Effects of interval duration on temporal processing in schizophrenia

INTRODUCTION: Temporal processing has received scant attention in the literature pertaining to cognitive deficits in patients with schizophrenia. Previous research suggests that patients with schizophrenia exhibit temporal perception deficits on both auditory and visual stimuli. The current study investigated the effects of interval manipulation to (1) replicate the original findings with a larger sample and an increased number of trials (2) assess the degree to which both patients and controls can differentiate temporal changes in a range of experimental interstimulus intervals, and (3) explore whether different interstimulus interval durations pose different levels of difficulty for the patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: Participants were asked to decide whether temporal intervals were shorter or longer than standard intervals on a computer-based auditory temporal perception task. The standard interval remained the same duration throughout the various tasks. The interstimulus interval separating the standard and experimental intervals varied in the range of 500, 1000, or 3000 ms. Data are presented for a sample of 16 patients with schizophrenia and 15 controls. RESULTS: Data suggest that patients with schizophrenia exhibit deficits in differentiating interval durations across all paradigms compared to their control-group peers on a range of auditory tasks (p<.001). CONCLUSIONS: These results are consistent with a general temporal deficit in schizophrenia. However, the roles of medication and localization are also addressed.     

Use of the abikoff classroom observation coding system on a children's inpatient psychiatric unit

The Abikoff systematic observation coding system (Abikoff, Gittelman-Klein, & Klein, 1977) has received considerable attention in the literature for assessing disruptive and off-task classroom behavior. However, its use has been restricted to regular classrooms with clinic outpatients. The present study investigated the reliability and validity of this code when used in a classroom setting with children hospitalized on an inpatient psychiatric unit. Results demonstrated excellent reliability and acceptable concurrent and discriminant validity of the code when used in an inpatient setting, although data were equivocal regarding the ability of the code to discriminate medication status within subjects.We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Nicholas lalongo and an anonymous reviewer for their helpful comments on a draft of this article.     

Mysticism and schizophrenia: A phenomenological exploration of the structure of consciousness in the schizophrenia spectrum disorders

Mysticism and schizophrenia are different categories of human existence and experience. Nonetheless, they exhibit important phenomenological affinities, which, however, remain largely unaddressed. In this study, we explore structural analogies between key features of mysticism and major clinical-phenomenological aspects of the schizophrenia spectrum disorders—i.e. attitudes, the nature of experience, and the ‘other’, mystical or psychotic reality. Not only do these features gravitate around the issue of the basic dimensions of consciousness, they crucially seem to implicate and presuppose a specific alteration of the very structure of consciousness. This finding has bearings for the understanding of consciousness and its psychopathological distortions.     

When one’s sense of agency goes wrong: Absent modulation of time perception by voluntary actions and reduction of perceived length of intervals in passivity symptoms in schizophrenia

Passivity symptoms in schizophrenia are characterised by an absence of agency for actions, thoughts and other somatic experiences. Time perception and intentional binding have both been linked to agency and schizophrenia but have not been examined in passivity symptoms. Time perception and intentional binding were assessed in people with schizophrenia (n = 15 with, n = 24 without passivity symptoms) and 43 healthy controls using an interval estimation procedure (200, 400 and 600 ms intervals) with active, passive and observed movements. People with passivity symptoms did not display action-modulation of time perception, while those without passivity symptoms estimated intervals to be the same after active and observed movements. Additionally, both clinical samples reported intervals to be shorter with increasing interval length. We propose that impaired predictive processes may produce an overreliance on external cues and, together with shorter perceived intervals, lead to the subjective loss of agency.     

Emotion in Schizophrenia: Old Mystery, New Understanding

Early theories of schizophrenia emphasized emotional features, yet empirical research into the nature of emotion in schizophrenia has only recently been conducted. Drawing from the paradigms developed by emotion researchers and theorists, a number of replicable findings on emotion in schizophrenia have now emerged. Compared with nonpatients, schizophrenia patients exhibit very few outward displays of emotion, yet they exhibit subtle, microexpressive displays. Schizophrenia patients report experiencing strong emotions in response to emotional material, yet they do not often report experiencing strong pleasant emotions in daily living. These emotion disturbances have important social and intervention implications, and they point to a number of important directions for research.     

人类自我意识的多重起源：兼论精神分裂症的进化论解释

将ＰｏｗｖｉｎｅｌｌｉａｎｄＣａｎｔ提出的栖处降服假说推广以生态位－亚生态位中的维数－参量之间的更一般的互相降服情景,提出了人类的自我意识的多重起源的假设及对精神分裂症作出了进化方面的解释,最后对意识起源之谜进行了探讨和推测：意识具有精炼信息的功能。     

Overt and covert antisocial behavior: Child and family characteristics among psychiatric inpatient children

The present study examined child and family characteristics associated with overt and covert antisocial child behaviors. Child psychiatric inpatients (N=258, ages 6–13) were identified as high in overt and/or covert antisocial behaviors (e.g., aggression and stealing, respectively) based on a structured parent interview measuring antisocial behavior. Children were classified into four groups derived from the factorial combination of level of overt (high vs. low) and covert (high vs. low) antisocial behaviors. Analyses were made of the children's reactions to hostile and anger-provoking situations, deviant and prosocial child behaviors at home and at school, and family structure and organization. Children higher in overt antisocial behaviors were more negative, resentful, and irritable in their reactions to hostile situations and more aggressive at school. They came from families with significantly greater conflict and less independence among family members. Children higher in covert antisocial behavior participated in fewer social activities and were higher in anxiety; their families showed significantly lower family cohesion and organization and less of an emphasis on moral-religious values. The results suggest reliable differences in child and family functioning as a function of patterns of overt and covert antisocial behavior.     

Changes in behavioral problems and prosocial functioning in child treatment

Decreasing emotional and behavioral problems and increasing prosocial functioning are two ares of interest in child treatment. The present study examined the extent to which changes in deviant behavior were associated with changes in prosocial functioning. Three separate samples of children (N = 393, ages 6–13) referred to inpatient or outpatient services were evaluated by parents and teachers on three separate assessment occasions spanning 1–2 years. The major findings indicated that behavioral problems and prosocial functioning and changes in behavioral problems and prosocial functioning over time showed low to moderate negative correlations for parent and teacher evaluations. These relations were consistent across separate time periods, samples of children, and parent and teacher ratings. The magnitude of the correlations between behavioral problems and prosocial functioning indicated that these domains are related but represent relatively independent spheres of child functioning. The importance of assessing both domains of functioning in evaluating children and treatment outcome is discussed.     

Memory in schizophrenia and affective disorders*

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the stability of memory and information processing in schizophrenics and affectively disturbed patients. Twenty-two schizophrenics, eight affectives and 14 normal controls were tested twice, with an interval of approximately one year. Results showed that normals performed better than schizophrenics and affectively disturbed patients on almost all of the cognitive measures. The differences reached a level of significance on a reaction time test, a vigilance task and a long-term memory task. The only measure where the difference did not reach a level of significance was on a short-term memory test. Groups' performance to some extent changed over time on most of the measures, but the changes were not significantly different for different groups.