Absolute auditory threshold and threshold of unpleasantness of chronic schizophrenic patients and normal controls.

Modified the method of average error for research in schizophrenia and used this in establishing both the absolute auditory threshold and the threshold of unpleasantness. Results show chronic schizophrenic patients had a higher absolute threshold but a lower threshold for when a tone became unpleasnatly loud. Results (a) indicate that chronic schizophrenic patients find external stimulation aversive, (b) point out the narrow range of auditory stimuli in which schizophrenics function, and (c) suggest that the same auditory stimuli cannot be considered equivalent for schizophrenic patients and normal controls. (16 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)