Abstract Background Schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs) often feature social cognitive deficits. However, little work has focused on the factor structure of social cognition, and results have been inconsistent in schizophrenia. This study aimed to elucidate the factor structure of social cognition across people with SSDs and healthy controls. It was hypothesized that a 2-factor model, including lower-level “simulation” and higher-level “mentalizing” factors, would demonstrate the best fit across participants. Methods Participants with SSDs (N = 164) and healthy controls (N = 102) completed social cognitive tasks ranging from emotion recognition to complex mental state inference, as well as clinical and functional outcome, and neurocognitive measures. Structural equation modeling was used to test social cognitive models, models of social cognition and neurocognition, measurement invariance between cases and controls, and relationships with outcome measures. Results A 2-factor (simulation and mentalizing) model fit the social cognitive data best across participants and showed adequate measurement invariance in both SSD and control groups. Patients showed lower simulation and mentalizing scores than controls, but only mentalizing was significantly associated with negative symptoms and functional outcome. Social cognition also mediated the relationship between neurocognition and both negative symptoms and functional outcome. Conclusions These results uniquely indicate that distinct lower- and higher-level aspects of social cognition exist across SSDs and healthy controls. Further, mentalizing may be particularly linked to negative symptoms and functional outcome. This informs future studies of the neural circuitry underlying social cognition and the development of targeted treatment options for improving functional outcome.

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Refining our understanding of the “elephant in the room”

Behavioral and Brain Sciences ◽

10.1017/s0140525x20000096 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 43 ◽

Author(s):

Andrew Whiten

Keyword(s):

Social Cognition ◽

Cultural Evolution ◽

Cognitive Abilities ◽

Critical Factors ◽

Technological Culture

Abstract The authors do the field of cultural evolution a service by exploring the role of non-social cognition in human cumulative technological culture, truly neglected in comparison with socio-cognitive abilities frequently assumed to be the primary drivers. Some specifics of their delineation of the critical factors are problematic, however. I highlight recent chimpanzee–human comparative findings that should help refine such analyses.

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A little too technical: The threat of intellectualising technical reasoning

Behavioral and Brain Sciences ◽

10.1017/s0140525x20000242 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 43 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ian Robertson

Keyword(s):

Social Cognition ◽

Human Reasoning ◽

Technological Culture ◽

Technical Reasoning

Abstract Osiurak and Reynaud (O&R) claim that research into the origin of cumulative technological culture has been too focused on social cognition and has consequently neglected the importance of uniquely human reasoning capacities. This commentary raises two interrelated theoretical concerns about O&R's notion of technical-reasoning capacities, and suggests how these concerns might be met.

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