Accordingly, ToM has been associated with a wide range of social functioning outcomes, including peer-popularity ( Slaughter et al., 2015), social competence ( Razza, 2009), and being a bully or a bully-victim ( Shakoor et al., 2012). Still Theory of Mind (ToM) or the ability to mentalize around one’s own and others thoughts, emotions and beliefs, might constitute the core element of SC, and is commonly also referred to as cognitive empathy ( Grove et al., 2014 Happé et al., 2017). SC encompasses a wide range of interrelated processes and skills, such as social motivation, social awareness, emotion recognition, social attention, and social learning ( Happé et al., 2017). Social cognition (SC) is presumed to form the basis of human social interaction and communication ( Happé et al., 2017). Future studies need to include a larger sample of monozygotic twins, who are genetically identical, in order to draw more firm conclusions regarding the influence of familial factors, and to differentiate between shared environmental and genetic effects on the associations between cognitive functions. The result suggests that familial factors shared by the twins, such as genetic and shared environment, influence the association between CC, IQ, and ToM. In the within-pair analyses, where unmeasured familial confounders are implicitly adjusted, the associations between ToM and other cognitive functions, were attenuated and the association with CC was non-significant. Female sex and higher age were robustly associated with increased ToM ability, whereas EF was not associated with ToM. In the linear regressions, weak CC and a lower IQ were associated with a reduced ToM ability across pairs. We used the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test to operationalize ToM, the Fragmented Pictures Test for central coherence (CC), the Tower Test for executive functioning (EF), and the general ability index in the Wechsler Intelligence Scales for IQ. Using a co-twin control design, we examined N = 311 twins (mean age M = 17.19 years, 47% females) diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), other NDDs, or typically developing individuals. Especially the familial underpinnings of such links remain unclear. Even though its importance for social functioning in general, and neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), in particular, is well established, the links between ToM and other cognitive functions are not. Theory of mind (ToM), or the ability to attribute mental states to oneself and others, is a core element of social cognition (SC). 4Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.3Curtin Autism Research Group, Curtin School of Allied Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia.2Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.1Department of Neuroscience, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Unit, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.Johan Isaksson 1,2, Janina Neufeld 2 and Sven Bölte 2,3,4*
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |