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Individuals with schizophrenia exhibit marked impairments on tasks assessing theory of mind (ToM) and autobiographical memory (AM) qualities, and preliminary research has indicated a positive link between these abilities. This study is the first to systematically explore this relationship in the related personality trait of schizotypy. In a study of 47 undergraduate students (23 males) reporting a wide continuous range of schizotypy, we found that females, but not males, exhibited a negative correlation between ToM and schizotypy, and an unexpected positive correlation between AM qualities and schizotypy. Factor score analysis within females indicated that disorganized schizotypy was the strongest correlate of both ToM (i.e., affective ToM; ability to infer emotions), and AM qualities (i.e., mental imagery vividness). Finally, independent of schizotypy and sex, ToM was negatively correlated with AM qualities. This negative association between ToM and AM as well as the positive relationship between schizotypy and AM (in females) distinguish findings in schizotypy from those in schizophrenia. Although, the qualities of AM in schizotypy are relatively unexplored in schizotypy, overlapping and AM-related constructs (e.g., mental image vividness, creativity) are enhanced in schizotypy. This phenomenon is theorized to occur due to a reduced latent inhibition process, which also reveals distinct patterns of sexual dimorphism in schizotypy. In sum, the current study found sex to be a critical variable in each hypothesis, demonstrating a unique pattern in females, but not males. It could be that distinct underlying mechanisms account for sex differences on ToM and AM tasks in schizophrenia-related disorders.

Two psychological variables are of interest in the study of consumers: brand personality perceptions (per social cognition, beliefs that brands exhibit human-like attributes) and nudges (per behavioral economics, an attempt to influence behavioral change that benefits the consumer without taking away their right to choose). However, no known research exists about whether these variables explain behavioral intentions to consume podcasts, specifically. This is relevant because perceptions of mass media brands are historically negative, and consumers increasingly seek out independent media (e.g., Breaking Points). Therefore, this dissertation’s purpose was to use Breaking Points as an example to study the influence of brand personality and nudges on behavioral intentions to subscribe to a podcast. In two survey experiments (total N = 486 United States adults recruited via CloudResearch’s Connect), brand personality perceptions (i.e., sincerity, competence, status) were hypothesized to explain intentions to subscribe. Likewise, those exposed to the potential nudge were expected to report stronger intentions, compared to those unexposed. All participants viewed a description about and a clip from the podcast. Some were also randomly assigned to view a potential nudge from Breaking Points’ YouTube channel. Then, all participants answered questions about the podcast’s brand personality, about intentions to subscribe, and about psychographics. In both experiments, hierarchical regression revealed that brand personality significantly explained behavioral intentions while controlling for potential confounds (average R2 = 40%). The findings provide evidence that brand personality knowledge can expand into podcasts. In contrast, future research should investigate other stimuli that could potentially nudge podcast consumers.

Social cognition, the ability to understand the thoughts and feelings of oneself and others, is central to optimal navigation of the social world. Accumulating evidence suggests disruptions in social cognition may underlie the interpersonal dysfunction commonly experienced by individuals with several psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Exposure to psychological trauma can have lasting and debilitating effects on an individual, with a subset developing PTSD as a result, marked by symptoms of re-experiencing, mood disturbances, arousal changes, emotional dysregulation, and in turn, poor interpersonal and general functioning. Here, we investigated the effects of psychological trauma exposure on sociocognitive performance across the domains of emotion comprehension in prosody, theory of mind (ToM), and moral reasoning. This thesis contributes unique findings to the PTSD literature by demonstrating that individuals diagnosed with PTSD stemming from chronic childhood trauma experience alterations in emotional comprehension of prosody, ToM performance, and moral reasoning. Furthermore, we have integrated and summarized literature on the interaction of morality, moral transgressions, the experience of shame and guilt, and the emergence of associated adverse mental health outcomes experienced in a military context. In summary, we have demonstrated that sociocognitive skills are disrupted in individuals exposed chronic psychological trauma and that moral emotions such as guilt and shame play an important role in the emergence of PTSD and its resistance to treatment. These disruptions may represent a central therapeutic focus in the pursuit to ameliorate the interpersonal difficulties experienced in trauma and stress-related disorders. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Three studies examined the impact of social stimuli on visual attention. Chapter two confirmed that, hands, feet, and bodies exhibited equivalent attentional pull in a dot probe detection, two-alternative forced choice paradigm. Chapter three utilized a Posner style covert attentional cueing paradigm to examine the impact of directed human action (throwing a ball) on spatial attention. We manipulated the effect of context by including social (humans) or non-social (trees) flanking images and probed the uniquely social nature of the processing in this task by including individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a group with known social deficits, as a comparison group. We also manipulated predictability using predictive and non-predictive cue blocks between subjects. Participants with and without ASD demonstrated similar cueing effects when cues were predictive. ASD participants showed no cueing advantage when cues were non-predictive while neurotypical participants experienced cueing only in social contexts when cues were non-predictive – consistent with automatic social processing. Intelligence as measured by the FSIQ from the WAIS 4 was also analyzed. Unexpectedly, higher IQ resulted in slower RTs with the ASD group. We examined this relationship further by examining severity of diagnosis measured by ADOS-G and FSIQ in participants with ASD. In a final study we looked at the relationship between RT and eye movements in visual search for social stimuli like faces and bodies. Consistent with previous results, faces resulted in faster RTs when they were the targets. They also elicited more first fixations and shorter fixation durations. Faces were not, however, more distracting when they appeared in irrelevant singleton frames. Unexpectedly, the bodies images used in this experiment did not result in attentional capture. Possible reasons for this are discussed. / Dissertation / Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) / As humans, other humans are among the most important things we visually perceive. They are sources of threat, alliance, uncertainty, and love. Because we cannot attend to all of the things we see at once, evolution has prepared us with mental traits that favour rapid processing of complex social scenes. Across three studies, we examine how other humans affect our attention. In the first study we confirm that human bodies and their parts (like feet or hands) are equally capable of drawing our attention. Our second study examines the ability of dynamic human poses to direct our attention in the direction of the depicted action. We note that an implied social interaction leads to better performance among typically developing individuals, but leads to deficits in individuals with autism spectrum disorder, a condition characterized by social delays and impairments. Finally, we look at how important social images, like human faces or bodies, unconsciously attract and influence our eyes movements when searching among distracting images.

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