Distortions of mind perception in psychopathology

Abstract

It has long been known that psychopathology can influence social perception, but a 2D framework of mind perception provides the opportunity for an integrative understanding of some disorders. We examined the covariation of mind perception with three subclinical syndromes-autism-spectrum disorder, schizotypy, and psychopathy-and found that each presents a unique mind-perception profile. Autism-spectrum disorder involves reduced perception of agency in adult humans. Schizotypy involves increased perception of both agency and experience in entities generally thought to lack minds. Psychopathy involves reduced perception of experience in adult humans, children, and animals. Disorders are differentially linked with the over-or underperception of agency and experience in a way that helps explain their real-world consequences.morality | empathy | theory of mind | transdiagnostic M ental disorders can reveal themselves in distortions of social perception. A person with a disorder may have difficulty understanding the goals of others, or in more profound cases, may ascribe life to inanimate objects or entirely fail to recognize mental states at all. Such distorted mind perception not only has consequences for sufferers of disorders and society at large, but may also help in understanding the etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of psychopathology. In this research, we examine three subclinical syndromes associated with interpersonal difficulties: autism-spectrum disorder, schizotypy, and psychopathy. We predicted that each would be characterized by a unique pattern of distorted mind perception.Traditional approaches to psychopathology often treat individual disorders as separate entities, each with its own signs, symptoms, and etiology. Although this approach has made significant progress in defining and treating psychopathology, this compartmentalization of disorders belies the integrated nature of the mind. More recent research takes a "transdiagnostic" approach, characterizing separate disorders as different impairments of underlying cognitive systems (1). For example, depression, anxiety, and substance abuse all appear to be linked to disturbances of affect (2). We suggest that a number of disorders may be characterized as specific distortions of mind perception, atypical ascriptions of mental capacities to other entities.Successful interaction with the world requires knowing which entities have minds and which do not. Mind perception can therefore be distorted by overperception (perceiving a nonexistent mind) and underperception (failing to perceive an existent mind). Research suggests that both can be associated with adverse consequences for perceivers and targets, consequences that range from social faux pas to violence and death. For example, the overperception of mind in infants can lead to child abuse (3), but the underperception of mind in adults can lead to the denial of moral rights (4, 5).Although psychopathology has long been linked to abnormal social perception, recent discoveries provide a unique framework...

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