Abrahams, Sharon

Auyeung, Bonnie

Baksh, Asaad

MacPherson, Sarah E.

Edinburgh Research Explorer

     Edinburgh Research Explorer                                      Social cognition in adults with autism spectrum disorders:Validation of the Edinburgh Social Cognition Test (ESCoT).Citation for published version:Baksh, A, Auyeung, B, MacPherson, SE & Abrahams, S 2016, 'Social cognition in adults with autismspectrum disorders: Validation of the Edinburgh Social Cognition Test (ESCoT).' InternationalNeuropsychological Society Mid-Year Meeting, London, United Kingdom, 6/07/16 - 8/07/16, .Link:Link to publication record in Edinburgh Research ExplorerDocument Version:Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of recordGeneral rightsCopyright for the publications made accessible via the Edinburgh Research Explorer is retained by the author(s)and / or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing these publications that users recognise andabide by the legal requirements associated with these rights.Take down policyThe University of Edinburgh has made every reasonable effort to ensure that Edinburgh Research Explorercontent complies with UK legislation. If you believe that the public display of this file breaches copyright pleasecontact openaccess@ed.ac.uk providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately andinvestigate your claim.Download date: 05. Apr. 2019Social Cognition in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Validation of the Edinburgh Social Cognition Test (ESCoT)Asaad Baksh1, 2, Bonnie Auyeung2, 3, Sarah E. MacPherson1, 2 & Sharon Abrahams1, 21Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, UK, 2Human Cognitive Neuroscience - Psychology - School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, UK, 3Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, UKESCoT example scenario: non-norm violation Current Project Current neuropsychological tools used to assess social cognition have:1) Limited use in clinical settings.2) Do not assess the different aspects of social cognition within the sametest.The objective of this project was to validate a novel measure of socialcognitive functioning called the Edinburgh Social Cognition Test (ESCoT)using adults with ASD.The ESCoT consists of ten dynamic, animated scenarios that are all self-contained narratives that depict an array of interactions.It measures Cognitive Theory of Mind (ToM) and Affective ToM[1] andInterpersonal and Intrapersonal Understanding of Social Norms.Results*** p < .001, ** p < .01, * p < .05A MANOVA was used to compare performanceon each of the four components of the ESCoT.The multivariate result was significant, V =.40,F(4, 52) = 8.97, p < .001, ηp2= .408, indicatingdifferential performance on the ESCoT betweenthe two groups.Bayesian analysesDue to the relatively small sample size of theASD group, Bayesian analyses were conductedto examine the evidence for the alternativehypotheses. The neurotypical group werepredicted to perform significantly better thanthe ASD group in all components of the ESCoT.The analyses used the default effect size priorof .707.*higher Bayes Factors (BF10) indicates stronger evidence for the alternative hypothesis. p(H1|D) =  the likelihood that this result would occur next time, expressed as a percent.References1. Shamay-Tsoory, S. G., Tibi-Elhanany, Y., & Aharon-Peretz, J. (2006). The ventromedial prefrontal cortex is involved in understanding affective but not cognitive theory of mind stories. Social neuroscience, 1(3-4), 149-166.ASD Group Neurotypical Group Mean Age (S.D.) 38.97 (14.77) 38.47 (15.63)Years of Full-Time Education (S.D.) 15.21 (2.53) 15.76 (2.68)Males:Females 12:7 23:15Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ; 0-50) 34.63 (7.43) 15.31 (5.86)DiscussionThe results demonstrated that the ASDgroup were impaired in all componentsof the ESCoT compared to neuro-typicals.Bayesian analysis indicated that there isextreme evidence for the alternativehypotheses in the Cognitive ToM andInterpersonal Understanding of SocialNorms components.Evidence for a significant differencebetween the groups in Affective ToMwas strong and moderate forIntrapersonal Understanding of SocialNorms.These results suggest that the ESCoT is asensitive measure of social cognition. Itis hoped that the ESCoT will be used asa tool to assess social abilities in healthyand clinical populations.BF10 Error % (±) p(H1|D) (%)Cognitive ToM 834.476 2.722e-7 99.88Affective ToM 10.677 3.982e-6 91.43Interpersonal Understanding of Social Norms 608.396 1.553e-7 99.83Intrapersonal Understanding of Social Norms 4.452 3.015e-7 81.65Total ESCoT Score 47788.078 9.386e-11 99.99ESCoT example scenario: norm violation MethodParticipants• N=19 adults with High-Functioning Autism or Asperger syndrome. Diagnosis of ASD was confirmed via official diagnosis letters.• N=38 neurotypical controls. • Aged between 19 and 67.• The groups did not significantly differ in age(p=.47) or years of full-time education (p=.46).• The ASD group scored significantly higher onthe AQ than the neurotypical controls (p <.0001 ).ESCoT QuestionsCognitive ToM- What is X thinking?Affective ToM- How does X feel at the end of the animation?Interpersonal Understanding of Social Norms- Did X behave as other people should behave?Intrapersonal Understanding of Social Norms (Self-Reference)- Would you have acted the same as X in the animation?All questions are scored on a 0 – 3 point graded system. Participantscan score a maximum of 30 in each component and a total of 120.Contact informationr.a.baksh@sms.ed.ac.uk*** ** *** *

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Social cognition in adults with autism spectrum disorders: Validation of the Edinburgh Social Cognition Test (ESCoT).

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