Shannon Couture | University of Southern California (original) (raw)

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Papers by Shannon Couture

Research paper thumbnail of AFFILIATIVE DEFICITS AND SOCIAL ANHEDONIA: RESULTS FROM A BEHAVIORAL INTERACTION TASK

Research paper thumbnail of SOCIAL FUNCTIONING IMPAIRMENTS IN INDIVIDUALS WITH SOCIAL ANHEDONIA ARE NOT ASSOCIATED WITH SOCIAL COGNITION

Research paper thumbnail of Assessment of social judgments and complex mental states in the early phases of psychosis

Schizophrenia Research, 2008

Objectives-Social cognition plays an important role in the functioning of individuals with psycho... more Objectives-Social cognition plays an important role in the functioning of individuals with psychosis. In this study, we explored two areas of social cognition not previously investigated early in the course of psychosis.

Research paper thumbnail of Screening for negative symptoms: preliminary results from the self-report version of the Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms

Schizophrenia research, 2012

Though negative symptoms in schizophrenia are associated with a host of deleterious outcomes (e.g... more Though negative symptoms in schizophrenia are associated with a host of deleterious outcomes (e.g., White et al., 2009), not all individuals with schizophrenia suffer from negative symptoms (e.g., Blanchard et al., 2005). Thus, methods to quickly screen and identify patients for more intensive clinical interview assessments may have significant clinical and research utility. The present study is a preliminary examination of the reliability and validity of a self-report version of the newly developed Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms (CAINS; Blanchard et al., 2011; Forbes et al., 2010; Horan et al., 2011). The CAINS-SR is a 30-item self-report measure that assesses Experiential (avolition, anhedonia, asociality) and Expressive (blunted affect, alogia) domains of negative symptoms. Participants (N = 69) completed the CAINS-SR questionnaire and were evaluated with symptom interviews using the CAINS and other non-negative symptom interviews that assessed psychotic, aff...

Research paper thumbnail of Is social anhedonia related to emotional responsivity and expressivity? A laboratory study in women

Schizophrenia Research, 2010

Social anhedonia is an important feature of schizophrenia and it is a promising indicator of schi... more Social anhedonia is an important feature of schizophrenia and it is a promising indicator of schizotypy. Although social anhedonia is defined as an affective construct (less pleasure derived from social encounters), little is known about the emotional responsivity and expressivity of individuals with high levels of social anhedonia. After screening a large sample of female undergraduate students (N = 1 085), a cohort of psychometrically identified individuals with high levels of social anhedonia (n = 34) and normally hedonic controls (n = 45) participated in laboratory assessments involving trait affectivity, self-reported dispositional emotional expressiveness, and the expression and experience of emotion in response to neutral, nonaffiliative (i.e., comedy) and affiliative film clips. Results revealed that individuals with high levels of social anhedonia are characterized by lower positive affect, both as a trait and in response to emotionally evocative stimuli, and are less facially expressive, both by their own self-report and in response to film clips. Attenuated positive affect was observed across film stimuli, indicating a general reduction in affective response rather than a specific decrease in responsivity for affiliative stimuli. Future work should continue to investigate whether there is a unique role for social stimuli in the emotional lives of individuals with high levels of social anhedonia or whether these individuals tend to experience anhedonia more broadly regardless of social context.

Research paper thumbnail of The Functional Significance of Social Cognition in Schizophrenia: A Review

Schizophrenia Bulletin, 2006

Research paper thumbnail of Comparison of social cognitive functioning in schizophrenia and high functioning autism: more convergence than divergence

Psychological Medicine, 2010

Background-Individuals with schizophrenia and individuals with high-functioning autism (HFA) seem... more Background-Individuals with schizophrenia and individuals with high-functioning autism (HFA) seem to share some social, behavioral and biological features. Although marked impairments in social cognition have been documented in both groups, little empirical work has compared the social cognitive functioning of these two clinical groups.

Research paper thumbnail of Social anhedonia and affiliation: Examining behavior and subjective reactions within a social interaction

Psychiatry Research, 2012

Social anhedonia is a promising indicator for the vulnerability towards developing schizophrenias... more Social anhedonia is a promising indicator for the vulnerability towards developing schizophreniaspectrum disorders and is an important determinant of the social impairment associated with these disorders. It is unknown if social anhedonia is associated with true deficits in experiential reactions or if lower social functioning in social anhedonia reflects behavioral deficits in social skill or initiation of social contact. Using a novel social interaction task, the current study compared controls (n ¼ 60) to individuals elevated on social anhedonia (n ¼49) on observer-rated social skill and facial affect and participant self-reports of their experiential reactions to an affiliative interaction. Compared to the control group, the social anhedonia group was rated as behaviorally less affiliative and less socially skilled during the affiliative interaction. In response to the social interaction, the social anhedonia group reported less change in positive affect, less willingness to engage in future social interactions with the interaction partner, and less positive reactions toward the interaction partner compared to controls. There were no group differences in facial displays of emotion. Using a standardized affiliative stimulus, it was demonstrated that individuals high in social anhedonia have alterations in both their social skill and in their self-reported experiential reactions during a social interaction.

Research paper thumbnail of Negative expectancy appraisals and defeatist performance beliefs and negative symptoms of schizophrenia

Psychiatry Research, 2011

Research paper thumbnail of Orienting to social stimuli differentiates social cognitive impairment in autism and schizophrenia

Neuropsychologia, 2007

Context. Both autism and schizophrenia feature impairments in aspects of social cognition that ma... more Context. Both autism and schizophrenia feature impairments in aspects of social cognition that may be related to amygdala dysfunction, but the exact nature and specificity of these impairments remain unclear.

Research paper thumbnail of Do Baseline Client Characteristics Predict the Therapeutic Alliance in the Treatment of Schizophrenia?

The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 2006

This study examined clinical predictors of client and therapist alliance ratings early in therapy... more This study examined clinical predictors of client and therapist alliance ratings early in therapy, the relationship between client and therapist alliance ratings, and the psychometric properties of the Working Alliance Inventory in individuals with schizophrenia receiving manual-based treatment. Assessment of clinical symptoms and social functioning were conducted at baseline, and alliance ratings were obtained at 5 weeks. The Working Alliance Inventory had high internal consistency, but there were low correlations between client and therapist ratings. Results also indicated that social functioning and the activation and autistic preoccupation factors on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale were significant predictors of therapists' alliance ratings. There were no significant relationships between clinical predictors and clients' therapeutic alliance ratings. The findings indicate that client interpersonal factors are significant predictors of the therapist-rated alliance in the treatment of schizophrenia. Low correlations between clients' and therapists' ratings of the alliance should be examined in future research.

Research paper thumbnail of Interpersonal contact and the stigma of mental illness: A review of the literature

Journal of Mental Health, 2003

Title: Interpersonal contact and the stigma of mental illness: A review of the literature

Research paper thumbnail of The effects of prospective naturalistic contact on the stigma of mental illness

Journal of Community Psychology, 2006

The primary aim of this study was to determine whether naturalistic, interpersonal contact with p... more The primary aim of this study was to determine whether naturalistic, interpersonal contact with persons with a severe mental illness (SMI) could reduce stigma. Participants from the agency Compeer (which pairs volunteers with people with SMI) were compared to volunteers from a control agency and to nonvolunteer participants from the community on stigma measures over a 6-month period. The quality of the relationship between the Compeer volunteer and consumer and its association with changes in stigmatizing attitudes was also assessed. The results provide preliminary evidence that naturalistic contact can reduce negative affective responses to individuals with SMI. Furthermore, changes in affective response were related to the quality of the contact between the Compeer volunteer and consumer. Implications for future research are discussed.

Research paper thumbnail of Neuropsychological profile of autism and the broad autism phenotype

Archives of General Psychiatry, 2009

Context-There now exist multiple reports of a constellation of language, personality, and socialb... more Context-There now exist multiple reports of a constellation of language, personality, and socialbehavioral features present among relatives that mirror the symptom domains of autism, but much milder in expression. Studies of this 'broad autism phenotype' (BAP) may provide a potentially important, complementary approach for detecting the genes causing autism and defining associated neural circuitry, by identifying more refined phenotypes which can be measured quantitatively in both affected and unaffected individuals, and which are tied to functioning in particular regions of the brain.

Research paper thumbnail of The Motivation and Pleasure Scale–Self-Report (MAP-SR): Reliability and validity of a self-report measure of negative symptoms

The Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms (CAINS) is an empirically developed inter... more The Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms (CAINS) is an empirically developed interview measure of negative symptoms. Building on prior work, this study examined the reliability and validity of a self-report measure based on the CAINS-the Motivation and Pleasure Scale-Self-Report (MAP-SR)-that assesses the motivation and pleasure domain of negative symptoms. Thirtyseven participants with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder completed the 18-item MAP-SR, the CAINS, and other measures of functional outcome. Item analyses revealed three items that performed poorly. The revised 15-item MAP-SR demonstrated good internal consistency and convergent validity with the clinician-rated Motivation and Pleasure scale of the CAINS, as well as good discriminant validity, with little association with psychotic symptoms or depression/anxiety. MAP-SR scores were related to social anhedonia, social closeness, and clinician-rated social functioning. The MAP-SR is a promising self-report measure of severity of negative symptoms.

Research paper thumbnail of AFFILIATIVE DEFICITS AND SOCIAL ANHEDONIA: RESULTS FROM A BEHAVIORAL INTERACTION TASK

Research paper thumbnail of SOCIAL FUNCTIONING IMPAIRMENTS IN INDIVIDUALS WITH SOCIAL ANHEDONIA ARE NOT ASSOCIATED WITH SOCIAL COGNITION

Research paper thumbnail of Assessment of social judgments and complex mental states in the early phases of psychosis

Schizophrenia Research, 2008

Objectives-Social cognition plays an important role in the functioning of individuals with psycho... more Objectives-Social cognition plays an important role in the functioning of individuals with psychosis. In this study, we explored two areas of social cognition not previously investigated early in the course of psychosis.

Research paper thumbnail of Screening for negative symptoms: preliminary results from the self-report version of the Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms

Schizophrenia research, 2012

Though negative symptoms in schizophrenia are associated with a host of deleterious outcomes (e.g... more Though negative symptoms in schizophrenia are associated with a host of deleterious outcomes (e.g., White et al., 2009), not all individuals with schizophrenia suffer from negative symptoms (e.g., Blanchard et al., 2005). Thus, methods to quickly screen and identify patients for more intensive clinical interview assessments may have significant clinical and research utility. The present study is a preliminary examination of the reliability and validity of a self-report version of the newly developed Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms (CAINS; Blanchard et al., 2011; Forbes et al., 2010; Horan et al., 2011). The CAINS-SR is a 30-item self-report measure that assesses Experiential (avolition, anhedonia, asociality) and Expressive (blunted affect, alogia) domains of negative symptoms. Participants (N = 69) completed the CAINS-SR questionnaire and were evaluated with symptom interviews using the CAINS and other non-negative symptom interviews that assessed psychotic, aff...

Research paper thumbnail of Is social anhedonia related to emotional responsivity and expressivity? A laboratory study in women

Schizophrenia Research, 2010

Social anhedonia is an important feature of schizophrenia and it is a promising indicator of schi... more Social anhedonia is an important feature of schizophrenia and it is a promising indicator of schizotypy. Although social anhedonia is defined as an affective construct (less pleasure derived from social encounters), little is known about the emotional responsivity and expressivity of individuals with high levels of social anhedonia. After screening a large sample of female undergraduate students (N = 1 085), a cohort of psychometrically identified individuals with high levels of social anhedonia (n = 34) and normally hedonic controls (n = 45) participated in laboratory assessments involving trait affectivity, self-reported dispositional emotional expressiveness, and the expression and experience of emotion in response to neutral, nonaffiliative (i.e., comedy) and affiliative film clips. Results revealed that individuals with high levels of social anhedonia are characterized by lower positive affect, both as a trait and in response to emotionally evocative stimuli, and are less facially expressive, both by their own self-report and in response to film clips. Attenuated positive affect was observed across film stimuli, indicating a general reduction in affective response rather than a specific decrease in responsivity for affiliative stimuli. Future work should continue to investigate whether there is a unique role for social stimuli in the emotional lives of individuals with high levels of social anhedonia or whether these individuals tend to experience anhedonia more broadly regardless of social context.

Research paper thumbnail of The Functional Significance of Social Cognition in Schizophrenia: A Review

Schizophrenia Bulletin, 2006

Research paper thumbnail of Comparison of social cognitive functioning in schizophrenia and high functioning autism: more convergence than divergence

Psychological Medicine, 2010

Background-Individuals with schizophrenia and individuals with high-functioning autism (HFA) seem... more Background-Individuals with schizophrenia and individuals with high-functioning autism (HFA) seem to share some social, behavioral and biological features. Although marked impairments in social cognition have been documented in both groups, little empirical work has compared the social cognitive functioning of these two clinical groups.

Research paper thumbnail of Social anhedonia and affiliation: Examining behavior and subjective reactions within a social interaction

Psychiatry Research, 2012

Social anhedonia is a promising indicator for the vulnerability towards developing schizophrenias... more Social anhedonia is a promising indicator for the vulnerability towards developing schizophreniaspectrum disorders and is an important determinant of the social impairment associated with these disorders. It is unknown if social anhedonia is associated with true deficits in experiential reactions or if lower social functioning in social anhedonia reflects behavioral deficits in social skill or initiation of social contact. Using a novel social interaction task, the current study compared controls (n ¼ 60) to individuals elevated on social anhedonia (n ¼49) on observer-rated social skill and facial affect and participant self-reports of their experiential reactions to an affiliative interaction. Compared to the control group, the social anhedonia group was rated as behaviorally less affiliative and less socially skilled during the affiliative interaction. In response to the social interaction, the social anhedonia group reported less change in positive affect, less willingness to engage in future social interactions with the interaction partner, and less positive reactions toward the interaction partner compared to controls. There were no group differences in facial displays of emotion. Using a standardized affiliative stimulus, it was demonstrated that individuals high in social anhedonia have alterations in both their social skill and in their self-reported experiential reactions during a social interaction.

Research paper thumbnail of Negative expectancy appraisals and defeatist performance beliefs and negative symptoms of schizophrenia

Psychiatry Research, 2011

Research paper thumbnail of Orienting to social stimuli differentiates social cognitive impairment in autism and schizophrenia

Neuropsychologia, 2007

Context. Both autism and schizophrenia feature impairments in aspects of social cognition that ma... more Context. Both autism and schizophrenia feature impairments in aspects of social cognition that may be related to amygdala dysfunction, but the exact nature and specificity of these impairments remain unclear.

Research paper thumbnail of Do Baseline Client Characteristics Predict the Therapeutic Alliance in the Treatment of Schizophrenia?

The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 2006

This study examined clinical predictors of client and therapist alliance ratings early in therapy... more This study examined clinical predictors of client and therapist alliance ratings early in therapy, the relationship between client and therapist alliance ratings, and the psychometric properties of the Working Alliance Inventory in individuals with schizophrenia receiving manual-based treatment. Assessment of clinical symptoms and social functioning were conducted at baseline, and alliance ratings were obtained at 5 weeks. The Working Alliance Inventory had high internal consistency, but there were low correlations between client and therapist ratings. Results also indicated that social functioning and the activation and autistic preoccupation factors on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale were significant predictors of therapists' alliance ratings. There were no significant relationships between clinical predictors and clients' therapeutic alliance ratings. The findings indicate that client interpersonal factors are significant predictors of the therapist-rated alliance in the treatment of schizophrenia. Low correlations between clients' and therapists' ratings of the alliance should be examined in future research.

Research paper thumbnail of Interpersonal contact and the stigma of mental illness: A review of the literature

Journal of Mental Health, 2003

Title: Interpersonal contact and the stigma of mental illness: A review of the literature

Research paper thumbnail of The effects of prospective naturalistic contact on the stigma of mental illness

Journal of Community Psychology, 2006

The primary aim of this study was to determine whether naturalistic, interpersonal contact with p... more The primary aim of this study was to determine whether naturalistic, interpersonal contact with persons with a severe mental illness (SMI) could reduce stigma. Participants from the agency Compeer (which pairs volunteers with people with SMI) were compared to volunteers from a control agency and to nonvolunteer participants from the community on stigma measures over a 6-month period. The quality of the relationship between the Compeer volunteer and consumer and its association with changes in stigmatizing attitudes was also assessed. The results provide preliminary evidence that naturalistic contact can reduce negative affective responses to individuals with SMI. Furthermore, changes in affective response were related to the quality of the contact between the Compeer volunteer and consumer. Implications for future research are discussed.

Research paper thumbnail of Neuropsychological profile of autism and the broad autism phenotype

Archives of General Psychiatry, 2009

Context-There now exist multiple reports of a constellation of language, personality, and socialb... more Context-There now exist multiple reports of a constellation of language, personality, and socialbehavioral features present among relatives that mirror the symptom domains of autism, but much milder in expression. Studies of this 'broad autism phenotype' (BAP) may provide a potentially important, complementary approach for detecting the genes causing autism and defining associated neural circuitry, by identifying more refined phenotypes which can be measured quantitatively in both affected and unaffected individuals, and which are tied to functioning in particular regions of the brain.

Research paper thumbnail of The Motivation and Pleasure Scale–Self-Report (MAP-SR): Reliability and validity of a self-report measure of negative symptoms

The Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms (CAINS) is an empirically developed inter... more The Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms (CAINS) is an empirically developed interview measure of negative symptoms. Building on prior work, this study examined the reliability and validity of a self-report measure based on the CAINS-the Motivation and Pleasure Scale-Self-Report (MAP-SR)-that assesses the motivation and pleasure domain of negative symptoms. Thirtyseven participants with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder completed the 18-item MAP-SR, the CAINS, and other measures of functional outcome. Item analyses revealed three items that performed poorly. The revised 15-item MAP-SR demonstrated good internal consistency and convergent validity with the clinician-rated Motivation and Pleasure scale of the CAINS, as well as good discriminant validity, with little association with psychotic symptoms or depression/anxiety. MAP-SR scores were related to social anhedonia, social closeness, and clinician-rated social functioning. The MAP-SR is a promising self-report measure of severity of negative symptoms.