Exploring the Relationship Between Social Expertise and Ability to Process Different Types of Abstract Concepts and the Neural Resources Allocated to Their Processing

Launched by UNIVERSITÀ VITA-SALUTE SAN RAFFAELE · Aug 5, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This study is looking at how people’s social skills and experiences affect the way their brains understand and process different kinds of abstract ideas, especially social concepts like “friendship.” The researchers want to learn how the brain works when we think about social ideas and how this might change depending on a person’s level of social expertise. For example, they are interested in comparing people who have some social difficulties, parents of children with autism, people with average social skills, and those who have very advanced social skills, like social media influencers or politicians.

If you are between 25 and 50 years old, right-handed, have normal or corrected vision, and are willing to participate, you might be eligible for the study. The study includes adults with different levels of social experience but excludes those with neurological or psychiatric conditions, drug addiction, or any metal implants that would make MRI scans unsafe. Participants will likely be asked to undergo brain imaging (MRI) to see how their brains work while thinking about social concepts. This research could help improve our understanding of social thinking and might eventually support better approaches for people who find social interactions challenging.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • 1. Participant is willing and able to give informed consent for participation in the study
• • 2. Male or female, aged between 25 and 50 years
• • 3. Right-handed dominance
• • 4. Normal vision or hypo-vision corrected with contact lenses
• • 5. Participant must have different levels of social expertise, in order to be assigned to one of the following groups: (1) participants with subclinical social skills dysfunction, parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, (2) participants with no specific social expertise, and (3) participants with high social expertise, namely social media influencers and politicians.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • 1. Clinical and/or anamnestic evidence of neurological, psychiatric, or systemic disorders
• • 2. Drug addiction and/or abuse of neuroactive drugs;
• • 3. Contraindications and incompatibilities with MRI, and specifically presence of para-magnetic or ferro-magnetic metal body prostheses; presence of permanent biomedical implants (e.g., pacemakers, neuro-stimulators); pregnancy status; claustrophobia. Pregnancy status will be self-reported by the participants.