Is Cognitive Performance Affecting Your Social Life? Cognitive Performance and its Relation to Social Functioning in Psychometric Schizotypy

Abstract

Interpreting cues and appropriately performing in social situations are two skills that are crucial for an individual to function in a modern society. Assessing social functioning and social cognition are used to measure these abilities in first-episode and schizophrenia research. The current study addresses the relationship between social cognition, neurocognition, and social functioning in participants with psychometric schizotypy; a cluster of traits thought to denote increased risk of developing psychosis. Undergraduate students pre-screened for schizotypy were tested for social cognitive and neurocognitive deficits, and lower social functioning. Significant positive correlations were observed between sub-tests of neurocognition and the social cognition measures. The current study shows that there are some subareas of neurocognition that are more closely related to social cognition than others. Independent T-tests reveal that individuals with psychometric schizotypy exhibit lower social functioning. Also, within the schizotypy group, participants report lower social functioning, including in their ability to create and maintain romantic relationships. Future research on this topic could try to find further explanations for social functioning deficits, as they do not appear to be explained by problems with social cognition.