Using Illusions to Boost Social Cognition

Overview

This study aims to explore whether the observation of complex visual objects can help improve social cognition in people living with psychotic disorders. Social cognition refers to the ability to understand what others think, feel, or intend, and plays a key role in social relationships and daily interactions. Main questions this study aims to answer: * Does dyadic exposure to complex visual objects improve mental state attribution, as measured by the Faux Pas Test? * Does the intervention enhance related domains of social cognition, including implicit intention inference (Hinting Task), interpretation of complex interactions (Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition, MASC), and reduction of hostile attribution biases (Ambiguous Intentions Hostility Questionnaire, AIHQ)? * Are improvements maintained after one month, and do patients who receive the intervention later (waitlist group) show the same benefits once exposed?

This study is a randomized, controlled, monocentric trial evaluating a novel sensory-motor rehabilitation approach for social cognition. The study is based on the hypothesis that perception is interpretative and viewpoint-dependent, and that realizing this through concrete experience could generalize to higher-level cognitive processes required for social understanding. Participants will attend three visits and complete questionnaires and tasks that assess social understanding before and after the activity, and again one month later. Two groups will take part: one completing the workshop shortly after inclusion, and one completing it after a delay, allowing comparison over time. Participants will be randomized in one condition. This research does not involve medication. It consists of simple tasks such as observing and describing visual stimuli, followed by a facilitated discussion. Neuropsychological tests and questionnaires will be used to measure changes over time. Expected impact: By inducing concrete perspective-shifts, the intervention aims to improve mentalizing, reduce egocentric biases, and strengthen interpretation of social cues. This bottom-up sensory-motor approach may overcome limitations of classical cognitive remediation programs by promoting deep experiential learning rather than top-down instruction. If effective, the method may support long-term social reintegration, psychosocial functioning, and inspire wider clinical applications due to its low cost, ease of deployment, and strong ecological engagement.