Reduced range of sensory sensitivity in chronic nonparanoid schizophrenics.

Used a forced-choice auditory signal-detection method to test the hypothesis that, compared to acute paranoid schizophrenics, chronic nonparanoid schizophrenics would show a restricted range of sensitivity to environmental cues. 40 male chronic nonparanoid and paranoid schizophrenics served as Ss. Ability to detect the presence of an auditory cue, while concurrently tracking a visual stimulus, was measured under 2 conditions, auditory monitoring being given primary or secondary importance. In this task, a narrowed range of sensitivity implies a greater deficit in ability to detect the auditory cue when the primary focus is placed elsewhere. This deficit was significantly greater in the chronics in both initial and replication experiments. The function of restricted sensitivity in limiting the range of both relevant and distracting stimuli that are responded to by chronic nonparanoid schizophrenics is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Broadening dual modality cue utilization in chronic nonparanoid schizophrenics.

Recent evidence suggests that chronic nonparanoid schizophrenics show a narrowed range of cue utilization, especially when cues from more than 1 sensory modality are task relevant. In the present study with 20 male nonparanoid schizophrenic inpatients, it was hypothesized that this deficit can be ameliorated. All Ss were given premeasures of narrowed cue utilization on 2 dual modality tasks. Experimental Ss were then given contingent reinforcement and feedback on 2 tasks, while controls received nonreinforced practice on 1 task and no practice on the other. The major hypothesis was supported; experimental Ss improved (i.e., broadened) significantly more than controls on both tasks. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Size estimation, perceptual recognition, and cardiac rate response in acute paranoid and nonparanoid schizophrenics.

Studied perceptual response styles of 8 paranoid and 8 nonparanoid schizophrenics in a VA hospital using size estimation and perceptual recognition tasks. Eight alcoholic patients were used as controls. Only acute, actively psychotic, unmedicated schizophrenics were included. Heart rate responses were monitored during the performance of the tasks. Psychological task performance and concomitant physiological responses were analyzed and integrated. The size estimation results replicate earlier findings. During the perceptual recognition task, the paranoid Ss showed a unique "jump to conclusions" response strategy. Early responding and response rigidity was not found to be specific to paranoid schizophrenics. All schizophrenic Ss showed more large-magnitude heart rate response during both tasks. The relationship between perceptual responses and physiological responses differed among the groups. (45 ref) (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)     

Responses to cognitive and perceptual ambiguity in chronic and acute schizophrenics.

Responses of 25 acute and 34 chronic schizophrenics to perceptual and cognitive ambiguity were compared with those of 36 normal control Ss by means of: several "decision location" series consisting of blurred photographs presented in the order of increasing clarity; a series of pictures which could be matched, at Ss' discretion, with a number of statements allegedly made by the persons pictured; a series of pictures to be similarly matched with nationality names. The chronic Ss compared to normals offered earlier recognition responses on the perceptual task and matched more items on the cognitive measures. The scores of the acute group, however, yielded uniformly negative results and were found to be intermediate in relation to those of the chronic and normal Ss. (31 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Selective attention, breadth of attention, and shifting attention in chronic nonparanoid schizophrenics

Compared the performance of 16 normals (hospital employees), 16 chronic schizophrenics, and 16 hospitalized alcoholics in a reaction time task with simultaneous presentation of 2 stimuli and the offset of 1 stimulus as the signal. The stimuli were either of 1 or 2 different modalities, and the signal was known or was not known to the Ss in advance. The data were analyzed according to 2 different models of attentional deficit in chronic nonparanoid schizophrenics. No empirical support could be found for W. E. Broen's (1973) model, which attributes the difficulties that chronic nonparanoid schizophrenics experience in tasks with stimuli of different sense modalities to narrowed attention. On the other hand, M. W, Kristofferson's (see PA, Vol 42:958) findings on slower attentional shifts in chronic schizophrenics could be replicated. As an extension of her work, it is shown that this slower shifting process is confined to cross-modal shifts—no differences being found between normals, chronic schizophrenics, and alcoholics in ipsimodal shifts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Components of processing deficit among paranoid and nonparanoid schizophrenics.

22 paranoid and nonparanoid schizophrenic inpatients were compared to 18 normals in their performance on a sentence verification task. Analysis of latency times indicated that the groups did not differ with respect to the aspect of processing involving central scanning and comparison operations. However, the paranoids were significantly slower than the normals in their overall latency times. Possible sources of this difference are discussed, and results are related to past evidence and hypotheses about central processing performance among schizophrenics. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Length of hospitalization and rate of readmission of paranoid and nonparanoid schizophrenics.

The underrepresentation of paranoids-a group that manifests less psychological deficit-in hospitalized chronic schizophrenic cohorts has been cited as a source of sampling bias in behavioral studies comparing acute and chronic schizophrenics. The sampling bias hypothesis assumes this underrepresentation to be due to the better social prognosis of paranoid patients. The present study examined hospitalization and follow-up records for 1,249 consecutive inpatient admissions. Consistent with the sampling bias assumption, paranoids were found to be hospitalized more briefly than nonparanoids and to experience fewer rehospitalizations 1, 3, and 5 yrs after discharge. As expected, the social prognosis of 1st admissions was found to be more favorable than that of readmissions, independently of paranoid symptomatology. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multivariate cognitive performance levels and response styles among paranoid and nonparanoid schizophrenics.

Examined paranoid and nonparanoid schizophrenic performance on a battery of information processing measures spanning precategorical processing, short-term memory, and long-term memory. 20 paranoid (mean age 30.9 yrs) and 20 nonparanoid (mean age 29.3 yrs) schizophrenics and 40 normals (mean age 26.69 yrs) were administered the Symptom-Sign Inventory and the Psychotic-Neurotic Discriminator Scale. Multivariate analyses of the multiple processing indexes revealed 2 performance dimensions. The 1st represented "processing efficiency" maximally separating the paranoids and nonpatients with the nonparanoids falling in between. The 2nd dimension reflected a response style of propensity toward stating the presence of stimuli or stimulus properties, with the most extreme separation occurring between the paranoids (higher propensity) and nonparanoids. Though closer to the paranoids, the nonpatients fell between the 2 schizophrenic groups. Discussion draws on the bidimensional characterization of the paranoids and nonparanoids as well as on their differential performance on individual measures. (50 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The susceptibility of chronic schizophrenics to social influence in the formation of perceptual judgments.

To test the hypothesis that the schizophrenic process may be characterized by a progressive withdrawal from contact with and hence influenced by the social environment, regressed schizophrenics, partially remitted schizophrenics, and a control group of hospitalized TB patients (all VA) were tested in the Asch (1956) conformity-to-group-judgment situation. Schizophrenics were seen to respond to social stimuli, but their responses had little apparent relationship to the physical or social reality of the situation. From Psyc Abstracts 36:02:2JQ48S. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stress responses and coping propensity among paranoid and nonparanoid, episodic, and remitted schizophrenics.

28 remitted and 28 episodic paranoid and nonparanoid schizophrenics performed a "coping task" consisting of a simple tapping response purported to affect the duration of stressing loud sounds. Cognitive appraisals of the effectiveness of the available response, and task-performance measures of propensity (vis-à-vis reticence) to engage in the response were monitored. Results indicate both paranoid and nonparanoid Ss appraised the available coping response as being less effective than did controls; behavioral measures indicated generally lower propensity to cope among the nonparanoid Ss; the paranoid Ss were similar to controls on selected coping-propensity measures. These differences remained constant across episodic and remitted stages of illness. Psychophysiological evidence of stress arousal (heart-rate acceleration) indicated elevated responsivity specifically among the episodic patients. Results were discussed in terms of current formulations concerning vulnerability to schizophrenic episodes and efforts to cope with environmental stressors. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Fluid and rigid boundaries of paranoid and nonparanoid schizophrenics on a role-playing task

The concepts of fluid and rigid boundaries were assessed in an improvisational role-playing task in an attempt to differentiate paranoid from nonparanoid schizophrenics. Thirty-one schizophrenic patients divided into paranoid, intermediate, and nonparanoid groups were given an improvisational role-playing task. The resulting scenes were analyzed by Fluid Boundary and Rigid Boundary scales, which were developed on the basis of specific aspects of the physical and verbal representations of characters, objects, and settings. The hypothesis that variations in the disruption or emphasis of representational boundaries differentiate paranoid and nonparanoid symptomatology received support. Paranoid schizophrenics scored higher on the Rigid Boundary scale, i.e erecting and/or exaggerating physical and interpersonal boundaries; and nonparanoid schizophrenics scored higher on Fluid Boundary scale, i.e. showing fused and fluid representations of characters, objects, and settings. Improvisational role-playing seems to hold promise as a medium with diagnostic value.     

Social desirability in children: An extension and replication.

Administered a children's social desirability scale (CSD) to 1008 children 7-14 yr. old. Ss' camp counselors also rated each S on friendliness, leadership, social awareness, and seeking adult and peer approval. Results supported the V.C. Crandall, V. G. Crandall, and K. Katkovsky (see 39:3) finding with respect to age and sex. Age 11 was noted to be critical because the CSD score appears to stabilize at that age which suggests that adult approval motivations correlate in Ss as young as 11. Contrary to predictions CSD was not related to the counselor's perception of Ss. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Success and preference: A replication and extension.

Results of 2 experiments with a total of 180 undergraduates indicate that preferences for less preferred tasks may be increased as a result of high success ratios in dealing with those tasks. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Transfer learning in chronic schizophrenics.

Compared reversal shift, where the assignment of stimuli to categories changed but the relevant dimension did not change, and extradimensional shift, where a different dimension was made relevant after training. 28 chronic schizophrenics were trained to the same consecutive correct response criterion in a 3-choice form or color discrimination and shifted to 1 of 4 possible transfer tasks. It was found that (a) extradimensional shift took more trials and errors to criterion than reversal shift, and (b) more perseveration as compared to other errors were made by the total sample. The need for a uniform methodology and an evaluation of S selection factors when investigating the performance of schizophrenics is discussed. (23 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Passive avoidance in psychopathic offenders: A replication and extension.

A passive avoidance task was administered to 97 Caucasian and 110 African American offenders to (a) replicate prior research demonstrating poor passive avoidance in psychopathic individuals (Ps) with low anxiety, (b) compare the effects of anxiety, neuroticism, and fear in identifying subgroups of Ps and controls who differ in passive avoidance, and (c) reevaluate the generalizability of this finding to African American offenders. Replicating past research with Caucasian offenders, low-anxious Ps committed significantly more passive avoidance efforts than low-anxious controls. Although this difference was also found in Ps and controls with low neuroticism scores, the comparison involving low-fear offenders failed to reach significance. As in past research, comparable comparisons involving African American offenders were not statistically significant. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive-behavioral classifications of chronic pain: replication and extension of empirically derived patient profiles

Many attempts have been made to classify patients with chronic pain in order to make sense of a very complex problem and to direct patients towards appropriate treatments for their condition. Unfortunately, these efforts have not been empirically based and have demonstrated limited clinical use. Predominant emphasis has been placed on either biomedical or psychopathological elements of the chronic pain experience with little integration of cognitive-behavioral factors. Turk and Rudy (1988) introduced an empirically derived pain patient taxonomy based on analyses of the Multidimensional Pain Inventory (MPI). The primary purpose of the present study was to replicate this classification system by using different measures for similar constructs in different groups of chronic pain patients. Items designed to measure 4 constructs (activity interference, emotional distress, pain intensity, and perceived support) were collected from 1594 pain patients evaluated at two separate pain treatment facilities. Confirmatory factor analytic results indicated high reliability of the items in measuring these 4 constructs. Replicated clustering techniques demonstrated the robustness of 3 patient profiles across the patient samples. The 3 clusters corresponded remarkably well to the groups initially labeled by Turk and Rudy (1988) as Dysfunctional, Interpersonally Distressed and Adaptive Copers. External validation of the classification system supported replication of the 3 groups and offered further interpretational clarity to the patient profiles. Strong evidence was found for a taxonomy of 3 chronic pain patient groups. Implication for predicting treatment outcome and for future research are discussed.     

Perceptual recognition in chronic and acute schizophrenics.

Compared schizophrenic and normal groups on their speed in recognizing the identity of pictorial stimuli which gradually came into sharper focus from an initially blurred appearance. The chronic schizophrenic group (N = 20) showed slower recognition than the acute schizophrenic (N = 20) or normal groups (N = 40), but the groups did not differ in amount of prerecognition hypotheses or time of 1st response. The differences in perceptual recognition speed seem related to certain clinical differences between the acute and chronic schizophrenic, particularly with regard to the impact of external perceptual stimuli vs. internally generated ideation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Characteristics of untestable chronic schizophrenics.

Some patients refused to be tested, and some agreed to be tested but were too confused to produce scorable answers. The untestable-refused and testable patients were seen to be more alike on demographic variables, with the untestable-confused group appearing to be made up of deteriorated patients. "The results suggest that [so-called] untestable patients do not compose a homogeneous category. Untestable patients can meaningfully be divided into at least two major subgroups according to level of ability in test performance and motivation to accept the task." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-efficacy and relapse in smoking cessation: A replication and extension.

In an effort to replicate and extend findings by M. M. Condiotte and E. Lichtenstein (see record 1982-01877-001), the relationship of a measure of self-efficacy—the Confidence Questionnaire—to posttreatment smoking status was assessed. Ss were 74 smokers (mean age 37 yrs). End-of-treatment self-efficacy scores were significantly correlated with follow-up smoking status at 3-mo and 6-mo follow-up, but not at 1 yr. When only Ss who were abstinent at termination were considered, self-efficacy still correlated significantly with 3-mo follow-up but not with 6-mo or 1-yr smoking status. Smoking during treatment was associated with lower end-of-treatment efficacy scores. (3 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)