Belousova A.Yu., Korotkova I.S., Shchelkova O.Yu. Modifying Attention Patterns and Social Perception in Schizophrenia Using Verbal Cues
Anna Yu. Belousova , PhD student, Department of Medical Psychology and Psychophysiology, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia; bld. 7–9, Universitetskaya Emb., St. Petersburg, Russia, 199034; a.yu.belousova@gmail.com
Inga S. Korotkova , PhD (Psychology), Associate Professor, Department of Medical Psychology and Psychophysiology, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia; bld. 7–9, Universitetskaya Emb., St. Petersburg, Russia, 199034; i.s.korotkova@spbu.ru
Olga Yu. Shchelkova , D.Sc. (Psychology), Professor, Head of the Department of Medical Psychology and Psychophysiology, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia; bld. 7–9, Universitetskaya Emb., St. Petersburg, Russia, 199034; o.shhelkova@spbu.ru
Social cognition impairment in schizophrenia is a critical factor contributing to reduced social functioning, yet the effects of interventions on implicit mentalizing processes remain insufficiently explored.
Eye-tracking analysis of visual scanning strategies enables the detection of cognitive mechanisms underlying misinterpretations of social situations, offering a potential objective marker of mentalization changes in the course of intervention.
A controlled experiment with three equally sized groups (N = 120; two clinical groups with paranoid schizophrenia, EG1 and EG2, and one healthy control group, CG) was conducted to assess the effect of structured guiding questions on mentalizing accuracy, defined as the correct identification of characters’ cognitive errors (on a 0–3 scale). To identify cognitive errors, participants had to compare their own complete knowledge of the situation with the characters’ incomplete (false) knowledge. Participants perceived 14 silent videos depicting social situations under simultaneous eye-tracking (Tobii TX120). Guiding questions were presented only to EG1; EG2 and CG completed only the primary identification task. RM ANOVA demonstrated significant Group and Sequence effects (p < 0.001).
The intervention resulted in both an improved recognition of characters’ cognitive errors and a reorganization of gaze distribution within the social scene in EG1, eliminating group differences with controls on the final trials.
The findings suggest that targeted verbal cues can modify implicit mentalizing processes in patients with schizophrenia.
Key words: social cognition, theory of mind, paranoid schizophrenia, eye-tracking, visual perception, visual scanning, information processing
For citation: Belousova, A.Yu., Korotkova, I.S., Shchelkova, O.Yu. (2026). Modifying Attention Patterns and Social Perception in Schizophrenia Using Verbal Cues. New Psychological Research, No. 2, 183–206. DOI: 10.51217/npsyresearch_2026_06_02_10
Keywords: social cognition theory of mind paranoid schizophrenia eye-tracking visual perception visual scanning information processing
Received: 21st june 2026
Published: 21st june 2026