Neurocognition, social cognition, and functional outcome in schizophrenia and high-functioning autism

Neurocognition, social cognition, and functional outcome in schizophrenia and high-functioning autism Public Deposited

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Couture, Shannon Marie
- Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience

Abstract

The purpose of this dissertation was to compare two models of the relationships among neurocognition, social cognition, and functional outcome in schizophrenia and highfunctioning autism (HFA). Forty-five participants with schizophrenia and thirty-four participants with HFA completed a battery of neurocognitive and social cognitive tasks, and the Social Functioning Scale as a measure of functional outcome. Composite variables were created for all three constructs. Within the schizophrenia sample, path analyses revealed a significant and negative relationship between neurocognition and functional outcome, a nonsignificant, positive relationship between social cognition and functional outcome, and modest support for social cognition serving as a mediator between neurocognition and functional outcome. Within the HFA sample, neither neurocognition nor social cognition significantly predicted functional outcome. Consistent with previous research, a strong, positive relationship between neurocognition and social cognition emerged in both samples, although this appears to be more robust for individuals with schizophrenia. In contrast, only a small proportion of the variance in functional outcome was accounted for by the models. It is suggested that use of the Social Functioning Scale may have contributed to these findings.

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