Effort shapes social cognition and behaviour: A neuro-cognitive framework

Contreras-Huerta, Luis Sebastian; Pisauro, M. Andrea; Apps, Matthew A. J.

doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.08.003

Cited by 58 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 168 publications

(330 reference statements)

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“…Another factor shaping social learning is motivation, which may also explain the differences in performance observed here. Although empathy is an effortful process that people sometimes tend to avoid (63,64), it may still be affected by stronger motivational factors, e.g., approach motives (65), than the demand to find a monetary reward. Perhaps the evaluative feedback, e.g., the emotional response in the form of a smiling or sad face, is considered more valuable than a reward in the form of money in a closet (34).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adaptive Empathy: Empathic Response Selection as a Dynamic, Feedback-Based Learning Process

2021

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Empathy allows us to respond to the emotional state of another person. Considering that an empathic interaction may last beyond the initial response, learning mechanisms may be involved in dynamic adaptation of the reaction to the changing emotional state of the other person. However, traditionally, empathy is assessed through sets of isolated reactions to another's distress. Here we address this gap by focusing on adaptive empathy, defined as the ability to learn and adjust one's empathic responses based on feedback. For this purpose, we designed a novel paradigm of associative learning in which participants chose one of two empathic strategies (reappraisal or distraction) to attenuate the distress of a target person, where one strategy had a higher probability of relieving distress. After each choice, participants received feedback about the success of their chosen strategy in relieving the target person's distress, which they could use to inform their future decisions. The results show that the participants made more accurate choices in the adaptive empathy condition than in a non-social control condition, pointing to an advantage for learning from social feedback. We found a correlation between adaptive empathy and a trait measure of cognitive empathy. These findings indicate that the ability to learn about the effectiveness of empathic responses may benefit from incorporating mentalizing abilities. Our findings provide a lab-based model for studying adaptive empathy and point to the potential contribution of learning theory to enhancing our understanding of the dynamic nature of empathy.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adaptive Empathy: Empathic Response Selection as a Dynamic, Feedback-Based Learning Process

2021

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“…A potential challenge for people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders is navigating the complexity of social interactions; such complexity may increase the perceived effort required for a successful interaction [ 39 , 40 ]. Thus, increased positive social appraisals could have also led to reductions in perceived effort required to communicate effectively or simply could have enhanced the extent to which these interactions were perceived as enjoyable.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preliminary Outcomes of an Ecological Momentary Intervention for Social Functioning in Schizophrenia: Pre-Post Study of the Motivation and Skills Support App

Fulford¹,

Gard²,

Mueser³

et al. 2021

JMIR Ment Health

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Background People with schizophrenia and other serious mental illnesses often lack access to evidence-based interventions, particularly interventions that target meaningful recovery outcomes such as social functioning and quality of life. Mobile technologies, including smartphone apps, have the potential to provide scalable support that places elements of evidence-based interventions at the palm of patients’ hands. Objective We aim to develop a smartphone app—called Motivation and Skills Support—to provide targeted social goal support (eg, making new friends and improving existing relationships) for people with schizophrenia enrolled in a stand-alone open trial. Methods In this paper, we presented preliminary outcomes of 31 participants who used the Motivation and Skills Support app for 8 weeks, including social functioning pre- to postintervention, and momentary reports of treatment targets (eg, social motivation and appraisals) during the intervention. Results The findings suggest that the intervention improved self-reported social functioning from baseline to treatment termination, particularly in female participants. Gains were not maintained at the 3-month follow-up. Furthermore, increased social functioning was predicted by momentary reports of social appraisals, including perceived social competence and the extent to which social interactions were worth the effort. Conclusions The implications of these findings and future directions for addressing social functioning in schizophrenia using mobile technology have been discussed. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03404219; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03404219

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“…Like other social animals, humans can ‘sense’ the mental states of others [ 92 ], that is, we can reasonably predict the emotional statuses (empathy), intentions, and perspectives (Theory of Mind) of others, and based on our perceptions, we perform prosocial activities that reward these others. Furthermore, these prosocial activities are critical for eliciting healthy social interactions.…”

Section: Default Mode Networkmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, these prosocial activities are critical for eliciting healthy social interactions. Empathy can be defined as the ability to understand and share the affective states of others, and the anterior cingulate gyrus (ACCg) and subgenual anterior cingulate gyrus (sgACC) are usually involved in the process of empathy [ 92 , 93 ]. The Theory of Mind concerns ability to assess the mental states of others [ 94 - 96 ], and several kinds of tests such as the Sally-Ann test, the dot perspective task, and the ambiguous figure perception test support this theory [ 97 , 98 ].…”

Section: Default Mode Networkmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Large-scale functional brain networks for consciousness

Han

Park

2021

Anat Cell Biol

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The generation and maintenance of consciousness are fundamental but difficult subjects in the fields of psychology, philosophy, neuroscience, and medicine. However, recent developments in neuro-imaging techniques coupled with network analysis have greatly advanced our understanding of consciousness. The present review focuses on large-scale functional brain networks based on neuro-imaging data to explain the awareness (contents) and wakefulness of consciousness. Despite limitations, neuroimaging data suggests brain maps for important psychological and cognitive processes such as attention, language, self-referential, emotion, motivation, social behavior, and wakefulness. We considered a review of these advancements would provide new insights into research on the neural correlates of consciousness.

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Effort shapes social cognition and behaviour: A neuro-cognitive framework

Cited by 58 publications

References 168 publications

Adaptive Empathy: Empathic Response Selection as a Dynamic, Feedback-Based Learning Process

Adaptive Empathy: Empathic Response Selection as a Dynamic, Feedback-Based Learning Process

Preliminary Outcomes of an Ecological Momentary Intervention for Social Functioning in Schizophrenia: Pre-Post Study of the Motivation and Skills Support App

Large-scale functional brain networks for consciousness

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