Novel App Launched to Test Social Cognition

A researcher at the National College of Ireland has recently developed an app for the Apple iPad to allow researchers examine social cognition using a touch-screen interface and realistic videos of actors interacting.

Social cognition refers to our ability to understand the thoughts and feelings of other people. Social cognition helps us to understand others and plays an important role in our social behaviour. Some individuals, with conditions such as schizophrenia, experience difficulties with social cognition.

Research suggests that these difficulties are an important barrier to recovery from mental illness. As such, current research aims to help individuals with social cognition through cognitive therapy or group activities.

However, many of the psychological tests used to assess social cognition in research studies require a trained researcher to administer the test, and use unrealistic pictures or cartoons to portray facial expressions and social cues.

To address these challenges, Dr David Mothersill, Programme Director and lecturer on the BA (Hons) in Psychology at the National College of Ireland, came up with the novel app for the Apple iPad that allows researchers to examine social cognition using a touch-screen interface and realistic videos of actors interacting.

cTOM was designed in collaboration with Professor Gary Donohoe, Professor of Psychology at National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG), and the code was developed by Professor. Jim Duggan, Conor O’Grady, and Jennifer Murray from NUIG’s School of Computer ScienceThe app is currently being used in research being conducted at NUI Galway and UCD.

Computerised Theory of Mind (cTOM) is designed for use by professionals and is free to download here.

Dr Mothersill notes: “For the past number of years my research has been focused on improving outcomes for people with schizophrenia, a mental health condition that affects about 3,900 people in Ireland.

“A big problem for many people experiencing mental health conditions, such as schizophrenia, is stigma. Negative attitudes and behaviours towards people experiencing mental health conditions can affect employment, access to accommodation, and the emotional impact of stigma can be a profound source of suffering.

“In young people, mental health stigma is also a barrier to seeking help, which is particularly concerning given that most mental health conditions develop before the age of 24.”

Further research on mental health stigma and social cognition

In a recent paper, psychologists at the National College of Ireland examined mental health stigma in over 300 people across Ireland ‘Knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours towards schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and autism’ in the Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine. The results suggest that people have more negative attitudes and behaviours towards schizophrenia compared to some other mental health conditions, and most participants felt they were not informed enough about mental health by the media.

Building on this research, a new laboratory has recently been established in the National College of Ireland: the Stigma and Mental Health Ireland (SAMI) Laboratory, directed by Dr April Hargreaves, Dr David Mothersill, and Dr Gerard Loughnane.

SAMI has received generous funding from Esther Ireland to carry out further stigma research in a population-representative sample of 1,000 participants in Ireland, and is partnering with The Carter Centre to repeat this research in a further 1,000 participants in Liberia, to compare mental health stigma between Europe and Africa.

Ultimately, it is hoped that this research will provide key data for Government policies and campaigns targeting mental health stigma, such as the See Change Green Ribbon campaign.