DID YOU KNOW....



It has been suggested in the research literature that facial affect
processing (FAP) and theory of mind (ToM) are both potential mediators
of the well-established relationship between cognition and functional
outcome among people with schizophrenia.



The current project tests the mediating potency of these two domains of
social cognition among deaf and hearing people with schizophrenia.



Sixty-five people (34 deaf, 31 hearing) were assessed using measures of
verbal and visual memory, attention, visual processing, FAP, and ToM.
The results suggest that each domain of cognition, save vigilance,
exerts an effect on functional outcome indirectly through its influence
on social cognition. The patterns of mediation varied when the samples
were broken down by hearing status and analyzed separately. Namely, the
cognitive tasks directly involving linguistic ability (early visual
processing [EVP] and word memory) were best mediated by social cognition
for hearing subjects.



For deaf subjects, the nonlinguistic cognitive tasks (e.g.,
visual-spatial memory-recall and copy [VSM-recall and VSM-copy]) were
best mediated by social cognition. While FAP and ToM were equally
effective as mediators for hearing subjects, FAP was a more potent
mediator than ToM for deaf subjects.



This study extends prior work in the area of social cognition and
schizophrenia and indicates that the development of cognitive
rehabilitation strategies should include not only interventions
targeting specific cognitive abilities, such as attention and memory,
but should include an emphasis on social-cognitive domains, including
FAP and ToM. Further, deaf and hearing subjects may benefit from
interventions addressing aspects of cognition that support linguistic
ability, especially as they relate to social cognition.



Social cognition as a mediator of cognition and outcome among deaf and
hearing people with schizophrenia.

Horton HK, Silverstein SM.

Schizophr Res. 2008 Oct;105(1-3):125-37. Epub 2008 Aug 22.





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