Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 8, 2026

Highlighting and Reducing the Impact of Negative Aging Stereotypes During Older Adults' Cognitive Testing
Published on: January 24, 2020
Social cognition in nursing home residents with and without cognitive impairment
Allyson M Washburn1, Laura P Sands
1Saybrook Graduate School and Research Center, San Francisco, CA 94111, USA. awashburn@saybrook.edu
Abstract:
Dementia affects the specific cognitive abilities underlying social functioning in ways that are just beginning to be understood. This pilot study compared the performances of 15 nursing home residents with cognitive impairment and 25 without cognitive impairment on a broad range of measures of social-cognitive functioning. The cognitively impaired group scored significantly lower than the unimpaired group on tests of face processing, person perception, and social reasoning but not on tests of affect recognition and the representation of social situations. Individuals' deficits in working memory and executive function did not fully account for their impaired performance on tests of social cognition. An improved understanding and assessment of the basic cognitive mechanisms underlying the ability of persons with dementia to interact with others would inform the design of interventions to optimize their social functioning.
Related Concept Videos
Cognitive Development During Adulthood
Cognitivism
Previously dominated by behaviorism, which prioritized observable behaviors and largely ignored mental processes, psychology transformed in the 1950s. Cognitive psychologists argue that understanding how we think and process information is...
Cognition and Behavior
Negative and Cognitive Symptoms of Schizophrenia
Negative Symptoms
Negative symptoms of schizophrenia manifest as deficits in normal emotional and behavioral functioning, profoundly impacting daily life. Individuals with schizophrenia often display a flat affect, characterized by a near-total absence of emotional expression,...
The Influence of Cognition on Affect
Patient-centered Care