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)     

Eye tracking in patients with unipolar and bipolar affective disorders in remission.

Examined patients (20–66 yrs old) with a history of recurrent affective disorder on a variety of smooth-pursuit and saccadic eye-tracking tasks and on psychomotor analogs of these tasks. The 25 unipolar and 24 bipolar Ss were compared to 24 schizophrenics; all Ss were in remission. Results indicate that the performance of the 2 affective-disorder groups was not significantly different from that of the controls on any of these tasks. Smooth-pursuit tracking error was greater for Ss receiving Li and for those with a higher frequency of prior episodes of the disorder. When the pursuit eye movements of these Ss were compared to those of the schizophrenics, the latter produced more tracking error than both affective-disorder groups but significantly so only with respect to unipolar Ss. Although findings are consistent with the interpretation that tracking dysfunction is not a trait characteristic of affective disorders, further investigations contrasting remitted patients with bipolar and schizophrenic disorders are needed to determine the specificity of deviant tracking to schizophrenia. (38 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Schizophrenic response to affectivity in word definition.

120 drug-free schizophrenics and 167 nonpsychotic Ss were given affect-laden and affectively neutral free-response vocabulary items. The 2 subtests were matched on psychometric characteristics that affect the power of the subtest to discriminate among ability levels of nonpsychotic Ss. These characteristics (coefficient alpha, mean and standard deviation of test score, standard deviation of item difficulty, and shape of the distribution of item difficulty) were matched using nonpsychotic Ss with the same sum of the subtest scores as the schizophrenics. Both chronic and newly admitted schizophrenics were no less accurate on the affective subtest than on the neutral subtest. It is concluded that most published findings on schizohprenic response to affective stimuli appear to be artifacts of unmatched tests. (33 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)     

Emotional experience and expression in schizophrenia and depression.

Examined the emotional responses of schizophrenic, depressed, and normal Ss and whether differences in the emotional responding of these groups depended on how emotional responses were elicited or measured. 23 blunted and 20 nonblunted schizophrenics, 17 unipolar depressed Ss, and 20 normal Ss were exposed to a series of affect-eliciting stimuli. The stimuli varied in valence (positive vs negative) and in level of cognitive demand. Ss reported their subjective experiences, and their facial expressions were videotaped. Blunted schizophrenics were the least facially expressive, although their reported subjective experiences did not differ from those of the other groups. The nonblunted schizophrenics were more responsive than the depressed Ss to the positive stimuli, although the 2 groups did not differ in their clinical ratings of affective flatness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Electrodermal activity in euthymic patients with affective disorders: One-year retest stability and the effects of stimulus intensity and significance.

Examined the effects of stimulus intensity and meaningfulness on the electrodermal activity (EDA) of patients with remitted major affective disorders in 22 unipolar (mean age 41 yrs), 22 bipolar (mean age 38.5 yrs), and 26 normal control (mean age 41.5 yrs) Ss. 29 of the affective disorder patients and 23 of the control Ss participated in a study of EDA conducted 1 yr earlier by the 1st author and colleagues (1983). Ss blew up a balloon until it burst and were exposed to 8 86-db tones, 12 105-db tones and 8 familiar sounds that reached a peak intensity of 105 db. Skin conductance was recorded bilaterally and averaged over hands. Results indicate that, compared to the control Ss, the affective disorder patients responded significantly less to the balloon task, the 105-db tones, and the familiar sounds. The affective-disorder groups had lower tonic levels than did the controls. Several measures of EDA displayed moderately high 1-yr retest stability. The pattern of findings is consistent with the hypothesis that depressed EDA may be a trait characterizing those who are prone to major affective disorder. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Schizophrenic memory-search performance involving nonverbal stimulus properties.

Investigated schizophrenic memory-search performance by conducting a memory-search choice-reaction-time (CRT) task involving nonverbal stimulus properties (real-life sizes of items). Procedures were designed to diminish ambiguities concerning previous evidence of possible schizophrenic impairment in scanning and comparison operations involving memory-held items. Ss (aged 18–60 yrs) were 20 paranoid and 20 nonparanoid schizophrenics, 20 psychiatric controls, and 20 normal Ss. Results indicate that scanning and comparison operations proceeded at comparable rates among the schizophrenics and controls. On the other hand, rates of encoding the presented stimulation for a given trial (the trial's probe item) into a task-facilitative format proceeded at a slower rate among the paranoid Ss in particular. Discussion focuses on specific memory-search CRT paradigmatic conditions in which intact speed of memorial item comparisons tended to be most evident among these patients. Results resemble earlier observations of the present 2nd author (see record 1978-31872-001) on memory-search CRT performance among paranoid and nonparanoid schizophrenics when probe stimulation has remained in view throughout each trial. (38 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Formal operations in reactive and process schizophrenics.

Administered E. S. Lunzer's Analogies Test (tapping formal operations) to 40 male process schizophrenics, 15 reactive schizophrenics, and 14 normal controls in a test of the hypothesis that reactive Ss demonstrate more formal operational capacities than process Ss and that normal Ss perform better than both schizophrenic groups. In selecting Ss, an attempt was made to control for age, sex, race, education, length of hospitalization, incidence of addiction problems, number of ECS treatments, and incidence of organic brain pathology. Analyses of variance and covariance supported the basic hypothesis even when differences in general vocabulary level were controlled. Piaget's theory is discussed as providing an explanatory framework for pathological as well as normal cognitive processes. (20 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Schizophrenic cognitive deficit as a function of scoring standards.

Describes 3 experiments in which the responses of normal Ss (mostly prison inmates and firefighters) and of schizophrenics to the Stanford Binet Test Vocabulary items, the WAIS Vocabulary items, and the WAIS Similarities items were scored by 2 methods, one relatively strict and the other relatively lenient. Subtests of strictly and leniently scored items from each of the 3 sources were matched for normal Ss on psychometric characteristics that determine power of the test to distinguish the more able from the less able Ss. A greater deficit on the strictly scored than on the leniently scored items was found for chronic schizophrenics on the Stanford-Binet Vocabulary, for newly admitted schizophrenics but not for chronic schizophrenics on the WAIS Vocabulary, and for neither group on the WAIS Similarities. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Serial recall by schizophrenic and affective patients during and after psychotic episodes.

Eight schizophrenics (mean age 27.3 yrs), 8 depressed patients (mean age 33.1 yrs), and 8 normal controls (mean age 27 yrs) completed the MMPI and were asked to recall short word strings in both the presence and absence of distraction. Results show a differential cognitive deficit among schizophrenics both before and after a general improvement in their level of adjustment. That is, despite an overall improvement in their accuracy of recall prior to discharge, their performance continued to be impaired relative to depressed and normal Ss on the words presented in the 1st serial position. A tendency toward greater distractibility among schizophrenics failed to reach statistical significance at both points of assessment. Further substantiation of such stable forms of cognitive impairment may facilitate the identification of individuals who are vulnerable to the development of schizophrenia and may shed light on the adjustment problems that many chronic patients continue to experience after discharge from the hospital. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Identifying schizoid-taxon membership with the Golden-Meehl MMPI items.

Seven MMPI items proposed by R. R. Golden and P. E. Meehl (see record 1979-25088-001) as markers for the schizoid taxon were investigated in a sample of 383 randomly selected psychiatric inpatients assigned to 1 of 8 groups according to the number of items they endorsed (0–7). Ss were then divided into 4 diagnostic groups: schizophrenia, major affective disorder, nonpsychotic, and a residual group. ANOVA revealed overall significant differences among the 4 diagnostic groups, with a posteriori comparisons showing a higher endorsement rate for the nonpsychotics than for the schizophrenics. Further examination of these items, both individually and as a set, and an alternative indicator for the schizoid taxon proposed by Golden and Meehl found schizophrenics to be consistently underidentified as schizoid-taxon members relative to the number of nonpsychotics so identified and to base rates, regardless of the cutting score used. More conventional procedures for selecting inventory items sensitive to taxon variances are recommended. (4 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relationship of biased test responses to psychopathology.

Groups of Ss differing in personality factors are given the Perceptual Reaction Test, a test which requires only an affective response to abstract designs, to determine if there is a difference in response set characteristic of personality. Scale development and validation employs 1,700 normal persons and 546 psychiatric patients and the reliability study utilizes an additional 159 persons. "Differences in response set were discovered between the groups from the general population and such clinical groups as heterogeneous abnormals, psychotics, and schizophrenics for both males and females. For males alone, differences in the response set were discovered between normals, and a group of males suffering from character disorders, and between male psychotics and males with character disorders." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationships between memories of their parents' behavior and psychodiagnosis in psychiatrically disturbed soldiers.

Presence or absence of psychopathology and psychodiagnosis were investigated in their relationships to adult Ss' memories of their parents' child-rearing behavior on Schaefer's Report of Parent Behavior Inventory (RPBI). Ss were 80 neuropsychiatric soldier patients (24 schizophrenics, 20 neurotics, 36 character and behavior disorders) and 117 normal Ss. Normal Ss did not remember their mothers significantly differently than did neuropsychiatric Ss, but did remember their fathers to have been relatively more supportive, giving, and encouraging of intellectual and social growth than neuropsychiatric patients remembered their fathers as having been. Within the neuropsychiatric sample, neurotics remembered their parents' behavior more favorably than did character and behavior disorders or schizophrenics. (15 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Associative intrusions in schizophrenic verbal behavior.

Developed 2 multiple-choice vocabulary subtests in which the items of 1 subtest contained associates to the stimulus word as incorrect alternatives, while the items of the other subtest contained no associative distractors. Using a standardization sample of normal Ss (65 firemen with average IQ and 27 prison inmates with below-average IQ), the subtests were matched on coefficient alpha, mean, variance of item difficulty, and shape of the distribution of item difficulty. The subtests were then given to 42 chronic schizophrenics. Results reveal that schizophrenics, unlike normal Ss, showed a significantly greater deficit on the with-associates subtest than on the no-associates subtest. This finding demonstrates heightened susceptibility to associative distraction in schizophrenia, without the possible artifact of generalized deficit coupled with differential discriminating power of tests. (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)     

Effects of social deprivation and satiation on the reinforcing properties of social stimulation in chronic male hospitalized schizophrenics.

Hypothesized that (a) pre-experimental social deprivation will lead to an increase in the reinforcing properties of social stimulation, and (b) pre-experimental social satiation will lead to a decrease in the reinforcing properties of social stimulation. Ss were 16 chronic male 38-59 yr old schizophrenics. Ss in the social deprivation groups were isolated for 45 min before they were given a simple marble-dropping task. Ss in the social satiation groups received a 10-min undemanding conversation with E before each experimental session. Social contact with E was significantly more often sought than avoided following 45 min of social deprivation, whereas social contact was avoided significantly more often following 10 min of social satiation. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of prior experimenter-subject relationships on reinforced reaction time of schizophrenics and normals.

The hypothesis was tested that deficits in schizophrenics' responses to positive social reinforcers would be reduced if reinforcers were delivered by an E who had first related to the Ss in a warm and accepting manner. Reaction times of 39 chronic schizophrenics and 39 normal adults were tested without and with reinforcement after exposure to 1 of 3 conditions of contact with E: (a) no contact, (b) contact with an unresponsive and aloof E, and (c) contact with a warm and accepting E. Schizophrenics had slowest reaction times after c. Normals had slowest reaction times after c until reinforced; on reinforced trials there were no differences between conditions for normal Ss. The results indicate that chronic schizophrenics can be motivated to gain approval but that such motivation in schizophrenics is more dependent upon immediate social circumstances than it is in normal adults. (29 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cyclothymia in the adolescent offspring of parents with bipolar affective disorder.

Explored the prevalence and types of psychopathology exhibited by the adolescent and young adult offspring (n?=?37, aged 15–21 yrs) of 24 patients (mean age 48.4 yrs) with bipolar affective disorder and by the age-matched offspring (n?=?22) of 14 patients (mean age 46.7 yrs) with nonaffective psychiatric disorders. It was hypothesized that the offspring of bipolar Ss would be characterized by an increased rate of cyclothymia. Offspring received structured diagnostic interviews conducted by interviewers unaware of parental diagnosis. Anonymous diagnoses were derived based on Research Diagnostic Criteria. It was found that the offspring of bipolar Ss exhibited significantly higher rates of affective disorder in general and cyclothymia in particular than the offspring of the nonaffective controls, a finding concordant with the proposed hypothesis. The offspring groups did not differ on rates of nonaffective disorders. Results support a continuum model of bipolar disorder in which cyclothymia is viewed as a mild form of full syndromal bipolar illness. (84 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Selective attention in schizophrenic and manic psychoses: The effect of distraction on information processing.

Attempted to identify the general level of cognitive processing that is especially vulnerable to distraction in schizophrenia. The extent and nature of distraction were compared in 12 schizophrenic patients (mean age, 27.8 yrs), 12 manic patients (mean age, 28.2 yrs), and 12 controls (mean age, 26.7 yrs) using neutral and distractor word-span tests. Also, all patients were evaluated by the Nurse's Observation Scale for Inpatient Evaluation, and 10, 11, and 12 controls, schizophrenics, and manics, respectively, completed the MMPI. On one set of tests, serial position curves indicated that in the presence of distraction the overall deterioration in schizophrenics' performance reflected their tendency to forget early, and not late, items in the lists. On a 2nd set of tests, both schizophrenics and manics were abnormally distracted, regardless of the speed of presentation. Although the controls were also somewhat distracted by irrelevant words, their impairment was significantly diminished at slower rates of presentation. With distraction, schizophrenics and manics were less able to use the extra time in slow presentations for active mental operations such as rehearsal. Both groups made more intrusive errors than normal Ss. Results indicate that distraction interferes with schizophrenics' and manics' information processing at some level beyond the comparatively passive stages of recognition and sensory storage. Problems in selective attention seem to be more closely related to thought disorder than to diagnostic categories. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)