The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has granted Dr. Amy Pinkham $3,621,865 to support the development and research on the Social Cognition Battery for Psychosis-Risk (SCB-PR): A Psychometric and Validation Study. Aligned with Strategy 3.2.B of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)’s Strategic Plan, this research project aims to enhance how mental health treatments are tailored by creating more effective research tools.

Shortcomings in social cognition, which pertain to a mental process of the ability to recognize and interpret social cues, are commonly observed in people with CHR and are strongly associated with their social and medical functioning over time. Many currently available tools are not dependable or responsive enough for younger people or those experiencing the opening stage of psychosis risk. Dr. Pinkham’s study, supported by the NIH grant, will unfold in two stages aimed at evaluating and refining a set of tools to assess social cognition in at-risk youth. Phase one of this study will involve 180 individuals at high risk for psychosis and 90 healthy participants. This stage will focus on assessing and improving the effectiveness of existing assessment tools. The second stage will follow 120 CHR participants, and 60 healthy participants will be tracked over a year to validate the updated assessment tools and measure how well they predict future outcomes.

Overall, Dr. Pinkham’s project will produce a refined set of social cognition assessments that can improve early diagnosis and support the design of individualized treatment methods for youth at risk of psychosis, ultimately contributing to improved mental health outcomes in vulnerable youth populations. Additionally, Dr. Pinkham’s contributions to this project will support the field of Psychology.