[Cognitive style of schizophrenic patients: ambiguity avoidance and decreased abstract thinking]

The hypothesis of specific cognitive dynamics in schizophrenics is derived and tested in this study. This cognitive style should be characterized by a reduction of cognitive ambiguity and could be demonstrated in borderline patients in a previous study. This hypothesis is tested by applying Ertel's (1972) DOTA-dictionary to responses of 25 acute and 25 chronic schizophrenics in the Holtzman Inkblot Technique. Furthermore the level of abstractness of the responses is investigated with the method of Günther and Groeben (1978). According to the results both groups of schizophrenics had a significantly higher "Dogmatismus-Quotient" (Ertel, 1972) than a sample of neurotics, but did not differ from borderline patients. Both acute and chronic schizophrenics used significantly less abstract nouns than borderline patients and neurotics. In contrast to borderline patients the reduction of cognitive ambiguity in schizophrenics is not connected with strong affects of anxiety and hostility.