title: Differential patterns in mind perception in subclinical paranoia: relationships to self-reported empathy.
abstract: Although social cognition skills and biases are well-studied in paranoia, "mind perception" - perceiving the extent to which someone even possesses a thinking, feeling mind - is not. We sought to better characterise the profile of mind perception for individuals with paranoia.
  
  
  
  We examined links between mind perception and paranoia in a large (n = 890) subclinical sample. Participants completed measures of paranoia, schizotypy, mind perception, and dispositional empathy. These assessments were examined for their relationships to one another, as well as the possibility that mind perception partially mediates the relationship between paranoia and empathy.
  
  
  
  Analyses revealed that increased paranoia was linked to less mind perception towards people. This distorted mind perception partially explained the link between paranoia and both perspective taking and empathic concern.
  
  
  
  In paranoia - and psychopathology more broadly - understanding and addressing distorted mind perception may be one component of restoring social functioning.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology and Neuroscience , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Chapel Hill , NC , USA.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Buck
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology and Neuroscience , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Chapel Hill , NC , USA.
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hester
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology and Neuroscience , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Chapel Hill , NC , USA.|b Australian Catholic University , Melbourne , Australia.
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Penn
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology and Neuroscience , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Chapel Hill , NC , USA.
authors.forename: Kurt
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gray
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010259:Paranoid Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D011594:Psychometrics; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D057566:Self Report; D012919:Social Behavior
keywords: Paranoia; mind perception; psychosis; social cognition