Evidence for impaired visual context processing in schizotypy with thought disorder

• Published in: Schizophrenia research Vol. 68; no. 2; pp. 249 - 260
• Main Authors: Uhlhaas, Peter J., Silverstein, Steven M., Phillips, William A., Lovell, Paul G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01-06-2004; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Biological and medical sciences; Cognition Disorders - diagnosis; Cognition Disorders - psychology; Cognitive coordination; Concept Formation; Female; Form Perception; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Models, Psychological; Neuropsychological Tests; Perceptual organization; Personality disorders; Personality Inventory; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychomotor Performance; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Schizophrenia; Schizophrenia - diagnosis; Schizophrenic Psychology; Schizotypal Personality Disorder - diagnosis; Schizotypal Personality Disorder - psychology; Schizotypy; Size Perception; Surveys and Questionnaires; Thought disorder; Visual context; Visual Perception; Schizophrenia; Perceptual organization; Thought disorder; Cognitive coordination; Schizotypy; Visual context; Context; Human; Prevalence; Cognition; Experimental study; Personality disorder; Psychosis; Symptomatology; Schizotypal personality; Vision; Risk factor; Information processing; Perception; Neuropsychologia; Comparative study; Visual task
• ISSN: 0920-9964; 1573-2509
• DOI: 10.1016/S0920-9964(03)00184-1

Visual context processing was examined in relation to schizotypy in a large nonclinical university population. Schizotypal status was assessed with the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) [Schizophr. Bull. 17 (1991) 555]. Schizotypal (
n=32) and non-schizotypal (
n=37) subjects were tested on a contour integration task (where context processing is necessary for good performance) and a visual size perception task (where context processing impairs accurate performance). In addition, a short form of the Thought Disorder Index (TDI) [Psychol. Assess. 5 (1993) 75] was administered to 28 schizotypal subjects. Thought disordered schizotypal subjects showed significantly impaired performance on the contour integration task but more accurate performance on the visual size perception task. These results support the hypothesis that deficits in visual context processing are the manifestation of a larger disturbance of cognitive coordination in schizotypy and schizophrenia.