Madeline Johnson Pflum

The assessment of interpersonal pleasure: Introduction of the Anticipatory and Consummatory Interpersonal Pleasure Scale (ACIPS) and preliminary findings

Although several valid measures of pleasure and anhedonia exist, there is a relative paucity of measures that adequately assess pleasure for social interactions. The Anticipatory and Consummatory Interpersonal Pleasure Scale (ACIPS) is a measure specifically designed to assess hedonic capacity for social and interpersonal pleasure. Various aspects of the validity and reliability of the ACIPS were examined in several ways. First, we assessed the factor structure as well as the internal consistency, convergent, and discriminant validity of the ACIPS in 496 young adults recruited from undergraduate classes. Second, we investigated the temporal stability of the measure by having a subset of the group return for retesting. Results from the factor analysis suggested a three-factor model. The ACIPS was found to be highly reliable in terms of internal consistency and test-retest stability. Further, the ACIPS correlated in a theoretically meaningful way with other measures of pleasure and affect. The current research indicates that the ACIPS is a reliable and valid questionnaire to assess hedonic capacity for social and interpersonal pleasure in nonclinical samples. Suggestions for further clinical and research applications using the ACIPS are offered.

Theory of Mind and psychometric schizotypy

The extent to which Theory of Mind impairments are a trait associated with schizotypy is unclear. To date, findings have been mixed. We compared two groups of psychometrically identified schizotypes, namely, those characterized by positive schizotypy (perceptual aberrations and magical ideation; n=36) and those characterized by negative schizotypy (social anhedonia; n=30) to a low schizotypy comparison group (n=68) in terms of their Theory of Mind performance. Theory of Mind was assessed in two ways: a composite Hinting Task and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test. The groups were also compared in terms of their self-reported levels of referential thinking. Our results indicate that individuals characterized by positive schizotypy show Theory of Mind deficits, as measured by the Hinting Task. The three groups did not differ in terms of the Eyes Test. Referential thinking was significantly associated with the Eyes Test but not the Hinting Task. Overall these findings suggest that different aspects of schizotypy are associated differentially with Theory of Mind deficits. The results also provide further rationale for the inclusion of multiple tasks when attempting to study multifaceted constructs such as Theory of Mind.

Further validation of the ACIPS as a measure of social hedonic response

The Anticipatory and Consummatory Interpersonal Pleasure Scale (ACIPS) is a measure designed to assess hedonic capacity for social and interpersonal pleasure. One goal of this study was to examine whether the earlier findings of internal consistency and associations with well-validated measures of pleasure and anhedonia would replicate in a larger, independent sample. We also sought to explore whether there were gender differences in terms of the reporting of the experience of social and interpersonal pleasure. We tested the internal consistency, convergent and discriminant validity and factor structure of the ACIPS by administering the scale to an independent group of 1708 undergraduates. Results from this replication study confirmed that the ACIPS is a highly reliable measure in terms of internal consistency. Findings suggest that although the ACIPS shows some overlap with direct (i.e., Chapman revised Social Anhedonia Scale) and indirect measures of anhedonia (Temporal Experience of Pleasure Scale), the new scale also taps some nonoverlapping aspects of social/interpersonal pleasure. Overall, the current research indicates that the ACIPS is a reliable and valid questionnaire to assess hedonic capacity for social and interpersonal pleasure in nonclinical samples.

Hint, hint: theory of mind performance in schizotypal individuals.

Abstract Studying Theory of Mind (ToM) performance in nonclinical populations may assist our understanding of underlying cognitive processes and contributing factors. ToM was assessed in three groups of psychometrically identified schizotypes, namely, individuals elevated on scales assessing positive schizotypy, those elevated on scales assessing negative schizotypy, and those elevated on both positive and negative schizotypy scales, using two hinting tasks. Individuals characterized by positive schizotypy showed poorer ToM performance compared with controls. The results suggest that individuals with elevated positive schizotypy scores experience more difficulty inferring the meaning of others’ mental states (i.e., intentions) via indirect speech, such as hints. The negative schizotypy group did not differ from the nonschizotypy group in ToM performance. These findings are considered in terms of cognitive processing styles and implications for possible intervention. They also provide support for the inclusion of multiple groups of schizotypal individuals when assessing social cognition.

Individual differences in hedonic experience: Further evidence for the construct validity of the ACIPS

We conducted three investigations to examine the convergent and discriminant validity of the Anticipatory and Consummatory Interpersonal Pleasure Scale (ACIPS; Gooding and Pflum, Psychiatry Research, 2014). In Study One, we used Mechanical Turk to individually administer the ACIPS to a diverse group of community adults aged 25-69. Reports of greater social/interpersonal pleasure was associated with greater sense of interpersonal connectedness with others, higher need to belong, and less likelihood of reporting anxiety during social interactions. In Studies Two and Three, participants were tested in group settings. Studies with undergraduate participants indicated that ACIPS scores are associated with measures of prosocial interactions and sociability as well as measures of anhedonia. Despite differences in testing conditions (i.e., online vs. paper administration) and heterogeneity in the samples in terms of educational level, geographical location, and age, the ACIPS demonstrated good convergent and discriminant validity. Taken together, these studies add to the increasing body of evidence for the construct validity of the ACIPS.

Hedonic capacity in the broader autism phenotype: Should social anhedonia be considered a characteristic feature?

Impairments in social motivational processes may partially explain the differences in social interaction seen among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The social motivation hypothesis would predict an association between reduced hedonic capacity and ASD. However, to date, findings have been mixed regarding hedonic deficits among individuals with ASD; adults report lower levels of both social and physical pleasure whereas adolescents only report experiencing lower social pleasure. Moreover, very few studies examining the association between anhedonia and autistic traits have used measures of hedonic response or taken temporal aspects of pleasure into account. The present study examined associations between autistic traits and the experience of pleasure using a non-clinical sample of young adults to further clarify the nature of hedonic deficits in the broader autism phenotype (BAP). Results revealed that autistic traits were negatively associated with both the experience of social pleasure as well as general pleasure, although the association was stronger for social pleasure. Regression analyses revealed that reduced social pleasure was a better predictor of autistic traits than general pleasure. Together these findings suggest that reduced social hedonic capacity is associated with autistic traits in the general population and should be included in conceptualizations of the BAP.

Classifying risk status of non-clinical adolescents using psychometric indicators for psychosis spectrum disorders

This study is an attempt to evaluate extant psychometric indicators using latent profile analysis for classifying community-derived individuals based on a set of clinical, behavioural, and personality traits considered risk markers for psychosis spectrum disorders. The present investigation included four hundred and forty-nine high-school students between the ages of 12 and 19. We used the following to assess risk: the Prodromal Questionnaire-Brief (PQ-B), Oviedo Schizotypy Assessment Questionnaire (ESQUIZO-Q), Anticipatory and Consummatory Interpersonal Pleasure Scale-Adolescent version (ACIPS-A), and General Health Questionnaire 12 (GHQ-12). Using Latent profile analysis six latent classes (LC) were identified: participants in class 1 (LC1) displayed little or no symptoms and accounted for 38.53% of the sample; class 2 (LC2), who accounted for 28.06%, also produced low mean scores across most measures though they expressed somewhat higher levels of subjective distress; LC3, a positive schizotypy group (10.24%); LC4 (13.36%), a psychosis high-risk group; LC5, a high positive and negative schizotypy group (4.45%); and LC6, a very high distress, severe clinical high-risk group, comprised 5.34% of the sample. The current research indicates that different latent classes of early individuals at risk can be empirically defined in adolescent community samples using psychometric indicators for psychosis spectrum disorders. These findings may have implications for early detection and prevention strategies in psychosis spectrum disorders.

The Predictive Value of the NEO-FFI Items: Parsing the Nature of Social Anhedonia Using the Revised Social Anhedonia Scale and the ACIPS

The goal was to examine the nature of social anhedonia using two validated measures and study their relationship to scores on the NEO-Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI). Nearly 1,900 college-aged participants completed the Chapman Revised Social Anhedonia Scale (RSAS), Anticipatory and Consummatory Interpersonal Pleasure Scale (ACIPS), and the NEO-FFI. Although both the RSAS and ACIPS were associated with the NEO-FFI domains of Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism, linear regression analyses revealed that the RSAS and ACIPS were differentially predicted by NEO-FFI item clusters. The RSAS scores were predicted by Sociability, Nonantagonistic Orientation, Positive Affect, and Activity item clusters. The ACIPS scores were predicted by Sociability, Prosocial Orientation, Activity, and Positive Affect item clusters in addition to gender. In summary, it appears that social anhedonia is multidimensional, associated with various personality domains encompassing social approach and withdrawal.

Context matters: Social cognition task performance in psychometric schizotypes

Patients with schizophrenia show performance deficits on tasks requiring empathy-related social cognition. The extent to which empathy impairments are observed in psychometric schizotypy is unclear. We compared accuracy and reaction time in three groups of individuals characterized by positive schizotypy (n = 79), negative schizotypy (n = 123), or low schizotypy group (n = 137). On a social cognition task that provided context, namely, the Emotion Perspective Taking Task, the positive schizotypes showed poorer performance than the negative schizotypy and control groups. These results suggest that some schizotypes differ in their ability to make use of context (e.g., social cues from the environment) to affect their social cognitive performance. However, on the Affective Responsiveness Task, in which no context was given, both groups of psychometric schizotypes displayed lower performance than the controls. These findings highlight the importance of assessing multiple groups of schizotypes as well as the value of including several social cognition tasks in order to reveal relative performance deficits.