Am J Psychiatry 1981; 138:1051-1056
Copyright © 1981 by American Psychiatric Association
Information processing dysfunction in paranoid schizophrenia: a two- factor deficit
DL Braff and DP Saccuzzo
The authors investigated information processing in schizophrenia by
studying 30 paranoid schizophrenic patients and 30 depressed inpatients.
The basic methodology relied on tachistoscopic presentation of stimuli.
First, the critical stimulus duration needed for identification of a target
stimulus was determined. Second, when the target stimulus was followed by a
masking stimulus, a measure of speed of information processing was
obtained. The schizophrenic patients were imparied on input factors and
speed of processing. The authors think it is unlikely that the results were
due to medication effect or to gross psychopathology. Their discussion
centers on how this two-factor deficit in information processing may result
in cognitive disruption and how this study relates to other investigations.
