Social cognition is the set of mental processes by which people perceive, interpret, remember, and use information about themselves and others to guide social behavior. It includes recognizing emotions and intentions, inferring others' beliefs and mental states, forming impressions and judgments, understanding socia…
Social cognition is the set of mental processes by which people perceive, interpret, remember, and use information about themselves and others to guide social behavior. It includes recognizing emotions and intentions, inferring others' beliefs and mental states, forming impressions and judgments, understanding social norms, and regulating one's own behavior in interpersonal contexts. As an interdisciplinary field drawing on psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and related disciplines, it examines both the cognitive operations involved and the neural systems that support them, including networks engaged in perspective-taking and the attribution of mental states. Social cognition develops across childhood and adolescence and is closely tied to the construction of identity and the integration of autobiographical memory into a coherent life story, processes important for healthy psychological development. Differences and difficulties in social cognition are central to several conditions, notably autism spectrum disorder, where altered processing of social information affects communication and interaction, and they also bear on mood and behavioral disorders. Because effective social functioning depends on accurately reading and responding to others, deficits can impair relationships, learning, and adjustment, motivating interventions that build social and interpersonal skills. Research in this area addresses social-cognitive development and identity, the neuroscience of social information processing, social functioning in autism and other conditions, and approaches that support social and emotional competence.
8 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.
The 8 articles above have been cited 37 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.
A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Social Cognition, linking to each citing work.