Social Cognition in Psychosis
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Evaluating a Measure of Social Cognition in Psychosis
IRAS ID
224475
Contact name
Nicholas Hearn
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of East London
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 2 months, 5 days
Research summary
Social cognition in individuals diagnosed with psychosis has been strongly linked to real-world functioning, and is increasingly seen as a viable treatment target. A diagnosis of psychosis predicts poorer performance in tests of social cognition, yet the precise nature of these deficits and how they relate to real-world outcomes is unclear.
This study proposes to administer a promising and understudied measure of social cognition to participants with a diagnosis of psychosis. The instrument will be compared to another, more extensively used, measure of social cognition in order to ascertain its validity. Social cognition scores will also be compared with measures of real-world functioning to elucidate their predictive ability. It is hoped that the findings will indicate the utility of the new measure in this field of research. Should this and subsequent studies find the measure to merit further application, its use can inform the development and evaluation of future interventions.Participants will be recruited from a community mental health service. They will be of adult age and considered to be “stable” in their mental state, according to a number of criteria. Cognitive tests will be administered, lasting approximately 90 minutes. Participants will rate their current level of functioning on a multi-category scale. The referring clinician will also complete this scale, as well as rating the participant’s presentation in reference to psychiatric symptoms. It is hypothesised that the social cognition scores in this group will be lower than would be predicted from their general cognitive scores. It is further hypothesised that the measured level of social cognition will be more predictive of real-world outcomes than general cognitive ability or psychiatric symptoms.
REC name
London - Brent Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/LO/1450
Date of REC Opinion
5 Oct 2017
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion