Memorization of "unrelated" word strings by young nonpsychotic schizophrenics.

Used multiple word lists with low contextual constraints to examine nonorganizational processes or "strategies" which might be operating in single-trial free recall by schizophrenics. Ss were 20 young nonpsychotic schizophrenics and 20 normal controls. The schizophrenics, as compared to the normals, showed limited storage capacities of the primary and secondary memories, vulnerability to intrusion, slow response time, inefficiency in utilizing stimulus contiguity for organization, and consequential recall deficit. These findings, with those from previous investigations, suggest that both organizational and nonorganizational dysfunctions may underlie the schizophrenics' poor performance. The possibility that nonorganizational processes may be integral parts of mnemonic organization is discussed. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)