Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Jan 22;20(1):e0317377.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0317377. eCollection 2025.

Constructs across a hierarchical, dimensional model of psychopathology show differential associations with social and general cognitive ability

Scott D Blain  1   2 , Jerillyn S Kent  3 , Timothy A Allen  4 , Carly A Lasagna  5 , Chloe A Peyromaure de Bord  3 , Aisha L Udochi  6 , Scott R Sponheim  6   7 , Colin G DeYoung  7 , Ivy F Tso  1   2   5
Affiliations

Constructs across a hierarchical, dimensional model of psychopathology show differential associations with social and general cognitive ability

Scott D Blain et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Many psychiatric disorders and associated psychopathology dimensions are related to social cognitive deficits and reduced general cognitive ability. The current study applied a hierarchical, dimensional approach to better understand associations among psychopathology, social cognition, and general cognitive ability. Data were collected from two samples (n = 653), including psychosis-spectrum patients, their first-degree relatives, and individuals from community sources. Participants completed dimensional psychopathology measures and social cognition tasks (e.g., emotion perception and mentalizing). Data were analyzed using bi-factor exploratory structural equation modeling. Detachment-a psychopathology dimension conceptually linked to social functioning-was associated with worse social cognition, independent of general cognitive ability. Eccentricity and Machiavellianism were associated with better social cognition and general cognitive ability. Findings-and the hierarchical, dimensional approach employed-will be useful in informing future research on and interventions for social dysfunction.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Measurement models for social and general cognitive ability.
Note. *p < .05. Standardized measurement models for social cognition and general cognitive ability.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Baron-Cohen S, Leslie AM, Frith U. Does the autistic child have a “theory of mind”? Cognition. 1985;21: 37–46. doi: 10.1016/0010-0277(85)90022-8 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Dolan M, Fullam R. Theory of mind and mentalizing ability in antisocial personality disorders with and without psychopathy. Psychol Med. 2004;34: 1093–1102. doi: 10.1017/s0033291704002028 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Green MF, Horan WP, Lee J. Social cognition in schizophrenia. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2015;16: 620–631. doi: 10.1038/nrn4005 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Plana I, Lavoie M-A, Battaglia M, Achim AM. A meta-analysis and scoping review of social cognition performance in social phobia, posttraumatic stress disorder and other anxiety disorders. J Anxiety Disord. 2014;28: 169–177. doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2013.09.005 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Weightman MJ, Air TM, Baune BT. A Review of the Role of Social Cognition in Major Depressive Disorder. Front Psychiatry. 2014;5. Available: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2014.00179 - DOI - PMC - PubMed