Response activation impairments in schizophrenia: evidence from the lateralized readiness potential

Previous research has demonstrated deficits in preresponse motor activity in schizophrenia, as evidenced by a reduced lateralized readiness potential (LRP). The LRP deficit could be due to increased activation of the incorrect response (e.g., failure to suppress competition) or to reduced activation of the correct response (e.g., a low-level impairment in response preparation). To distinguish these possibilities, we asked whether the LRP impairment is increased under conditions of strong response competition. We manipulated the compatibility of stimulus-response mappings (Experiment 1) and the compatibility of the target with flankers (Experiment 2). In both experiments, the patient LRP was reduced as much under conditions of low response competition as under high competition. These results are incompatible with a failure of patients to suppress competition and are instead consistent with a deficit in activating the correct response.