Superior speech comprehension in schizophrenics under monaural versus binaural listening conditions.

20 schizophrenics, 10 nurses, and 10 psychiatric controls (all under age 60) listened to stories and answered the corresponding questions in 3 conditions. All task information was provided either binaurally or exclusively to the left or right ear, and scores were derived from the number of questions answered correctly in each condition. It was hypothesized that schizophrenics would display significant deficits in left ear speech comprehension on the assumption that the patients suffered from poor interhemispheric transfer, which had been observed on manual and visual tasks. Significant left ear deficits were observed in the schizophrenics but not in the controls. An unexpected effect, which may also reflect defective interhemispheric transfer, was that the schizophrenics, but not the controls, displayed significant deficits in binaural relative to right ear speech comprehension. It may be possible to increase the speech comprehension of schizophrenics who show this effect by a simple method that takes advantage of the observed right ear superiority. (30 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Creativity and schizophrenia: An equivalence of cognitive processing.

Two tests of creativity were given to 10 paranoid and 10 nonparanoid schizophrenics, 10 nonpsychotic psychiatric controls, and 10 normal Ss. Ss were aged between 18 and 50 yrs. Scores on vocabulary and similarities tests, as well as education, medication, marital status, socioeconomic background, and age, were examined. Results indicate that nonparanoid schizophrenics were significantly more creative than paranoids and psychiatric controls on one creativity measure, a graded level measure of the Alternate Uses Test. Also, nonparanoid schizophrenics produced a significantly higher percentage of "highly creative" responses than did normals. Nonparanoid schizophrenics also scored higher than the other groups on the Welsh Figure Preference Test, but this finding was found to be related to age rather than to schizophrenia. The superior performance of the nonparanoid schizophrenic is discussed in terms of the encouragement that a supportive, nonjudgmental testing environment provides. (35 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Age on first hospitalization of schizophrenics: A developmental approach.

Compared ages at 1st hospitalization of 3 groups of schizophrenics: 64 males in a VA hospital and 60 male and 60 female patients in a state hospital. Paranoid Ss were approximately 8 yrs older when first admitted than the nonparanoids. In both diagnostic categories males were hospitalized about 5 yrs earlier than females. Working females with a diagnosis of paranoia were hospitalized approximately 10 yrs later than the paranoid females who remained at home and the nonparanoid females of either employment status. State hospital males were younger on 1st admission than VA hospital males. The ages of the 2 diagnostic groups in the VA were comparable, whereas in the state hospital the nonparanoid group was younger than the paranoid group by about 8 yrs. The need to pay greater attention to the differences between schizophrenic males and females and to scrutinize more closely differences between state and VA hospital patients is emphasized. (48 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neuropsychological performance and positive and negative symptoms in schizophrenia.

Examined cognitive functions in 11 positive-symptom (mean age 36 yrs), 10 negative-symptom (mean age 33.8 yrs), and 23 mixed-symptom (mean age 31.4 yrs) schizophrenics; 15 bipolar patients (mean age 34.7 yrs); and 12 normal controls (mean age 34.8 yrs) to explore the relation between symptoms and performance. Ss were administered a neuropsychological test battery including the Purdue Pegboard, the Revised Visual Retention Test, and the Block Design subtest of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Revised (WAIS—R). Group comparisons revealed generalized deficits in schizophrenics. Positive-symptom schizophrenics scored below normal Ss and negative-symptom Ss on 2 measures tapping verbal memory. Multiple regression analyses revealed that negative symptom ratings were inversely associated with performance on visual-motor tasks, whereas positive symptoms were inversely associated with verbal memory performance. Findings are not consistent with the notion that cognitive deficits are uniquely associated with negative symptoms. Instead, results suggest that there may be specific cognitive correlates of both the positive and negative symptom dimensions. (38 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Speech competence in manic and schizophrenic psychoses: The association between clinically rated thought disorder and cohesion and reference performance.

Compared 20 thought-disordered (TD) manics and schizophrenics (mean age 31 yrs) to 20 manic and schizophrenic patients (mean age 31.25 yrs) without thought disorder (NTD) and to 10 normal Ss (mean age 30.9 yrs) normal on the rating scales of cohesion and reference performance in speech developed by S. R. Rochester and J. R. Martin (1979). TD manics and schizophrenics differed from NTD Ss and the normal group in their more frequent use of unclear references as well as in their less frequent use of effective cohesion and reference strategies. Speech elements of the TD Ss were classified into disordered and nondisordered segments, and the same natural language analysis was completed for each category of speech segments. Nondisordered speech segments of TD Ss were quite similar to the overall speech performance of NTD Ss and the normal group. There were no cohesion or reference performance differences between TD manics and TD schizophrenics in their disordered speech segments. Findings are interpreted as validation of the usefulness of the Rochester and Martin rating system for identifying aspects of speech performance that are related to clinically rated thought disorder. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Callosal transfer in schizophrenia: Too much or too little?

Evidence from diverse sources has pointed to an abnormality in callosal transfer in schizophrenia. To examine this further, a test was devised that measures Stroop interference and facilitation within and between the cerebral hemispheres. 46 heterogeneous schizophrenic patients were tested, and it was found that lateralized Stroop effects were equivalent in the left and right hemispheres and did not differ from normal or psychiatric (affective disorder) control Ss. In control Ss, Stroop effects that required interhemispheric transfer of coded information were reduced relative to those requiring intrahemispheric transfer, whereas among schizophrenic Ss, greater Stroop effects were found in the interhemispheric condition, presumably reflecting increased callosal connectivity. An index of callosal transfer did not correlate with gender, age, or IQ in any of the groups, nor did it relate to clinical characteristics in the schizophrenic Ss. The results support a specific functional abnormality of excessive callosal transfer in schizophrenia, though its role in pathogenesis remains unspecified. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sources of judgmental impairment in paranoid and nonparanoid schizophrenics.

While it is known that schizophrenic patients perform more poorly than nonschizophrenics on most cognitive tasks, the specific nature of their impairment is unclear. Social judgment theory suggests both procedures and analyses that may clarify this situation. The present study evaluated the performance of schizophrenics on the judgment indices of task knowledge and cognitive control. 12 paranoid schizophrenics, 12 nonparanoids, and 12 nonschizophrenic psychiatric patients completed 60 trials of a complex judgment task. Although all Ss were males, they were not controlled for age, education, or intelligence variables. Some Ss were rated with the Short Scale for Rating Paranoid Schizophrenia. Both groups of schizophrenics performed more poorly than normals, although only nonparanoids demonstrated significant impairment. Analysis of the component indices of performance indicated that the schizophrenic subgroups demonstrated contrasting forms of impairment. Paranoids evidenced poorer task knowledge than nonschizophrenics, whereas nonparanoids were impaired on control. Results may have relevance for identifying sources of cognitive dysfunction and for suggesting differential therapeutic strategies with these patients. (34 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Lexical cohesion and formal thought disorder during and after psychotic episodes.

Compared speech samples obtained from 10 schizophrenics (mean age 28 yrs), 11 manics (mean age 26.2 yrs), 11 schizoaffectives (mean age 25.8 yrs), and 10 normals (mean age 33.6 yrs) for the amount of lexical cohesion both within and between clauses. Two speech samples were obtained for each patient: one shortly after admission to a psychiatric hospital and another several weeks following discharge. All psychiatric patients showed evidence of formal thought disorder at admission, and all 3 groups showed a significant decline in the extent of thought disorder at follow-up. There were no differences between groups with regard to between-clause lexical cohesion at either point in time. Within-clause lexical cohesion did distinguish among the psychiatric groups at the 1st assessment interval; schizophrenics showed less within-clause lexical cohesion than the manics or schizoaffective patients. The manics and the schizoaffectives showed a significant decline in the amount of within-clause lexical cohesion from initial assessment to follow-up. The schizophrenics exhibited a modest decline in the amount of between-clause lexical cohesion. Results indicate that diagnostic differences in lexical cohesion depended on the specificity of the measure and suggest that there are subtle differences between the forms of verbal-communication impairment observed in schizophrenic and affective disorders. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Some failures of intermanual and cross-lateral transfer in chronic schizophrenia.

The suggestion that split-brain symptoms are present in schizophrenia was investigated by using tests of intermanual and cross-lateral transfer. Ss were 24 chronic schizophrenics (mean age 52.1 yrs), 6 matched depressive and anxious patients, and 6 normal controls. All Ss were right-handed. Disconnections were seen on a variety of manual and cross-lateral transfer tasks involving position location on the hands, the arms, and the body as well as on tasks of manual tapping transfer. These are interpreted as communication failures of the brain related to callosal disturbance. (7 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Residual performance deficit in clinically remitted schizophrenics: A marker of schizophrenia?

The study of remitted schizophrenic outpatients is proposed as a way of minimizing the effects of the "nuisance variables" that confound the study of hospitalized schizophrenics. 20 hospitalized acutely disturbed schizophrenics (mean age, 37.0 yrs), 20 schizophrenic outpatients in clinical remission (mean age, 42.8 yrs) and 20 normal controls (mean age, 35.1 yrs) were administered a span of apprehension test and the Continuous Performance Test (CPT). All Ss were controlled for sex and WAIS scores and schizophrenics were rated with Phillips Prognostic Rating Scale. On the CPT, both acute and remitted schizophrenics made significantly more errors of omission and commission than did the normal controls. On the span of apprehension, both groups of schizophrenics showed a significantly greater decrement in accuracy of detection of the target stimuli than did normal controls. The same pattern of results has been observed in children at risk for schizophrenia, which suggests that the span of apprehension may be sensitive to core schizophrenic processes that are independent of clinical state. The cross-sectional study of the 3 stages of schizophrenia—the premorbid, acute, and remitted—is proposed as a way of identifying "core" schizophrenic processes and markers of vulnerability to schizophrenia. The adequacy of a general "attentional impairment" interpretation of schizophrenic deficit is questioned. (43 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Expectancies, mood, and performance of depressed and nondepressed psychiatric inpatients on chance and skill tasks.

The learned helplessness model of depression predicts that, compared with nondepressed patients, depressed patients will demonstrate psychomotor deficits, provide lower subjective evaluations of their performance, and perceive reinforcement in skill tasks as more response independent. These predictions were tested in 32 depressed (mean age 35 yrs) and 32 nondepressed (mean age 38 yrs) psychiatric inpatients, who had been administered the Quick Test and the Beck Depression Inventory. Ss performed card- and peg-sorting tasks in which measures of performance, ratings of mood and expectancy of success, and subjective evaluations of performance were obtained under chance and skill reinforcement conditions. Although some support was obtained for the prediction that depressives provide lower evaluations of their performance than nondepressives, the other predictions were not supported. Comparisons between depressed and nondepressed schizophrenics indicate that the mood of depressed schizophrenics was especially sensitive to task outcome for both skill and chance conditions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Features that distinguish the smooth-pursuit eye-tracking performance of schizophrenic, affective-disorder, and normal individuals.

Examined the eye-tracking records of 25 schizophrenic (mean age 37.6 yrs), 25 unipolar (mean age 37.9 yrs), 24 bipolar (mean age 36 yrs), and 46 medical control (mean age 35 yrs) patients. All the psychiatric patients were in symptom remission. All three psychiatric groups produced more oscillations than controls, and spiky tracking was correlated with poor performance as indexed by the production of large saccades. Schizophrenics did, however, produce smaller saccades and tracked with more phase lag than did each of the other groups. Results suggest that the smooth-pursuit system of schizophrenics is functionally different from that of normal people. Use of the phase lag as a potential marker of schizophrenia is discussed. (33 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Experience-dependent recovery of visuospatial functioning in older alcoholic persons.

Exposed 2 groups of alcoholic males to verbal and visuospatial paired-associate learning tasks known to be sensitive to alcohol dysfunction. Group 1, with 16 Ss (mean age 52.19 yrs), received 4 task administrations 3–4 days apart, beginning 4 days after drinking stopped. Group 2, with 14 Ss (mean age 49.79 yrs), received identical administration beginning 16 days after drinking stopped. An alternate form of the tasks was administered at the final session to assess transfer of training. Two matched nonalcoholic control groups of 12 Ss each (mean age 50.79 yrs) established normative performance on both forms of the tasks. Although the alcoholic Ss' verbal learning was unimpaired, visuospatial functioning was equally impaired initially in both alcoholic groups despite differing periods of abstinence, indicating the lack of time-dependent recovery. However, practice with the visuospatial task resulted in improved visuospatial performance and positive transfer of training not significantly different from normal Ss. It is suggested that since alcoholism treatment outcome is related to neuropsychological status, rehabilitation of cognitive functioning may improve treatment success. (41 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Integration of visual patterns in schizophrenics.

In an earlier study (see record 1979-26172-001), the present authors found poor prognosis schizophrenics deficient in integrating sentences into a single idea. The present study explored their ability to integrate in a less complex task that used visual patterns. 60 male psychiatric inpatients (schizophrenic or nonpsychotic) and 15 controls (mean age, approximately 32 yrs) completed the Shipley-Institute of Living Scale. They were then presented a series of letterlike forms that were transformations of each other. After initial presentation, Ss were given an incidental recognition test. All Ss remembered the stimuli in an integrated fashion. This demonstrates that schizophrenics are capable of the complex organization of disparate stimuli even when that organization is not specifically required. It is suggested that abstraction of the basic meaning of simple visual stimuli is intact in schizophrenics, but that processing of complex event information in either verbal or visual stimuli is deficient in poor prognosis schizophrenics. (49 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceptual grouping in schizophrenia: Replication of Place and Gilmore.

E. Place and G. Gilmore (see record 1980-25819-001) found that schizophrenics, unlike control Ss failed to utilize gestalt grouping principles in a task involving line counting. The present investigation was a replication of that study but with several methodological refinements, including the subtyping of schizophrenics, a fixed exposure duration of 15 msec, and analyses of both raw and arcsin transformed data. Ss were 10 paranoid schizophrenic, 10 nonparanoid schizophrenic, and 10 nonschizophrenic patients (mean age 31 yrs) and 10 normal undergraduates. The basic findings of Place and Gilmore held, and the refinements utilized made no difference. Results are discussed in terms of a 2-stage model of perceptual processing that describes normal perception in terms of an intitial global structuring of the stimulus field and a secondary local analysis. Schizophrenics appear to use the 2nd processing stage regardless of the stimulus condition. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of competing and complex responses on the reaction time of acute psychiatric groups.

Compared 8 acute nonparanoid schizophrenics to 12 depressed and 29 nonpsychotic psychiatric controls (age range = 18-41 yrs) to determine if schizophrenic deficit on 4 auditory reaction time tasks was a function of slower rate of processing information. The tasks varied along the dimensions of complexity (simple vs 2-choice) and competition (low vs high). It was hypothesized that slower processing rate implied slower reaction time on the simple tasks and greater slowing down on the complex tasks. Some Ss in each group were tested 2 times to determine the relative stability of the deficit. Essentially, for both testing sessions schizophrenics were slower than both control groups on all 4 tasks. However, they slowed down more than the nonpsychotic group only on the complex task with high competition. The depressed group, which performed like the nonpsychotic group on the 3 other tasks, also slowed down more than the nonpsychotic group on this task, but only on the 1st testing session. It is concluded that schizophrenic deficit was stable and did not arise primarily from slower rate of processing data, although interference might have augmented it. (17 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Visual pattern integration in psychiatric patients.

Tested 32 psychiatric inpatients (approximate mean age 23 yrs) with a modification of C. Eriksen and J. Collins's visual pattern integration test (1967). Ss were divided into schizophrenic and nonschizophrenic groups and were compared with 20 hospital staff and 20 college students. The visual pattern integration functions of schizophrenics were found to be different from those of college students, but no other group differences were found. Among the inpatients, no correlations were found between visual pattern integration and premorbid adjustment, symptomatology, or various clinical/demographic factors. The one group difference appears to be the result of variables such as age and task motivation. It is concluded that icon-processing abnormalities, as represented by visual pattern integration deficits, cannot account for posticonic abnormalities found in schizophrenics. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Unilateral lesions and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Revised: No sex differences.

Tested sex differences previously reported in WAIS—R scores (Verbal IQ vs Performance IQ discrepancies) in male patients with unilateral lesions by administering the WAIS—R to 31 Ss (16 males [mean age 42.6 yrs] and 15 females [mean age 38.4 yrs]) with right-hemisphere lesions and to 32 Ss (17 males [mean age 32 yrs] and 15 females [mean age 40.7 yrs]) with left hemisphere lesions. Results show that both males and females had expected discrepancies between Verbal IQ and Performance IQ. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mnemonic organization and free recall in schizophrenia.

Investigated word-storage structure and processes of organization and retrieval in 17 young schizophrenics (mean age 26.5 yrs) and 13 normal Ss (mean age 25.7 yrs). Ss were required to establish a stable organization of 25 unrelated words through repeated, self-paced sortings into self-determined categories. Subsequently, they were asked for free recall of the words. The schizophrenics required significantly more trials to complete the sorting task, but once this was achieved they recalled as many words in equally regular order as the normals did. The groups did not differ in regard to organizational structure in the sortings as assessed by hierarchical structure analysis. It is concluded that a schizophrenic deficit of mnemonic organization is indicated, possibly due to difficulties in maintaining a stable system of categories. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)