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Affective and Cognitive Verbal Theory of Mind in Schizophrenia: Results From a Novel Paradigm

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 October 2017

Łukasz Okruszek ,
Aleksandra Piejka ,
Ewa Szczepocka ,
Adam Wysokiński  and
Agnieszka Pluta
Łukasz Okruszek*
Affiliation:
Clinical Neuroscience Lab, Institute of Psychology, Polish Academy of Science, Warsaw, Poland
Aleksandra Piejka
Affiliation:
Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
Ewa Szczepocka
Affiliation:
Department of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotic Disorders, Medical University of Łódź, Łódź, Poland
Adam Wysokiński
Affiliation:
Department of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotic Disorders, Medical University of Łódź, Łódź, Poland
Agnieszka Pluta
Affiliation:
Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to: Łukasz Okruszek, Institute of Psychology, Polish Academy of Science, Warsaw, Jaracza 1, 00-378 Warsaw. E-mail: lukasz.okruszek@psych.pan.pl
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Abstract

Objectives: Impairments of Theory of Mind (ToM) have been repeatedly demonstrated in patients with schizophrenia (SCZ). However, only a handful of studies have explored deficits in affective and cognitive subcomponents of ToM. Thus, this study aims to examine affective and cognitive ToM abilities in SCZ by using a novel, verbal paradigm. Methods: Twenty-four SCZ and 22 healthy comparison subjects (HC) completed a battery of tasks, which consisted of: (i) Brief Cognitive Assessment Tool for Schizophrenia (B-CATS), (ii) three well-established tasks measuring social cognitive abilities, and (iii) original tasks which assess ability to infer cognitive and affective mental states based on everyday verbal social interactions. Results: In line with previous findings, SCZ were outperformed by HC in all tasks. However, the interaction effect of the group and the task showed that cognitive (as opposed to affective) ToM was more profoundly impaired in patients with SCZ. Conclusions: It is proposed that in SCZ group cognitive ToM is more impaired as it involves more effortful reflective processes, while affective ToM, which is more automatic and based on reflexive processes, may differentiate patients from healthy comparison subjects to a lesser extent. (JINS, 2018, 24, 305–309)

Keywords

Social perceptionCognitionCognitive neuroscienceNeuropsychological testsPsychotic disordersExecutive function
Type
Brief Communication
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 24 , Issue 3 , March 2018 , pp. 305 - 309
Copyright
Copyright © The International Neuropsychological Society 2017 

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