No abstract

Amotivational symptoms are observed in schizophrenia (SCZ), bipolar disorder (BD), and major depressive disorder (MDD).Effort-cost computation may be a potential contributor to amotivation transdiagnostically. This study examined effort-cost computation in these three diagnostic groups. This study recruited 141 outpatients (49 SCZ, 52 non-psychotic BD, and 40 non-psychotic MDD) and 57 healthy controls (HCs). We administered the Effort-Expenditure for Reward Task (EEfRT), which manipulated different levels of reward magnitude and probability relating to a high and low physical effort task. There were significant interactions between group and reward magnitude, group and reward probability, and group and expected value on the percentage of high-effort choices. SCZ, BD, and MDD patients made comparably fewer high-effort choices than HCs in the high-reward magnitude, high-reward probability, and highexpected-value conditions. Self-reported amotivation did not correlate with decision-making on the EEfRT. Our findings suggest that reduced effort expenditure for reward is a transdiagnostic phenotype in SCZ, BD, and MDD.

The Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy (QCAE) is a commonly used instrument in empathy research. However, this scale has not been validated in the Chinese context. We examined the psychometric properties and structure of the QCAE in a Chinese sample consisting of 1224 college students. The whole sample was split into two halves for exploratory factor analysis (EFA; n = 617) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA; n = 607). A subsample (n = 351) completed the Chinese versions of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) to examine convergent validity and the Revised Social Anhedonia Scale (RSAS) to examine the discriminate validity. Finally, 79 participants of the above subsample were retested after a 4‐week interval. Results from EFA and CFA suggested a five‐factor model, namely Perspective Taking, Online Simulation, Emotional Contagion, Proximal Responsivity, and Peripheral Responsivity. The internal consistency was .86 and test–retest reliability was .76. Scores on the QCAE positively correlated with scores on the IRI and negatively correlated with scores on the RSAS. The Chinese version of the QCAE exhibited good factor structure, reliability, and validity. Specific relationships between empathy and social anhedonia were also demonstrated.