Using a Virtual Serious Game (Deusto-e-motion1.0) to Assess the Theory of Mind in Primary School Children: Observational Descriptive Study (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Given the interactive media characteristics and intrinsically motivating appeal, virtual serious games are often praised for their potential for assessment and treatment. OBJECTIVE This study aims to validate and develop normative data for a virtual serious game (Deusto-e-motion1.0) for the evaluation of emotional facial expression recognition and social skills, both of which are components of the theory of mind. METHODS A total of 1236 children took part in the study. The children were classified by age (8-12 years old), gender (males=639, females=597), and educational level (between the third and sixth years of Primary Education). A total of 10 schools from the Basque Country and 20 trained evaluators participated in this study. RESULTS Differences were found in Deusto-e-motion1.0 scores between groups of children depending on age and gender. Moreover, there was a moderately significant correlation between the emotional recognition scores of Deusto-e-motion1.0 and those of the Feel facial recognition test. CONCLUSIONS Deusto-e-motion1.0 shows concurrent validity with instruments that assess emotional recognition. Results support the adequacy of Deusto-e-motion1.0 in assessing components of the theory of mind in children.

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Using a Virtual Serious Game (Deusto-e-motion1.0) to Assess the Theory of Mind in Primary School Children: Observational Descriptive Study

JMIR Serious Games ◽

10.2196/12971 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. e12971

Author(s):

Esther Lázaro ◽

Imanol Amayra ◽

Juan Francisco López-Paz ◽

Oscar Martínez ◽

Manuel Pérez Alvarez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Theory Of Mind ◽

Basque Country ◽

Interactive Media ◽

Serious Game ◽

Primary School Children ◽

Expression Recognition ◽

Emotional Recognition ◽

Assessment And Treatment ◽

And Gender ◽

Observational Descriptive Study

Background Given the interactive media characteristics and intrinsically motivating appeal, virtual serious games are often praised for their potential for assessment and treatment. Objective This study aims to validate and develop normative data for a virtual serious game (Deusto-e-motion1.0) for the evaluation of emotional facial expression recognition and social skills, both of which are components of the theory of mind. Methods A total of 1236 children took part in the study. The children were classified by age (8-12 years old), gender (males=639, females=597), and educational level (between the third and sixth years of Primary Education). A total of 10 schools from the Basque Country and 20 trained evaluators participated in this study. Results Differences were found in Deusto-e-motion1.0 scores between groups of children depending on age and gender. Moreover, there was a moderately significant correlation between the emotional recognition scores of Deusto-e-motion1.0 and those of the Feel facial recognition test. Conclusions Deusto-e-motion1.0 shows concurrent validity with instruments that assess emotional recognition. Results support the adequacy of Deusto-e-motion1.0 in assessing components of the theory of mind in children.

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Client Safety and Telepractice in a Clinic or Home Setting

Perspectives on Telepractice ◽

10.1044/teles3.2.41 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 41-43

Author(s):

Lyn Tindall

Keyword(s):

Communication Disorders ◽

Speech Pathology ◽

Professional Issues ◽

Efficacy Data ◽

Home Setting ◽

Safe Environment ◽

Technological Advances ◽

Assessment And Treatment ◽

Available Technology ◽

And Gender

Telepractice is an exciting addition to the arsenal of speech-language pathologists for delivering services. Efficacy data continues to emerge proving the benefit of using available technology to provide assessment and treatment for persons with a variety of communication disorders, ages, and gender. In addition to providing assessment and treatment using telepractice technology, several professional issues have arisen which must be addressed before implementation of this service delivery system. Licensure and reimbursement have been at the forefront, as well they should. However, client safety is another issue that should also be addressed. Providing speech pathology services in a safe environment is a concept which may not have been considered before technological advances made it possible to provide services to someone while not being physically present.

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Usability of a psychotherapeutic interactive gaming tool used in facial emotion recognition for people with schizophrenia (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.13702 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Ingrid Tortadès ◽

Roberto Gonzalez ◽

Francesc Alpiste ◽

Joaquín Fernandez ◽

Jordi Torner ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Theory Of Mind ◽

Emotion Recognition ◽

Attributional Style ◽

Pilot Project ◽

Error Rates ◽

Facial Emotion Recognition ◽

Facial Emotion ◽

Interactive Software ◽

Emotional Recognition ◽

Attribution Questionnaire

BACKGROUND Emotional Recognition (ER) is one of the areas most affected in people with schizophrenia. However, there are no software tools available for the assessment of ER. The interactive software program ‘Feeling Master’ (a cartoon facial recognition tool) was developed to investigate the deficit in facial emotion recognition (FER) with a sample of patients with schizophrenia in a pilot project framework. OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to test the usability of ‘Feeling Master’ as a psychotherapeutic interactive gaming tool for the assessment of emotional recognition in people with schizophrenia compared with healthy people, and the relationship between FER, attributional style and theory of mind. METHODS Nineteen individuals with schizophrenia and 17 healthy control (HC) subjects completed the ‘Feeling Master’ including five emotions (happiness, sadness, anger, fear, and surprise). Regarding the group with schizophrenia they were evaluated with the Personal and Situational Attribution Questionnaire (IPSAQ) and the Hinting Task (Theory of Mind) to evaluate social cognition. RESULTS Patients with schizophrenia showed impairments in emotion recognition and they remained slower than the HC in the recognition of each emotion (P<.001). Regarding the impairment in the recognition of each emotion we only found a trend toward significance in error rates on fear discrimination (P=.07). And the correlations between correct response on the ‘Feeling Master’ and the hinting task showed significant values in the correlation of surprise and theory of mind (P=.046). CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, the study puts forward the usability of the ‘Feeling Master’ in FER for people with schizophrenia. These findings lend support to the notion that difficulties in emotion recognition are more prevalent in people with schizophrenia, and that these are associated with impairment in ToM, suggesting the potential utility of the FER in the rehabilitation of people with schizophrenia.

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Anxiety Disorders among Sexual and Gender Minority Populations

The Oxford Handbook of Sexual and Gender Minority Mental Health ◽

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190067991.013.6 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 45-57

Author(s):

Brandon J. Weiss ◽

Bethany Owens Raymond

Keyword(s):

Anxiety Disorders ◽

Minority Stress ◽

Minority Status ◽

Sexual And Gender Minorities ◽

Gender Minorities ◽

Assessment And Treatment ◽

Literature Base ◽

Current Assessment ◽

And Gender ◽

Minority Stress Model

Rates of anxiety disorders are significantly elevated among sexual and gender minorities. In this chapter, the minority stress model is discussed as a framework for conceptualizing anxiety among sexual and gender minorities, and the authors review the literature on the relationships between specific minority stressors and symptoms. The authors examine prevalence rates of anxiety disorders among sexual minorities and gender minorities, separately and in comparison to heterosexual and cisgender individuals. Also reviewed is the literature on anxiety disorders among sexual and gender minorities with a racial or ethnic minority status. Current assessment and treatment approaches are identified and reviewed. Finally, limitations to the current literature base are discussed and recommendations are provided for future studies.

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Gender Equality in Business Action: A Multi-Agent Change Management Approach

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13116209 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (11) ◽

pp. 6209

Author(s):

Leire Gartzia

Keyword(s):

Change Management ◽

Gender Equality ◽

Social Action ◽

Basque Country ◽

Management Approach ◽

Private Firms ◽

Agent Collaboration ◽

Multi Agent ◽

And Gender ◽

Corporate Social

Critical to social sustainability and organizations’ growth, at present, is gender equality. Yet, egalitarian principles are difficult to apply in the practice, particularly in private firms. Acknowledging previous calls that research should respond to these concerns and support practitioners, we provide a theory-grounded conceptual framework to address change management in this field, aimed at providing applicable guidelines in the organizational practice. Integrating utilitarian and social justice perspectives about gender action, we call for multi-agent collaboration involving coordinated action from policymakers, private firms and gender experts. We provide an overview of how public policies and legislation guide organizational action by providing key statutory norms and procedures. We then address the relevance of organizational commitment and the alignment of gender goals with the organizational strategy and decision-making, involving managers. Finally, we underscore the benefits of implementing evidence-based action based on academic and consultancy collaboration. The implementation of these principles is illustrated with a multi-agent practice developed in the Basque Country (Spain) between gender equality change agents, suited to apply academic principles to real-world organizational practices. Recommendations for gender equality and corporate social action are provided.

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Capacities for theory of mind, metacognition, and neurocognitive function are independently related to emotional recognition in schizophrenia

Psychiatry Research ◽

10.1016/j.psychres.2014.05.004 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 219 (1) ◽

pp. 79-85 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

Paul H. Lysaker ◽

Bethany L. Leonhardt ◽

Martin Brüne ◽

Kelly D. Buck ◽

Alison James ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Theory Of Mind ◽

Neurocognitive Function ◽

Emotional Recognition

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IMPROVING THE ASSESSMENT OF CHILDREN AND YOUTH WHO PRESENT WITH GENDER DYSPHORIA: An investigation into patient and parent satisfaction

10.36315/2021pad20 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 217-225

Author(s):

Kathleen Walsh ◽

◽

Melissa Jonnson ◽

Wallace Wong ◽

Veronique Nguy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Assessment ◽

Parent Satisfaction ◽

Children And Youth ◽

Standards Of Care ◽

Multiple Perspectives ◽

Gender Nonconforming ◽

Gender Diverse ◽

Assessment And Treatment ◽

Individualized Approach ◽

And Gender

Practitioners working with gender non-conforming children and youth ascribe to general guidelines based on the World Professional Association for Transgender Health Standards of Care for the Health of Transsexual, Transgender, and Gender Nonconforming People (2012). These guidelines inform clinical practice and assessment and emphasize the need for gender affirming care, but they do not include strict treatment criteria. Consequently, there are multiple perspectives and approaches in the field regarding effective assessment and treatment of gender diverse and transgender clients. Given the ongoing debate around best practices, the current exploratory research study investigates the perspectives and satisfaction of transgender youth and their parents actively seeking out gender health assessments (e.g., hormone readiness assessments). Twenty-five parents and 22 youth who were accessing gender health services through a community outpatient clinic completed a questionnaire about the gender health assessment process. Survey data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, and portions analyzed using thematic analysis. Similar responsepatterns were found between groups and themes emerged surrounding the need for an individualized approach to care. This study aims to increase clinical understanding of the experiences of those seeking gender health assessment services to inform and improve practices to better serve this community.

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Pediatric Stroke Impairs Theory of Mind Performance

Journal of Child Neurology ◽

10.1177/0883073819887590 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 35 (3) ◽

pp. 228-234

Author(s):

Warren Lo ◽

Xiangrui Li ◽

Kristen Hoskinson ◽

Kelly McNally ◽

Melissa Chung ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Cognition ◽

Theory Of Mind ◽

Resting State ◽

Network Connectivity ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Childhood Stroke ◽

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Mri ◽

And Gender ◽

Resting State Connectivity ◽

Control Study

Aim: This pilot study explored whether childhood stroke impairs performance on theory of mind (ToM) tasks and whether ToM task performance correlates with resting state connectivity in brain regions linked with social cognition. Method: We performed a case-control study of 10 children with stroke and 10 age- and gender-matched controls. They completed 2 ToM tasks, and resting state connectivity was measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Results: Children with stroke performed worse than controls on conative ToM tasks. Resting state connectivity in the central executive network was significantly higher and connectivity between right and left inferior parietal lobules was significantly decreased in children with stroke. Resting state activity and ToM performance were not significantly correlated. Interpretation: Childhood stroke results in poorer performance on specific ToM tasks. Stroke is associated with changes in resting state connectivity in networks linked with social cognition including ToM. Although the basis for these changes in connectivity is not well understood, these results may provide preliminary insights into potential mechanisms affecting social cognition after stroke. The findings suggest that further study of the effect of childhood stroke on network connectivity may yield insights as to how stroke affects cognitive functions in children.

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