Schizotypy and sustained attention: confirming evidence from an adult community sample

Sustained attention deficits represent one of the most robust findings in the study of schizophrenia and schizotypy. However, very little is known about the nature of sustained attention performance and schizotypy in the general adult population. The present study assessed sustained attention performance in a large, normative adult community sample (N = 305) with no history of psychosis using the Continuous Performance Test-identical pairs version (CPT-IP). Associations between overall CPT-IP performance and schizotypal personality disorder features, controlling for the effects of age, sex, and educational level, revealed diminished sensitivity (d', discriminability), and increased random errors were related to increased reality distortion features. These data, drawn from a general population sample, provided support for overall sustained attention deficits as an endophenotype for schizophrenia liability.