title: Social cognition in eating disorders: encoding and representational processes in binging and purging patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The present study investigates social cognition impairments in 29 women with bingeing/purging spectrum eating disorders (ED) compared to 27 healthy controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  Measures were used to examine encoding and representational processes in relation to affect perception and affect attribution, as well as the ability to recognize mental causality in social relationships.
  
  
  RESULTS
  ED patients failed to correctly encode causality in interpersonal relations, exhibited deficits in their ability to ascribe behaviour to mental states, and showed a greater tendency to attribute negative affects in interpersonal relationships. Stepwise regression analyses suggested that ED symptoms could account for deficits in the recognition of causality in interpersonal relations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In addition to addressing ED symptoms, social cognition deficits should be addressed in the psychological treatment of EDs.
authors.affiliation: Safra Children's Hospital, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel. Lilyrot@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Lily
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rothschild-Yakar
authors.forename: Zohar
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Eviatar
authors.forename: Adi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shamia
authors.forename: Eitan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gur
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D056912:Binge-Eating Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012938:Social Perception; D055815:Young Adult