School-age children, especially those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), often exhibit externalizing behaviour associated with a range of long-term negative consequences. Impairments in social...Show moreSchool-age children, especially those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), often exhibit externalizing behaviour associated with a range of long-term negative consequences. Impairments in social cognition, and weaker expressive language level, are associated with these behavioural problems in children with ASD. Therefore, this study investigated the relationship between social cognition, specifically Theory of Mind (ToM), expressive language and externalizing behaviour in children with ASD aged 9 to 18 years. Understanding these complex dynamics of externalizing behaviour can enhance scientific knowledge, theoretical models, prevention and interventions strategies. A cross-sectional research design was employed, involving 56 participants (19% girls, 81% boys) with a mean age of 12 years. Diagnosis was made using the structured parent interview Autism Diagnostic Interview Revised (ADI-R). Psychopathology, namely externalizing behaviour, was examined in participants using the Childhood Behaviour Checklist (CBCL). Social cognition was identified using the Social Cognitive Skills Test (SCST). The Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals (CELF) was used to evaluate expressive language skills with the subtest 'Formulated sentences'. The study offers valuable insights that may contribute to improved quality of life, mainly for boys with ASD aged 9 to 18 years seeking clinical help. One specific finding that may contribute to this is that expressive language skills can be improved indirectly by creating effective signalling, prevention, and intervention methods for social cognition (ToM), which in turn can enhance communication and interaction with others. Expressive language skills and ToM showed no association with externalising behaviour in this study. However, it is possible that these elements are indirectly related to other aspects of social cognition or to the broader group of people with ASD or gender. More research, especially longitudinal studies, are needed to better understand the complex dynamics to reduce externalising behaviour and prevent its associated adverse effects.Show less
Background: Autism is a complex disorder with a variety of symptoms and differences in their severity. Previous research indicates that within the core symptoms of autism there are differences in...Show moreBackground: Autism is a complex disorder with a variety of symptoms and differences in their severity. Previous research indicates that within the core symptoms of autism there are differences in the behavioral expressions in boys and girls with autism characteristics. Yet not enough is known about the sex differences within autism and the associated behavioral expressions that influence quality of life (QoL). Using this research, it is investigated to what extent the degree of autism characteristics is related to social cognition and QoL in boys and girls. Method: The study has a cross-sectional research design. The research group consist 22 boys and 20 girls in primary and secondary school age. The SRS was used to measure the degree of autism characteristics. QoL was questioned with the Cantril-ladder self-assessment questionnaire and social cognition was measured with the VR perspective taking test. Results: The results confirm that neither social cognition nor degree of autism characteristics are predictors of QoL. In addition, gender does not influence the relationship between social cognition and the degree of autism characteristics. This is also the case with the relationship between the QoL and the degree of autism characteristics. Conclusion: The data suggest some interesting findings about the sex differences in boys and girls with autism and the view of QoL in this group children. Both boys and girls experience limitations within social cognition. The way in which these restrictions are deal with differs. To meet the expectations of others, people with autism use different techniques to hide their autism. This may have a negative impact on QoL. In future research it is necessary to have more knowledge about the sex differences in people with autism characteristics.Show less
The current study focused on the influence of social cognition on cognitive and affective empathy and whether the LPE-label and socioeconomic status fulfilled moderating roles in the relationships...Show moreThe current study focused on the influence of social cognition on cognitive and affective empathy and whether the LPE-label and socioeconomic status fulfilled moderating roles in the relationships between these socioemotional aspects for adolescent boys with conduct disorder (CD). The aim of the study was to focus on these relations within the CD-group itself, since most research compared CD-youth with healthy controls, thereby omitting the heterogeneity of CD. Moreover, the relationship between social cognition and empathy, both socioemotional aspects, within the CD-group itself had not been examined yet. The different socioemotional aspects were measured using questionnaires, such as the Basic Empathy Scale and the Social Responsiveness Scale. These were completed by 49 adolescent boys, aged from fifteen to nineteen years, with a severe form of CD. Two double moderation regression analyses were performed to explore the relationship between social cognition and the dependent factors cognitive and affective empathy. For cognitive empathy there were no significant relationships found. For affective empathy significant relationships were present. First of all, there was a negative effect of social cognition on affective empathy, higher levels of social cognition were linked to lower levels affective empathy. This could be explained by the fact that CD-youth with higher social cognition capacities know how to take advantage of others, therefore being more manipulative without having to empathize with them. Secondly, as expected, there was a positive effect of LPE: the CD/LPE+ group scored significantly lower on affective empathy than the CD/LPE- group. Additionally, there were no significant moderations of LPE-label and socioeconomic status found for both cognitive and affective empathy. To conclude, having better social cognition skills as well as CD/LPE+ were related to lower levels of affective empathy, not cognitive empathy, in adolescent boys with severe CD.Show less
Girls are less likely to be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared to boys. This may be due to poorly understood sex differences in a number of domains, including social cognition....Show moreGirls are less likely to be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared to boys. This may be due to poorly understood sex differences in a number of domains, including social cognition. In order to gain more insight into gender differences in ASD, the current study investigates the extent to which autism traits and social cognition are predictors of internalizing problem behavior, taking into account the differences between boys and girls. Internalizing problem behavior of 35 boys and girls between the ages of six and sixteen was measured using the CBCL. The results showed that the degree of autism characteristics, as measured by the SRS-2, is a significant predictor for internalizing problem behavior. However, no significant difference was found between girls and boys. Also, social cognition, as measured by the MFERT, was not a significant predictor of internalizing problem behavior, and no stronger relationship was found for girls compared to boys. The results imply that a higher degree of autism traits and lower social cognition do not pose a greater risk for internalizing problem behavior in girls than in boys. Possible explanations for these results are focused on the current diagnostic criteria. Future research is desirable to gain more insight into whether genderspecific criteria for autism are necessary in the diagnosis of autism. It is therefore recommended that follow-up research be carried out into the representativeness of the female phenotype within the current diagnostic criteria for autism.Show less
Dertien procent van de Nederlandse jeugdigen rapporteert externaliserende problemen en alhoewel deze gedragingen meestal van voorbijgaande aard zijn, kunnen dergelijke problemen risicofactoren...Show moreDertien procent van de Nederlandse jeugdigen rapporteert externaliserende problemen en alhoewel deze gedragingen meestal van voorbijgaande aard zijn, kunnen dergelijke problemen risicofactoren vormen voor het ontwikkelen van gedragsstoornissen, antisociale gedragingen en criminaliteit op latere leeftijd. Het is daarom van belang om te onderzoeken welke factoren samenhangen met het ontwikkelen van externaliserend probleemgedrag. Intelligentie is een factor die naar verwachting samenhangt met externaliserend probleemgedrag en mogelijk wordt deze relatie gemedieerd door het niveau van sociale cognitie van de jeugdige. In deze studie is de rol van sociale cognitie als mediator op de relatie tussen totale intelligentie, verbale intelligentie en externaliserend probleemgedrag onderzocht bij 143 Amsterdamse jeugdigen met een verhoogd risico op criminele gedragingen. Deze jeugdigen zijn geselecteerd op basis van borderline- en klinische scores op de TRF en hadden een crimineel gezinslid, ernstig schoolverzuim of uitval op school ten opzichte van andere kinderen. Data is verzameld middels de Teacher’s Report Form, Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children en Sociaal Cognitieve Vaardigheden Test. Enkelvoudige- en hiërarchische regressie-analyses zijn uitgevoerd om de samenhang tussen intelligentie, sociale cognitie en externaliserend probleemgedrag te onderzoeken. Er bleek geen samenhang te zijn tussen verbale en totale intelligentie en externaliserend probleemgedrag, zelfs niet wanneer gecontroleerd werd voor leeftijd van de jeugdige. Tevens werd geen relatie geconstateerd tussen sociale cognitie en externaliserend probleemgedrag. Er bleek wel sprake van een positief verband tussen verbale en totale intelligentie en sociale cognitie, wat betekent dat een hoger verbaal- en totaal intelligentieniveau in verband staat met een hogere mate van sociale cognitie. Jeugdigen met een lager intelligentieniveau zullen dus meer problemen ervaren met onder andere het begrijpen van de sociale context en het denken over zichzelf en de wereld. Aanbevolen wordt om meerdere contexuele factoren zoals sociaal-economische status, cultuur, opleiding, ingrijpende gebeurtenissen en opvoederskenmerken te integreren in vervolgonderzoek.Show less
Achtergrond. Zowel exploratiegedrag als sociale competentie lijkt gerelateerd te zijn aan de probleemoplossende vaardigheden waarover een kind beschikt (Caruso, 1993; Fenning, Baker, & Juvonen ...Show moreAchtergrond. Zowel exploratiegedrag als sociale competentie lijkt gerelateerd te zijn aan de probleemoplossende vaardigheden waarover een kind beschikt (Caruso, 1993; Fenning, Baker, & Juvonen , 2011). Onderzoek naar het verband tussen exploratiegedrag en sociale competentie kan inzicht geven in de manier waarop kinderen kennis en vaardigheden eigen maken. Doel. In deze studie wordt gekeken of exploratiegedrag de sociale competentie beïnvloedt bij kinderen in de basisschoolleeftijd. Methode. De onderzoeksgroep bestond uit 154 kinderen, waaronder 70 meisjes en 84 jongens, van een basisschool in Zuid-Holland in de leeftijd 4 tot 9 jaar. Exploratiegedrag werd in kaart gebracht met de HUIS, een computertaak waarbij kinderen objecten kunnen ontdekken in een virtuele huiskamer. In de analyses werd het aantal gevonden unieke objecten meegenomen, kwalitatieve exploratie, en de efficiëntie waarmee het kind de virtuele huiskamer ontdekt, kwantitatieve exploratie. Met de Sociaal Cognitieve Vaardigheden Test (SCVT), een instrument waarbij kinderen aan de hand van stripverhaaltjes vragen moeten beantwoorden, werd sociale cognitie gemeten (Van Manen, Prins, & Emmelkamp, 2009). Door middel van de Social Skill Rating System (SSRS), een vragenlijst over sociaal gedrag van kinderen, werden de sociale vaardigheden in kaart gebracht (Gresham & Elliott, 1990). Resultaten. Uit de correlatieanalyse bleek dat de totaalscore van de SCVT en de totaalscore van de SSRS met elkaar correleren, r(125) = .28, p < .002. Beide meegenomen aspecten van exploratie bleken bij de regressieanalyses geen voorspeller te zijn voor de totaalscore van de SCVT en de totaalscore van de SSRS. Conclusie/discussie. Sociale cognitie en sociale vaardigheden bleken positief aan elkaar gerelateerd te zijn. Beide elementen van exploratiegedrag, kwaliteit en kwantiteit, bleken geen invloed te hebben op sociale competentie. Mogelijk wordt sociale competentie niet verworven door middel van exploratie maar bijvoorbeeld door instructie en uitleg (Klahr & Nigam, 2004; Chen & Klahr, 1999). Anderzijds is de operationalisering van het construct exploratie lastig omdat het onduidelijk is wat exploratiegedrag precies is. Vervolgonderzoek zal een consensus moeten bereiken over vraag wat exploratiegedrag inhoudt.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
Background: Existing research has shown that emotion recognition and social cognition develop with increasing age. In previously conducted studies mixed results are found on the influence of gender...Show moreBackground: Existing research has shown that emotion recognition and social cognition develop with increasing age. In previously conducted studies mixed results are found on the influence of gender regarding emotion recognition and social cognition. Research has also shown that the development of social cognition improves when there is an older sibling present as well as the fact that language plays an important role in the development of social cognition. Method: This thesis investigates the relation between individual differences in both social cognition and emotion recognition in children between four and seven years of age. Children (N =473) from 32 different schools throughout The Netherlands participated in this study. Across two sessions, children were given both computer tasks as well as paper and pencil tasks. Social cognition is measured by the Social Cognitive Skills Test whereas emotion recognition is measured by the Amsterdam Neuropsychological Tasksprogramme - Identification of Facial Emotion. The tests were conducted by trained students from Leiden University. Results: Older children had a higher level of social cognition and better emotion recognition, however gender did not have a significant influence on those skills. Both expressive and receptive language skills were positively related to social cognition. The ability to recognize facial expressions was better for children with better receptive language skills, ands slightly better for girls and older children. Neither the fact that a child had siblings nor birth order had a significant relationship with emotion recognition or social cognition. Conclusion: These findings suggest that language, age and gender might be important factors in the development of both social cognition and emotion recognition in young children and it is recommended that in case of developmental delays in social cognition or emotion recognition, attention should be paid to language development.Show less
In dit onderzoek is onderzocht in hoeverre sociale cognitie en emotieherkenningsvaardigheden de hoeveelheid agressie bij 8-12 jarige jongens kunnen voorspellen. Ook is gekeken of...Show moreIn dit onderzoek is onderzocht in hoeverre sociale cognitie en emotieherkenningsvaardigheden de hoeveelheid agressie bij 8-12 jarige jongens kunnen voorspellen. Ook is gekeken of emotieherkenningsvaardigheden sociale cognitie konden voorspellen. De onderzoeksgroep bestond uit 51 jongens geworven bij regulier onderwijs, speciaal basisonderwijs en klinische instellingen in Nederland. De hoeveelheid agressie is gemeten met de CBCL/6-18. Emotieherkenning is zowel in gezichten gemeten met de Facial Emotion Recognition test, als in spraak met de Prosodie subtest van de Amsterdam Neuropsychologische Taken. Er is gecontroleerd voor intelligentie. Agressie kon alleen voorspeld worden door prosodie herkenning, met name het herkennen van bange en boze prosodie, en intelligentie. Sociale cognitie kon alleen voorspeld worden door prosodie herkenning, met name het herkennen van verdrietige en boze prosodie, en intelligentie. Emotieherkenning in gezichten blijkt geen significante voorspeller te zijn voor agressie en sociale cognitie. Deze resultaten ondersteunen interventies, gericht op het verminderen van agressie door sociale cognitie en emotieherkenning te verbeteren, niet. Implicaties voor vervolgonderzoek worden gegeven.Show less
Van kinderen met Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) wordt gedacht dat zij problemen ondervinden in emotieherkenning. ADHD bevat drie subtypen, namelijk aandachtstekort, hyperactief...Show moreVan kinderen met Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) wordt gedacht dat zij problemen ondervinden in emotieherkenning. ADHD bevat drie subtypen, namelijk aandachtstekort, hyperactief/impulsief en het gecombineerde subtype. Een mogelijk en nog niet veel onderzocht component onderliggend aan emotieherkenning is volgehouden aandacht. De centrale vraag richt zich op jongens waarbij wordt ingegaan op de relatie tussen symptomen van de subtypen van ADHD en emotieherkenning in gezichtsexpressies en stem bij anderen en of volgehouden aandacht daar invloed op heeft. De steekproef bevat 20 jongens van 7 tot 13 jaar. Ouders vulden een vragenlijst in over symptomen van subtypen van ADHD. Kinderen beoordeelden op de computer via foto’s emoties in het gezicht en via geluidsfragmenten emoties in de stem. Tevens is via een computertaak volgehouden aandacht gemeten. Symptomen van het gecombineerde subtype hebben een verband met het aflezen van verbaasde gezichten. Hoe meer symptomen van dit subtype, hoe meer ze herkennen. Voor de overige subtypen en emoties zijn geen verbanden aangetoond. De verbanden tussen symptomen van het aandachtstekortsubtype en emotieherkenning van blije en droevige stemmen wijzen erop dat hoe meer symptomen van het subtype, hoe meer ze deze emoties in stemmen herkennen. Voor de overige subtypen en emoties zijn geen verbanden aangetoond. Parameters van volgehouden aandacht hebben op de hiervoor genoemde aangetoonde verbanden invloed. Alleen de parameter impulsiviteit heeft geen invloed op het verband tussen symptomen van aandachtstekortsubtype en het herkennen van blije stemmen. Verder heeft de parameter fluctuatie in het werktempo invloed op de relatie tussen symptomen van hyperactiviteit/impulsiviteit en het herkennen van verbaasde gezichten. Aanbevelingen voor verder onderzoek zijn een grotere steekproef en kinderen includeren met een diagnose voor een subtype van ADHD. Daarnaast kunnen verschillen in subtypen van ADHD tussen jongens en meisjes worden onderzocht en tussen kinderen met en zonder diagnose. Verdere aanbeveling is een longitudinaal onderzoek.Show less
