This research aimed to study the predictive levels of social cognition in its components of emotional facial recognition and theory of mind in the socio-emotional functioning of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD). In addition, emotional measures of anxiety and depression were considered as modulating variables in the predictive relationship. The sample consisted of 84 participants who were divided into four groups: two clinical groups consisting of 18 subjects with AD and 24 subjects with PD, and two control groups for each clinical group (18 and 24 healthy subjects respectively for AD and PD). The instruments used were the Ekman emotional facial recognition test, the Faux Pas, the Social Adaptation Self-Assessment Scale (SASS), among others. The data analyses were descriptive, inferential and moderation analyses. The components of social cognition, as well as clinical measures, did not demonstrate statistically significant predictive levels of socio-emotional functioning of the AD and PD clinical groups. For future studies, we will seek other psychological variables besides social cognition that have a level of prediction in the deterioration of the social and emotional domains of patients with neurodegenerative diseases.
