Production of associative sequences in process-reactive schizophrenic and nonschizophrenic groups.

A previous study (Judson & Katahn, 1960) disclosed significant differences between process-reactive schizophrenics in the recall of friends' names over a 10-minute interval. The differences were greater than would have been expected from their recall of animal names and IQ scores. This was interpreted as reflecting a special restriction in interpersonal relationships in a generally impoverished relationship with the environment. The present study sought to extend the findings and employed both schizophrenic and nonschizophrenic patients. Both the process-reactive dimension and diagnostic category made significant independent and interacting contributions to the recall of friends' names, that is, the material with social connotations, but not to the recall of animal names. By subgroups, the rank order of recall from least to greatest, was process schizophrenics, process nonschizophrenics, reactive schizophrenics, reactive nonschizophrenics. The process-reactive distinction thus proved meaningful for nonschizophrenic as well as schizophrenic patients on this material. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

MMPI indices in the discrimination of brain-damaged and schizophrenic groups.

Conducted an investigation of C. G. Watson's (see record 1971-10226-001) 3 forms of an MMPI-based Schizophrenic-Organicity scale as an alternative to ability-oriented approaches. Results support the hypothesis that these scales might be valid discriminators of brain-damaged and schizophrenic men equated for degree of intellectual deficit. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differences between schizophrenic and brain-damaged groups in conceptual aspects of object sorting.

The hypothesis tested was that of the two conceptual variables, amount of social agreement and order of conceptual classification, the latter would show the greatest difference between schizophrenic and brain-damaged Ss. Ss consisted of 37 chronic paranoid schizophrenic patients and 34 brain-damaged patients. The sorting task used was the Rapaport modification of the Goldstein-Gelb-Weigl Object Sorting Test. The variable of social agreement was scored in terms of the relative publicness-privateness of each conceptual sorting, and the variable of order of classification was scored in terms of number of attributes used in the definition. 5 other measures derived from their interactions were also used. Analysis of covariance yielded results in the predicted direction. The greatest F ratio was for the closed-open variable, in keeping with the major hypothesis. 24 references. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Concept identification in the brain-damaged: Intertrial interval and information complexity.

Investigated the effects of information complexity and ITI in a concept identification (CI) problem, using 45 brain-damaged and 45 control Ss. The CI performance of the control Ss was optimally facilitated at the 15-sec interval, but was not affected in the brain-damaged Ss. There was a linear increase in CI errors as a function of complexity in both groups, although brain-damaged Ss demonstrated a deficit on CI in terms of decision time and processing of available information. (19 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Concept of process-reactive schizophrenia: A critique.

A review of current issues, including (1) the dichotomy vs. continuum view of the process-reactive concept, (2) the question of organic involvement in process schizophrenia, (3) the relationship of severity of illness to the concept, (4) the problem of duration of hospitalization, (5) comparability of criteria, (6) adequacy of control groups, (7) sociocultural diversity, and (8) uniformity of process-reactive differences. (2 p. ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Microgenetic analysis of word associations in schizophrenic and brain-damaged patients.

Associations to the Kent-Rosanoff list of words were categorized as being "mature" or "immature" following the schema outlined by previous research (see 33: 8338). In that research, some support was found for the hypothesis that schizophrenics respond in a more "immature" manner than normals. The present study repeats the former one, adding a second group for comparison (a group of organics) in addition to the control group of normals. The results did not support the former study. Organics were found to be perseverative in "meaningful" responses to the word stimuli, but not to repeat irrelevant ones. From Psyc Abstracts 36:04:4JQ64M. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An MMPI scale to separate brain-damaged from schizophrenic men.

Developed 3 MMPI scales: (a) an unweighted scale consisting of 80 items differentially endorsed by 61 organics and 65 schizophrenics at a Veterans Administration psychiatric hospital, (b) the same items weighted as a function of their differentiating power, and (c) a short form consisting of the 30 most powerful items weighted in accordance with their differentiating strength. Scales were cross-validated in a state hospital population and a general medical and surgical Veterans Administration hospital. Results indicate that the scales differentiate male organics from schizophrenics but are of dubious value among female populations. (16 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differences in test performance between brain-damaged, schizophrenic, and medical patients.

Gave 18 white male hospitalized patients from each of 3 diagnostic categories (brain-damaged, schizophrenic, and medical) a battery of 9 psychological tests, including 5 from the Halstead Impairment Index, the Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test, the Trail Making Test (R. Reitan), and 2 tests from the WAIS. 16 measures were obtained, and the 3 groups of Ss were compared on each. The performance of the brain-damaged was significantly inferior to the medical patients on 14 of the 16 measures, and to the schizophrenics on 9 of the 16. There were no significant differences between the schizophrenics and the medical group on any of the 16 measures. When the scores on the 4 different tests were combined into Z scores, 78% of the brain-damaged, 67% of the schizophrenics, and 78% of the medical Ss were correctly diagnosed for presence or absence of brain damage. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multivariate analysis of the conceptual behavior of schizophrenic and brain-damaged patients.

A cross-validation of the findings of previous research by the authors and Grassi (see 33: 3260) with regard to the conceptual behavior of schizophrenics and brain-damaged Ss. The multivariate analysis involves the conceptualization of a given response along coordinate axes of 2 continua: open-closed, public-private. The previous findings are reproduced, discussed, and compared and related to the Grassi findings. 15 refs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Level versus pattern of neuropsychological performance among schizophrenic and diffusely brain-damaged patients.

Differences in both mean level and pattern of neuropsychological test performance were examined among groups of carefully screened schizophrenic and acute and chronic diffusely brain-damaged patients (24 Ss in each group). This was done separately for the WAIS subtests and the 12 average impairment rating (AIR) variables derived from the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Test Battery. The schizophrenics performed at a significantly higher level than brain-damaged Ss on both test batteries. Subsequent deficit pattern analyses and coefficients of profile pattern similarity revealed very little difference among the 3 groups in their patterns of performance on the WAIS and AIR batteries. Discriminant function analyses were employed to estimate the diagnostic utility of level vs pattern of performance on the WAIS and AIR in discriminating schizophrenics from brain-damaged Ss. Results suggest that mean level of performance can be used to discriminate clearly defined schizophrenic and diffusely brain-damaged groups, but that pattern analysis offers little additional information. (38 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reversal shift preferences in process and reactive schizophrenic, brain-damaged, and control group patients.

Compared process and reactive schizophrenic, brain-damaged, and normal control groups (n = 34 each) in frequency of reversal shifts in discrimination learning using the optional-shift paradigm. The main hypothesis that reactive schizophrenics, like normal adults, would show a stronger preference for reversal shifts than would process Ss was supported. Results show that significantly more reactive (68%) than process (44%) Ss made reversal shifts. Significantly more brain-damaged and reactive schizophrenic Ss showed reversal shift preferences when color was learned initially rather than form, while such initial concept preferences were not found in the process schizophrenic or normal control Ss. Previous findings in discrimination learning with pathological groups are discussed in the context of these findings. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Time estimation in process-reactive schizophrenia.

Process and reactive schizophrenics, and reactive schizophrenics and normals were compared as to their responses on a perceptual time-estimation task. Null hypotheses being tested were that groups would not differ in variability or accuracy of response. Schizophrenic (45) and normal (15) subjects were selected from the male patient population and hospital employees, respectively, of a Veteran's Administration hospital. Schizophrenics selected for the study were classified by means of the Abbreviated Becker Elgin Scale. Subjects were individually administered a time-estimation task consisting of seven stimulus cards which were tachistoscopically presented, with exposure speeds at 10, 20, and 30 seconds for each card. Judgments of exposure times were converted into scores based upon ratios of estimated time to actual time. Scores (three) for each card were totaled. Groups were then compared on each of the stimulus cards by means of two-tailed t tests. In accuracy of estimation, process schizophrenics demonstrated significantly less accuracy than did reactives on four of the seven cards; no differences were shown between reactives and normals in accuracy of estimation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological differentiation and process-reactive schizophrenia.

Kept 51 male schizophrenics in a psychiatric receiving hospital drug free for a period of testing. The Rod-and-Frame Test (RFT) showed a curvilinear correlation coefficient of .28 with the Phillips Prognostic Rating Scale (PRS). The midrange on the RFT showed a good prognosis, with the process cases being at the extremes of the RFT scores. There was a significant relationship between RFT and duration of hospital stay at 1 and 2 yr. but not after 3 yr. of follow-up. The readmission pattern suggested that intermediate cases on the RFT leave the hospital sooner but return more frequently. Data fail to demonstrate a relationship between RFT and measures of conceptual plasticity, abstract attitude, severity of schizophrenic thought disorder, and severity of reality disruption. (21 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Concept identification by schizophrenic and normal subjects as a function of problem complexity and relevance of social cues.

Schizophrenic and normal Ss (N = 230) solved concept-identification (CI) problems varying in stimulus complexity, simultaneously with either a normal or a schizophrenic stooge providing relevant or irrelevant cues. Major results were (1) CI performance was a negative function of stimulus complexity, (2) social cues from a normal stooge had greater effects on problem solving than social cues from a schizophrenic stooge, and (3) schizophrenics demonstrated a deficit in problem solving connected primarily with the use of social cues. Comparisons of these data with expectations based on a mathematical model of CI revealed several significant discrepancies, attributable primarily to the fact that normals are more sensitive to social cues than are schizophrenics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Trans-subjective practice in schizophrenic delusions

In schizophrenic delusion, the world of other humans is not so much the scope of events and actions; the patient rather sees himself as actually related to others, while including "the other persons" in the delusion of persecution as a crucial point of reference. Delusion, therefore, has a referential structure. When analysing the referential structure of "being persecuted", it is shown to be unilaterally transitive, the patient being, however, the ontological first reference point. The relationship to others in schizophrenic delusion cannot, however, achieve intersubjectivity; its significance is merely trans-subjective.     

Abstraction on proverbs in process-reactive schizophrenia.

Administered the Phillips Prognostic Rating Scale (PRS) and the Benjamin Proverb Test to 51 consecutive, drug-free, males with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, shortly after entering the hospital. There was no relationship between classification by PRS and abstraction when drug effects and duration of current hospital stay were controlled. Using only those cases who had no previous history of psychiatric hospitalization, thereby controlling for previous and current hospitalization, still failed to produce a significant relationship. The suggestion of a racial effect emerged. This is discussed along with certain theoretical implications. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Concept of "pathogenesis" in parents of schizophrenic and normal children.

Administered the TAT to 5 pairs of parents of normal and schizophrenic children in a cross-validation study. Parents by diagnostic category were matched on age, education, and social class. Each story was judged pathogenic, benign, or unscorable and a pathogenic score was tabulated for each S from the formula: pathogenic/pathogenic plus benign. Mothers of the normal children told significantly fewer pathogenic stories than mothers of the schizophrenic children. Although fathers did not differ significantly, their mean pathogenic scores were distributed according to the hypotheses of the study. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Changes in body image following sensory deprivation in schizophrenic and control groups.

This study concerns body image changes in schizophrenic and nonpsychotic groups following a sensory deprivation experience. 20 schizophrenics and 20 nonpsychotics were examined before and after a sensory deprivation period with a test battery assessing various aspects of body image. A control group of 20 schizophrenics was similarly tested and retested but with no period of sensory deprivation intervening. This latter group showed no change in any of the body image measures pre- to posttesting. However, the 2 experimental groups demonstrated a number of changes in body image following sensory deprivation, with schizophrenics evidencing a degree of reintegration and nonpsychotics more disintegration in body image. (19 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)