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Social cognitive deficits can have many negative consequences, spanning social withdrawal to psychopathology. Prior work has shown that child maltreatment may associate with poorer social cognitive skills in later life. However, no studies have examined this association from early childhood into adolescence. Using data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC; n = 4,438), we examined the association between maltreatment (caregiver physical or emotional abuse; sexual or physical abuse), assessed repeatedly (every 1–3 years) from birth to age 9, and social cognitive skills at ages 7.5, 10.5, and 14 years. We evaluated the role of both the developmental timing (defined by age at exposure) and accumulation of maltreatment (defined as the number of occasions exposed) using a least angle regression variable selection procedure, followed by structural equation modeling. Among females, accumulation of maltreatment explained the most variation in social cognitive skills. For males, no significant associations were found. These findings underscore the importance of early intervention to minimize the accumulation of maltreatment and showcase the importance of prospective studies to understand the development of social cognition over time.

Background Social cognition underpins our ability to maintain social connections, which in turn can reduce our risk of dementia. Existing social cognitive interventions for people living with mild cognitive impairment or early stage dementia involve either informal social gatherings or target only a single social cognitive skill, such as emotion recognition. There are therefore currently no interventions that target the broad range of social cognitive skills involved in maintaining social connections for people living with mild cognitive impairment or early‐stage dementia. Method A novel co‐designed social cognitive skills intervention was delivered online to 10 people (6 females and 4 males; Mage = 69 years, range = 58‐82 years) with mild cognitive impairment (n = 7) and early‐stage self‐reported dementia (n = 3). The intervention was delivered by a psychologist via videocalls with accompany slides and a participant booklet in groups of 3‐4 participants each, for five 2‐hour weekly sessions. Sessions included: awareness of everyday communication skills; development of a personal action plan and reading non‐verbal communication; managing sensory and cognitive challenges; real world interactions including assertiveness, confidence, building and maintaining good relationships; program review; and revisiting the personal action plan. Social cognition was measured using the Edinburgh Social Cognition Test (ESCoT). Secondary outcomes included cognition (MoCA), social frailty (social frailty index and social frailty scale), loneliness (UCLA loneliness scale), mental health (Geriatric Depression and Anxiety Scales), and quality of life (AQoL‐6D). Data were collected via online interviews at pre‐intervention, post‐intervention, and at 3‐month follow‐up. Result ESCoT scores improved 17% at the end of the intervention, with further improvement at 3‐months’ follow‐up (21.8%). Delayed recall scores on the MoCA also improved by 83% by 3‐month follow‐up. Mental health symptoms and loneliness scores showed a floor effect. Participants reported finding the online intervention easy to access. Conclusion A novel online group intervention for social cognitive skills showed promising results in a pilot study with people with mild cognitive impairment and early‐stage dementia. A randomised controlled trial with a larger sample is required to test the effectiveness of the intervention in improving social cognition.

Individuals with schizophrenia have deficits in social cognition that are associated with poor functional outcome. Unfortunately, current treatments result in only modest improvement in social cognition. Oxytocin, a neuropeptide with pro-social effects, has significant benefits for social cognition in the general population. However, studies examining the efficacy of oxytocin in schizophrenia have yielded inconsistent results. One reason for inconsistency may be that oxytocin has typically not been combined with psychosocial interventions. It may be necessary for individuals with schizophrenia to receive concurrent psychosocial treatment while taking oxytocin to have the context needed to make gains in social cognitive skills. The current study tested this hypothesis in a 24-week (48 session) double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that combined oxytocin and Cognitive-Behavioral Social Skills Training (CBSST), which included elements from Social Cognition and Interaction Training (SCIT). Participants included 62 outpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia (placebo n = 31; oxytocin n = 31) who received 36 IU BID, with supervised administration 45 min prior to sessions on CBSST group therapy days. Participants completed a battery of measures administered at 0, 12, and 24 weeks that assessed social cognition. CBSST generally failed to enhance social cognition from baseline to end of study, and there was no additive benefit of oxytocin beyond the effects of CBSST alone. Findings suggest that combined CBSST and oxytocin had minimal benefit for social cognition, adding to the growing literature indicating null effects of oxytocin in multi-dose trials. Methodological and biological factors may contribute to inconsistent results across studies.

Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder associated with social cognitive challenges, and pretend play has been demonstrated as a tool to achieve developmental goals. Following previous report on feasibility and acceptability of a remote, play-based parent-training program (Zyga, Russ, & Dimitropoulos, 2018), we now report on preliminary efficacy of this program to enhance pretend play skills and social cognitive skills in preschoolers with PWS. Results across two studies demonstrated efficacy when live-coaching play sessions incorporated children into the intervention. Increases in play skills were observed for children with the mUPD subtype of PWS who underwent intervention, compared with children with mUPD who were waitlisted. Children with DEL subtype were less likely to respond to intervention. Implications for results are discussed.

The goal of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and utility of a group-based cognitive behavioral intervention to improve social-cognitive functioning in adults with high-functioning autism (HFA). We modified the treatment manual of a previously validated intervention, Social Cognition and Interaction Training (SCIT), for optimal use with HFA adults (SCIT-A). We then conducted a pilot study to compare SCIT-A ( n  = 6) to treatment as usual (TAU) ( n  = 5) for adults with HFA. Feasibility was supported; attendance was high (92%) and satisfaction reports were primarily positive. Participants in SCIT-A showed significant improvement in theory-of-mind skills and trend level improvements in social communication skills; TAU participants did not show these improvements. Findings indicate SCIT-A shows promise as an intervention for adults with HFA.

We delineate the sequence that typically developing infants pass tasks that assess different early social cognitive skills considered precursors to theory-of-mind abilities. We compared this normative sequence to performance on these tasks in a group of autistic (AUT) children. 86 infants were administered seven tasks assessing intention reading and shared intentionality (Study 1). Infants responses followed a consistent developmental sequence, forming a four-stage scale. These tasks were administered to 21 AUT children (Study 2), who passed tasks in the same sequence. However, performance on tasks that required following others’ eye gaze and cooperating with others was delayed. Findings indicate that earlier-developing skills provide a foundation for later-developing skills, and difficulties in acquiring some early social cognitive skills in AUT children.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and anxiety frequently co-occur. Research on the phenomenology and treatment of anxiety in ASD is expanding, but is hampered by the lack of instruments validated for this population. This study evaluated the self- and parent-reported Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale and the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale in Children—2 among 46 youth with ASD. Internal consistency and test–retest reliability were acceptable, but inter-rater reliability was poor. Parent–child agreement was better for youth with higher IQs, less severe ASD symptoms, or more social cognitive skills. Convergent and divergent validity were acceptable. Demographic characteristics were considered as predictors of anxiety: they were unrelated to parent-report, but younger age and more severe ASD were related to increased self-reported anxiety.

Adolescents with burn injury are vulnerable to psychosocial dysfunction because of the complex nature of their neurobiological, cognitive, and interpersonal changes that occur during this developmental stage. Physical differences in appearance also make these adolescents prone to peer bullying and at further risk for social functioning challenges. These social functioning challenges may involve underlying difficulties with cognitive functions needed to support adaptive social functioning and can present as social isolation, inappropriate social behaviors, or social anxiety. Promoting social participation is a recognized intervention to support positive mental health and is necessary for identity formation during transition into adulthood. This guideline describes assessment and intervention for adolescents with burn injury to improve adaptive capacities and facilitate social participation. Assessment of social-cognitive skills, resilience, and behavioral indicators of adaptive social functioning are discussed. A cognitive-approach to intervention is also described. The goal of this guideline is to enable occupational therapists to provide psychosocial assessment and intervention to adolescents with burn injury. We hope that this guideline is an impetus for evidence-based practice on the role occupational therapists can contribute to promote interdisciplinary collaboration and provide more comprehensive patient care for this population.

Human technology has evolved in an unparalleled way, allowing us to expand across the globe. One fascinating question is, how do we understand the cognitive origins of this phenomenon, which is known as cumulative technological culture (CTC)? The dominant view posits that CTC results from our unique ability to learn from each other. The cultural niche hypothesis even minimizes the involvement of non-social cognitive skills in the emergence of CTC, claiming that technologies can be optimized without us understanding how they work, but simply through the retention of small improvements over generations. Here we conduct a partial replication of the experimental study of Derex et al. ( Nature Human Behaviour , 2019) and show that the improvement of a physical system over generations is accompanied by an increased understanding of it. These findings indicate that technical-reasoning skills (non-social cognitive skills) are important in the acquisition, understanding and improvement of technical content—that is, specific to the technological form of cumulative culture—thereby making social learning a salient source of technical inspiration. In this micro-society study, Osiurak et al. show that the improvement of a physical system over generations is accompanied by an increased understanding of it, showing the role of technical reasoning in cumulative technological culture.

The impact of the Fast Track intervention on externalizing disorders across childhood was examined. Eight hundred-ninety-one early-starting children (69% male; 51% African American) were randomly assigned by matched sets of schools to intervention or control conditions. The 10-year intervention addressed parent behavior-management, child social cognitive skills, reading, home visiting, mentoring, and classroom curricula. Outcomes included psychiatric diagnoses after grades 3, 6, 9, and 12 for conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and any externalizing disorder. Significant interaction effects between intervention and initial risk level indicated that intervention prevented the lifetime prevalence of all diagnoses, but only among those at highest initial risk, suggesting that targeted intervention can prevent externalizing disorders to promote the raising of healthy children.