Changes in social cognition, encompassing all cognitive processes that underlie social interaction, have been noted in various types of dementia. Theory of Mind (ToM) is a key aspect of social...Show moreChanges in social cognition, encompassing all cognitive processes that underlie social interaction, have been noted in various types of dementia. Theory of Mind (ToM) is a key aspect of social cognition, defined as the ability to understand the mental state of another person, including their emotions, intentions and beliefs. Cartoon tests aim to adopt humour using cartoon jokes to assess ToM. In this study, a new Dutch cartoon test aimed to be applicable in clinical assessment of dementia was developed and validated. The test includes 12 cartoons (6 requiring ToM to understand the joke and 6 that do not), which were collected through an extensive search and were rated by experts (n = 17) on content and funniness. Normative data for the selected cartoons was obtained by control participants (n = 39), through annotation of these, scoring categories were formed. The test was then validated in a clinical sample, including patients referred to a memory clinic for cognitive complaints and suspected dementia (n = 9), in an observational cross-sectional study with a case-control type selection of participants. Patients were expected to score lower on the cartoon test than controls. An ANCOVA with demographic variables as covariates was performed: no significant differences between patients (n = 9) and control participants (n = 9) were found (p > .05). Further, the internal validity (Cronbach’s α of .864 for the total cartoon test) and convergent validity of test was good. Divergent validity was found to be questionable. Regarding demographics: females were expected to score higher than males; older participants were expected to score higher than younger participants; and higher educated participants were expected to score higher than lower educated participants on the cartoon test. A Mann-Whitney U analysis showed no gender differences (p > .05); assessment of Spearman-rank order correlation coefficients showed age was significant in its negative relation to cartoon test performance (p < .05); and education level significant in its positive relation to test performance (p < .05). Future investigation with a larger patient sample including differential dementia diagnoses is recommended to substantiate the results and make the test clinically applicable.Show less
According to the social cognitive theory, children go trough a six-step plan when faced with a social situation. After the interaction, the steps taken and the outcome of the social situation are...Show moreAccording to the social cognitive theory, children go trough a six-step plan when faced with a social situation. After the interaction, the steps taken and the outcome of the social situation are evaluated. This evaluation now becomes part of the child’s so called social schemas, which can be used when facing a novel social situation in the future. However, children with externalizing problem behaviour inadequately use this six-step plan, resulting in the use of unfavourable schemas, leading to a wrong reaction in a social situation. For example, they misread the intentions of the other as hostile and react with an aggressive reaction. The aim of this study is to investigate which social cognitive skills children with externalizing behavioural problems use, how age plays a role in this, and whether social cognitive skills are predictive of behavioural problems. In total, 174 children with externalizing behavioural problems were included in this study; 84 children aged 6-10 years and 90 children aged 10-12 years. Results showed that older children have better control of social cognition than younger children (p<.001). Social cognition however, was not a significant predictor for externalizing behaviour problems in either the younger (p = .920) or older children (p = .778). In conclusion, our results were not in line with the social cognitive theory. However, in order to reduce the risks for adverse outcome in children with externalizing problem behaviour, such as the risk of criminal behaviour, it is important to investigate whether young children with externalizing behaviour problems lag behind on children without these problems. In addition, it is important to investigate which mechanisms underlie externalizing problem behaviour in order to optimally adapt early interventions to the needs of children.Show less
There is currently little scientific research on male juvenile offenders with Conduct Disorder (CD), while 73% of male juvenile offenders have this disorder. In addition, many adolescents with CD...Show moreThere is currently little scientific research on male juvenile offenders with Conduct Disorder (CD), while 73% of male juvenile offenders have this disorder. In addition, many adolescents with CD receive no treatment or the incorrect treatment, while demonstrating high levels of aggression and psychopathic traits. People with CD show abnormalities in brain areas responsible for social cognition. The question is whether the neurocognitive abnormalities for social cognition is the cause of symptomatic behaviors such as aggression and psychopathic traits. This study aimed to investigate whether there is an association between social cognition, aggression and psychopathy in male juvenile delinquents with CD. The sample consisted of 52 male juvenile delinquents with CD (M = 16.94 years; SD = 1.36 years; range = 15 - 19 years). The mean IQ was 95.92 (SD = 6.45). In addition, the mean socioeconomic status (SES) of the participants was -0.83 (SD = 1.80; range = -5.24 - 2.77). The following questionnaires were used: Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), Reactive Proactive Questionnaire (RPQ) and the Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory (YPI). Results showed that impairments in social cognition was a significant predictor of both reactive aggression and total aggression score. No significant association was found between impairments in social cognition and proactive aggression and psychopathy. The current research contributes to the knowledge of the treatment of male juvenile delinquents with CD. More scientific research is needed to confirm the results of this study.Show less
Background: Children in special education are typically characterized by developmental delays and/or deficits in social- and cognitive functioning. These children are coping with problems that are...Show moreBackground: Children in special education are typically characterized by developmental delays and/or deficits in social- and cognitive functioning. These children are coping with problems that are often associated with less developed social cognitive skills. The purpose of the current study was to examine whether children’s intelligence moderated the effect of an educational teacher training on social cognitive functioning in children. Methods: Eighty-six children between 10 and 13 years (54% boys) were recruited from a primary school for special education in The Netherlands. Four classes were randomized to either the teacher training (n = 43) or a passive control group (n = 42). The teacher training program consisted of four two-hour trainings in school given by an experienced clinical neuropsychologist. All children were tested prior to and after the training program with a parallel version of the Sociaal Cognitieve Vaardigheden Test (SCVT) to measure their social cognitive skills. In addition, intelligence data (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children) was obtained regarding their Full Scale IQ (FIQ) scores. Results: The results showed that a lower FIQ significantly predicted a lower score on social cognition. After controlling for gender and age, the teacher training did not significantly contribute to the increase in social cognition over time and there was no interaction with FIQ. Conclusion: The results emphasize the need to pay special attention to and foster the social cognitive development in children with lower intelligence. To monitor and hence improve the effects of the teacher training, future research should also monitor changes in teachers knowledge, skills and behavior in addition to the child measures.Show less
An Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a pervasive neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized by impairments in social interaction and communication. Lacks of Theory of Mind, empathy and...Show moreAn Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a pervasive neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized by impairments in social interaction and communication. Lacks of Theory of Mind, empathy and emotion recognition have been invoked as an explanatory mechanism for the impairments in the social cognition in an ASD. There is a need for a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms for a better diagnosis and treatment of women with an ASD, because they are good in hiding the characteristics of an ASD. The current study compares different aspects of social cognition between women with a high functioning ASD and typical developed (TD) women through a comparison between women with and without an ASD. This comparison is based on their performance of social cognition tasks and through a comparison between women with an ASD mutually based on their reflectivity. A total of 31 women with an ASD and 30 TD women participated in this study. The prosody task of the ANT was used for recognition of basic emotions. For the visual emotion recognition the Facial Expression Recognition task was used. The informant list of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index was used to get the various aspects of empathy in daily life. The Dewey Social Story test was used for an impression of perspective taking and understanding of usual and unusual social situations. Results show that women with an ASD have more difficulty with perspective taking and in understanding of other people’s mental states. Although women with an ASD perform similar to TD women in recognizing the basic emotions, women with an ASD perform worse when these emotions are showed with low intensity. Women with an ASD are also slower in recognizing all basic emotions. The results of the comparison within the ASD-group based on their reflectivity shows that women with a good reflectivity are better in recognizing basic emotions when emotions are showed with high intensity. Furthermore, there are no noticeable differences in the comparison between women with good and poor reflectivity within the ASD-group. The two components, in which women with an ASD perform worse compared to women without ASD, can possibly play an important role in the social interactions, which are often based on high speed unconscious activities. More research is needed for a better understanding of the relationship between the Theory of Mind and the reflectivity and of the relationship between the different explanatory models of the impairments in social interaction and communication.Show less
Research master thesis | Developmental Psychopathology in Education and Child Studies (research) (MSc)
open access
2019-09-05T00:00:00Z
This eye-tracking study investigates whether age-related changes in the ability to take perspective influence narrative text comprehension. Thirty-two typically-developing children (M = 11.73; SD =...Show moreThis eye-tracking study investigates whether age-related changes in the ability to take perspective influence narrative text comprehension. Thirty-two typically-developing children (M = 11.73; SD = 0.74) and 34 young adults (M = 21.02; SD = 1.98) read stories in which the need to use perspective-taking abilities was systematically varied. The offline measure (after reading) suggested that adults were better and faster at making inferences in general, and both 10-12-year-olds and 18-25-year-olds were faster in making an inference in the complex perspective-taking condition (which required them to take the perspective of one of the story characters and imagine how this character would react to the intentions, thoughts, or feelings of another story character) compared to the control condition (which required them to make an inference about physical causality with regard to an object). The reading process itself revealed that 18-25-year-olds read stories faster across all conditions we examined. In addition, both 10-12-year-olds as well as adults revealed the longest reading times in the most difficult condition in which complex perspective-taking was needed to draw inferences. Stories in which the interaction between two story characters has to be taken into account are processed differently compared to stories in which no social-cognitive information is needed, as well as compared to when one only has to take the perspective of one story character. Narratives in which perspective-taking is crucial for comprehension are more difficult to process, even for adults, but are better represented in the situation model readers construct.Show less
This study researches the differences in social cognitive skills and cognitive distortions between boys with Disturbed Behavior Disorders (DBD) and boys without DBD. Subsequently the correlation...Show moreThis study researches the differences in social cognitive skills and cognitive distortions between boys with Disturbed Behavior Disorders (DBD) and boys without DBD. Subsequently the correlation between eight social cognitive skills, four self-serving cognitive distortions and reactive and proactive aggression was researched. 24 boys with DBD and 24 boys in the control group were tested with the SCST (social cognitive skills) and the How I Think-questionnaire (cognitive distortions). Parents of these children completed the IRPA-questionnaire (reactive and proactive aggression). Boys with DBD scored significantly higher on the subscale of the SCST ‘Comparing Perspectives’. Boys with DBD appear to be better in naming differences and similarities between different perspectives than boys in the control group. Proactive aggression was partially predicted by the subscale of the SCST ‘Understandig Perspectives’, in which boys with better capabilities demonstrate more proactive aggression. Both results are possibly explained by the lack of empathy. No indications were found that cognitive distortions correlate with reactive and proactive aggression.Show less
De ontwikkeling van bètaleren bij kinderen krijgt op het moment veel aandacht, omdat het voor de maatschappij belangrijk is dat jonge kinderen interesse hebben voor natuur en techniek. Daarmee...Show moreDe ontwikkeling van bètaleren bij kinderen krijgt op het moment veel aandacht, omdat het voor de maatschappij belangrijk is dat jonge kinderen interesse hebben voor natuur en techniek. Daarmee wordt de kans verhoogd dat ze later in hun leven een bètagerelateerd beroep zullen kiezen. Daarnaast ontwikkelen jonge kinderen vaardigheden die zij nodig zullen hebben om zich optimaal te kunnen ontwikkelen in alle domeinen van hun functioneren. Daarom moet duidelijk worden op welke ontwikkelingsgebieden kinderen stimulering nodig hebben om deze ontwikkeling te optimaliseren. In het basisonderwijs wordt de sociale en cognitieve ontwikkeling van kinderen gestimuleerd om hen daarmee voor te bereiden op de toekomst. Vooralsnog blijkt bètaonderwijs veelal geen grote plaats in het onderwijsprogramma te hebben, terwijl bètaberoepen belangrijk zijn voor de maatschappij. Aangezien de sociale ontwikkeling bijdraagt aan het leerproces is het belangrijk om te onderzoeken hoe sociale ontwikkeling in relatie staat tot het bètaleren. Hierdoor wordt bekend of kinderen kunnen groeien in hun sociale ontwikkeling en in het bètaleren wanneer de aandacht voor deze gebieden gecombineerd wordt. In dit onderzoek is daarom de relatie tussen de ontwikkeling van sociale cognitie en bètaleren van 160 vier- tot achtjarige kinderen (gemiddelde leeftijd = 5.90 jaar, 47.5% jongens) uit West- en Zuid-Nederland onderzocht. Bètaleren werd gerelateerd aan de sociale cognitie emotieherkenning en aan sociale vaardigheden. Bij de kinderen is een emotieherkenningstaak (Identification of Facial Emotions, IFE) en een taak voor kwantitatief redeneren (subtest Kwantiteit uit de Revisie Amsterdamse Kinder Intelligentietest, RAKIT) afgenomen als maat voor hun bètavaardigheden. De ouders hebben een vragenlijst over de sociale vaardigheden van hun kind ingevuld (Social Skills Rating System, SSRS). De belangrijkste bevinding was dat sociale cognitie en bètaleren positief aan elkaar gerelateerd zijn. Daarnaast werd een significante relatie (r = 0.38) gevonden tussen sociale vaardigheden en bètaleren. Naast de huidige stimulering van de sociale ontwikkeling lijkt het daarom van belang om daarbij ook het bètaleren bij jonge kinderen te stimuleren, zodat groei op deze gebieden elkaar wederzijds versterkt. Een sociale en uitdagende omgeving speelt daarbij waarschijnlijk een belangrijke rol.Show less
