Affective encoding and consequent remembering in schizophrenic young adults.

Investigated whether schizophrenics' recall deficit can be ameliorated if appropriate encoding behaviors are experimentally induced, using 18 schizophrenics, 15 nonschizophrenic psychiatric patients, and 19 normals. In Session 1, the S was shown 50 words on a screen one at a time and rated them in terms of pleasantness-unpleasantness (orienting task); an unexpected free recall followed (incidental recall). In Session 2 given 1 wk later, the S was forewarned about the recall test prior to his engagement in the orienting task for another 50-word list; 4 free-recall trials followed (intentional recall). The recalls of the 3 groups were comparable in both sessions. The recall performance was also examined separately for the pleasant and unpleasant words, as rated by the Ss. All 3 groups tended to recall pleasant words more often than unpleasant words. It is, therefore, concluded that the schizophrenics' recall and pleasure deficits are probably remediable by means of attentional and encoding treatments. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)