Cognitive theories of social phobia have largely been inspired by the information-processing models of anxiety. They propose that cognitive biases can, at least partially, explain the etiology and maintenance of this disorder. A specific bias, conceived as a tendency to preferentially process socially-threatening information, has been proposed. This bias is thought to intervene in cognitive processes such as attention, memory and interpretation. Research paradigms adopted from experimental cognitive psychology and social psychology have been used to investigate these hypotheses. The existence of a bias in the allocation of attentional resources and the interpretation of information seems to be confirmed. A memory bias in terms of better retrieval for threat-relevant information appears to depend on specific encoding activities.

Autistic spectrum disorders (ASD), are a group of disorders characterised by qualitative abnormalities in social and emotional behaviour and are associated with restricted, stereotyped and repetitive interests and activities. There has been considerable understanding of ASD in recent years. This educational review paper focuses on four areas of interest and relevance to trainees preparing for the membership examination of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (MRCPsych): (a) diagnosing ASD; (b) epidemiology of ASD; (c) aetiology, including genetic, cognitive and neurochemical/neuropathological theories in ASD; and (d) treatment of ASD. Relevant papers are discussed and recommendations for further reading are provided.