Neurocognitive and Social Cognitive resources are being developed including a
Therapy Capability Framework (PDF, 404.79 KB).
Neurocognitive and Social Cognitive Therapies include a range of interventions to address functional deficits (i.e. social skills, community functioning) which are a core feature of Schizophrenia.
They represent key characteristics for the disorder that precede illness onset and are strong predictors of outcome. These deficits are not improved via medication, thus underscoring the need to develop psychosocial treatments to address functional impairments.
Deficits in neurocognition and social cognition associated with functional outcome have proven to be factors that respond to structured therapeutic interventions. Cognitive Remediation Therapy (CRT) has been developed to improve neurocognitive abilities such as attention, working memory, cognitive flexibility, planning, and executive functioning.
Social cognition is a separate cognitive domain that refers to a set of cognitive processes applied to the recognition, understanding, accurate processing, and effective use of social cues in real-world situations. In schizophrenia research, it is generally comprised of the following domains: Emotion perception, Theory of Mind (ToM), and attributional style.
A promising therapy developed by Roberts and Penn is Social Cognitive Intervention Training (SCIT) (Combs, Adams, et al., 2007). This therapy is comprised of three phases (i.e. Introduction and Emotions, Figuring out Situations, Checking it out) administered in a group format. Materials include a trainer’s manual, supporting training tools, which include laminated photographs and film clips of actors demonstrating difficulties in social cognition and social skills.