Social Cognition Assessment in Young Adults

This purpose of the study is to create a comprehensive social cognitive battery and virtual reality therapy that will be useful in determining and treating social deficits in young adults. With such developments, young adults with social cognition impairment may be provided a way to thoroughly evaluate and treat their deficits.

Participants will be screened for eligibility by research staff. Individuals that have met all enrollment criteria and have provided written consent will be entered into the study. Once written consent has been obtained, participants will enter into the assessment phase of the study, followed by the treatment phase. Both neuropsychological social-cognitive testing and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) measures will be administered prior and following the treatment phase of the study. The treatment phase will entail use of a virtual-reality platform in which to train and practice social interaction skills. Participants will be reimbursed for the pre- and post- assessment portions only. No compensation will be provided for completing the training.

The first scheduled assessment visits will assess the efficacy and feasibility of a battery of standardized measures as well as measures that are being developed specifically for use with this population, assessing mainly social skills and face processing. The pre-training neuropsychological assessment visit is estimated to take up to 4 hours to complete, however can take longer due to each individual's processing style and social-cognitive abilities. Participants will be scheduled for appointments to conduct both the neuropsychological testing and be given the option to complete an fMRI assessment. The pre-training fMRI assessment visit is estimated to take 1 to 1.5 hours to complete.

Once participants have completed the pre-training assessment, they will enter into the treatment phase of the study and participate in the Virtual Reality Social Cognition Training. Participants will be seen 1-2 times a week for up to six weeks. Session length may range in time from 1 hour to 2 hours each week. Each visit will consist of the participant and clinician engaging in a semi-structured live conversation over a virtual-reality platform. Both the participant and the clinician will talk and interact within the virtual environment through a digital character, an avatar. Each conversation will be set-up, initiated, and conducted by coach and/or confederate clinicians that have been trained to administer the treatment. The confederate clinician will be able to change his/her likeness and voice (through voice modulation software) so as to play the role of the conversation partner with the participant. Live feedback and coaching will be provided by the coach clinician to build social reasoning and thinking skills. Each session will center around a specific social objective (e.g., initiating conversation, conducting a job interview, confronting a friend, going on a blind date) while allowing practicing of specific social strategies. Social strategies will be presented in a hierarchical manner, increasing in complexity throughout the training, to strengthen awareness of and application of social reasoning and thinking skills. Strategies practiced include: 1)recognizing other's social intentions, 2)social response, and 3)self-assertion and social problem solving.

Following completion of the treatment phase, participants will complete post-assessment measures that include neuropsychological social cognitive assessments and an fMRI imaging assessment. The post-neuropsychological assessment visit is estimated to take up to 3 hours to complete where as the post- fMRI visit is estimated to take 1 to 1.5 hours to complete.