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Studies of Thought Disorder in Schizophrenia: I. Chapman’s Tests of Distractibility and Associative Intrusion in Schizophrenia and Organic Brain Disease

Studies of Thought Disorder in Schizophrenia: I. Chapman’s Tests of Distractibility and... Abstract Investigations of performance on cognitive tasks usually result in the findings that normal subjects achieve the highest mean scores, schizophrenic subjects are intermediate, and subjects with organic brain disease perform most poorly. The range of performance of schizophrenic patients is usually quite broad, overlapping with that of good normal subjects, at one extreme, and with that of poor-performing patients with organic disease, at the other. However, the pattern of error scores of the schizophrenic subjects does not distinguish their performance from that of these other clinical groups. It seems likely, therefore, that such data reflect only nonspecific impairment of cognitive function. The degree of such impairment is usually less in randomly chosen groups of schizophrenic subjects than that found in similarly chosen groups of patients with organic brain disease.* Since cognition in these patient groups grossly differs in many respects, one must conclude References 1. Distractibility and associative intrusion are operationally defined by the tests used (see below). It will be obvious that these tasks are quite complex and that they require the integration of several cognitive operations. 2. The three-year duration is singled out for special attention because it appears to furnish the best statistical criterion of chronicity.6 Patients continuously hospitalized for longer than three years have a markedly reduced probability of discharge. 3. This medication consisted of varying dosages of phenothiazine derivatives and/or meprobamate; anticholinergic substances were frequently added to control symptoms of Parkinsonism. 4. We are indebted to Dr. L. J. Champman for loan of these materials. 5. Cameron, N. A., and Margaret, A.: Behavior Pathology , Boston, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1951, pp. 449, 518. 6. Chapman, L. J.: The Role of Type of Distracter in the “Concrete” Conceptual Performance of Schizophrenics , J. Person. 25:130-141, 1956.Crossref 7. Chapman, L. J.: Intrusion of Associative Responses into the Schizophrenic Conceptual Performance , J. Abnorm. & Social Psychol. 56:374-379, 1958. 8. Lassen, N. A.; Feinberg, I., and Lane, M.: Bilateral Studies of Cerebral Oxygen Uptake in Young and Aged Normal Subjects and in Patients with Organic Dementia, J. Clin. Invest., to be published. 9. Kruskal, W. H., and Wallis, W. A.: Use of Ranks in One-Criterion Variance Analysis , J. Am. Statist. A. 47:583-621, 1952. 10. Drasgow, J. A.: Criterion for Chronicity in Schizophrenia , Psychiat. Quart. 31:454-457, 1947. 11. Feinberg, I., and Garman, E. M.: In preparation. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png A.M.A. Archives of General Psychiatry American Medical Association

Studies of Thought Disorder in Schizophrenia: I. Chapman’s Tests of Distractibility and Associative Intrusion in Schizophrenia and Organic Brain Disease

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References (5)

Publisher
American Medical Association
Copyright
Copyright © 1960 American Medical Association. All Rights Reserved.
ISSN
0375-8532
DOI
10.1001/archpsyc.1960.03590110028003
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Abstract Investigations of performance on cognitive tasks usually result in the findings that normal subjects achieve the highest mean scores, schizophrenic subjects are intermediate, and subjects with organic brain disease perform most poorly. The range of performance of schizophrenic patients is usually quite broad, overlapping with that of good normal subjects, at one extreme, and with that of poor-performing patients with organic disease, at the other. However, the pattern of error scores of the schizophrenic subjects does not distinguish their performance from that of these other clinical groups. It seems likely, therefore, that such data reflect only nonspecific impairment of cognitive function. The degree of such impairment is usually less in randomly chosen groups of schizophrenic subjects than that found in similarly chosen groups of patients with organic brain disease.* Since cognition in these patient groups grossly differs in many respects, one must conclude References 1. Distractibility and associative intrusion are operationally defined by the tests used (see below). It will be obvious that these tasks are quite complex and that they require the integration of several cognitive operations. 2. The three-year duration is singled out for special attention because it appears to furnish the best statistical criterion of chronicity.6 Patients continuously hospitalized for longer than three years have a markedly reduced probability of discharge. 3. This medication consisted of varying dosages of phenothiazine derivatives and/or meprobamate; anticholinergic substances were frequently added to control symptoms of Parkinsonism. 4. We are indebted to Dr. L. J. Champman for loan of these materials. 5. Cameron, N. A., and Margaret, A.: Behavior Pathology , Boston, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1951, pp. 449, 518. 6. Chapman, L. J.: The Role of Type of Distracter in the “Concrete” Conceptual Performance of Schizophrenics , J. Person. 25:130-141, 1956.Crossref 7. Chapman, L. J.: Intrusion of Associative Responses into the Schizophrenic Conceptual Performance , J. Abnorm. & Social Psychol. 56:374-379, 1958. 8. Lassen, N. A.; Feinberg, I., and Lane, M.: Bilateral Studies of Cerebral Oxygen Uptake in Young and Aged Normal Subjects and in Patients with Organic Dementia, J. Clin. Invest., to be published. 9. Kruskal, W. H., and Wallis, W. A.: Use of Ranks in One-Criterion Variance Analysis , J. Am. Statist. A. 47:583-621, 1952. 10. Drasgow, J. A.: Criterion for Chronicity in Schizophrenia , Psychiat. Quart. 31:454-457, 1947. 11. Feinberg, I., and Garman, E. M.: In preparation.

Journal

A.M.A. Archives of General PsychiatryAmerican Medical Association

Published: May 1, 1960

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