About this Research Topic

Background

Recently, QOL (Quality of Life) and social functioning (e.g., education, employment) have gained recognition as important treatment targets for various mental health conditions. To aim for improvement in these areas, increased attention has been given to cognitive function, especially social cognition (e.g., emotion perception, theory of Mind, attributional bias, etc.).

Social cognition has been defined as “the mental operations underlying social interactions, which include the human ability to perceive the intentions and dispositions of others” (Brothers, 1990). While, in some mental disorders, neurocognition may indirectly affect it through social cognition, social cognitive function directly affects their real-world function.

With the emergence of social cognition as a major focus of research in humans, numerous measures have been developed to assess its various aspects. However, the complexity and breadth of the social cognition construct, together with a lack of consensus regarding its constituent subdomains, has resulted in an overwhelming miscellany of measures based on differing theories and interpretations.

Recent studies have indicated that social cognition has a neural basis different from that of neurocognition. Meanwhile, little is known whether the current biological or psychological interventions developed from the knowledge gained about social cognition affect neuroplasticity in the human brain.

This research topic will provide a forum for researchers interested in the phenomenology and underlying mechanisms of social cognition in the human brain, as well as in the intervention aimed to improve social cognition in various types of psychological conditions. Contributions will include but are not limited to papers dealing with genetic, molecular, imaging, physiological, psychological, behavioral issues as well as the examination of current and developing measures and treatment interventions on the topic of social cognition. This topic will consist of original research, systematic review, and/or meta-analysis, but also of research protocols, and case reports to facilitate the development of therapeutics of greater clinical value.

Keywords: Social cognition, theory of mind, emotional perception, attributional style, social perception

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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