Relationship between Executive Functions, Social Cognition, and Attachment State of Mind in Adolescence: An Explorative Study

Riccardo Williams (), Silvia Andreassi, Marta Moselli, Fiorella Fantini, Annalisa Tanzilli, Vittorio Lingiardi and Fiorenzo Laghi
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Riccardo Williams: Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, and Health Studies, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza—University of Rome, Via degli Apuli 1, 00185 Rome, Italy
Silvia Andreassi: Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, and Health Studies, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza—University of Rome, Via degli Apuli 1, 00185 Rome, Italy
Marta Moselli: Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, and Health Studies, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza—University of Rome, Via degli Apuli 1, 00185 Rome, Italy
Fiorella Fantini: Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, and Health Studies, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza—University of Rome, Via degli Apuli 1, 00185 Rome, Italy
Annalisa Tanzilli: Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, and Health Studies, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza—University of Rome, Via degli Apuli 1, 00185 Rome, Italy
Vittorio Lingiardi: Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, and Health Studies, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza—University of Rome, Via degli Apuli 1, 00185 Rome, Italy
Fiorenzo Laghi: Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza—University of Rome, Via dei Marsi 78, 00185 Rome, Italy

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 4, 1-14

Abstract: Background: The passage from pre-adolescence to adolescence is presented as a turning point for the achievement of those abilities in social understanding as they commonly appear in adulthood. Developmental perspectives point to the possible role of neuro-cognitive maturation and social experiences to facilitate this growth. This paper has the goal to goalsto propose a valid and reliable measure of the new quantitative and qualitative advancements in social understanding occurring in the adolescent passage; relying on this, the research has two main objectives (a) to establish the associations between the advancements in social understanding and the executive functions held responsible for the neuro-cognitive rearrangements of adolescence; (c) to evidence the significant associations between attachment models and the development of social understanding in this phase of life. Methods: 100 subjects (50 boys and 50 girls, aged 11–15) were administered with AICA, SCORS, CNT, Stroop Color-Word Test, and WISC-III. Results: Advancements in the complexity of self–other representations and mentalization of interpersonal exchanges significantly occurs in the passage from pre-adolescence to adolescence and seem to be promoted by increased performances in executive control and cognitive shifting. Dismissing state of mind with respect to attachment is associated with lower development of social understanding in adolescence. The neurocognitive reorganization that underlies the passage from pre-adolescence to adolescence seems to provide the scaffolding for more sophisticated interpretations of the social world. Past and current affective experience can boost or hinder the full deployment of such human maturational potential. Given the importance of social cognition for adjustment and psychopathology, clinical intervention should target the amelioration of individual and family abilities in social reasoning and mentalization.

Keywords: attachment; executive functions; social cognition; adolescence (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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