Category fluency in psychometric schizotypy: how altering emotional valence and cognitive load affects performance

In clinical high-risk populations, category fluency deficits are associated with conversion to psychosis. However, their utility as clinical risk markers is unclear in psychometric schizotypy, a group experiencing schizophrenia-like traits that is at putative high risk for psychosis.

We examined whether introducing affective or cognitive load, two important stress vulnerability markers, altered category fluency performance in schizotypy (n = 42) and non-schizotypy (n = 38) groups. To investigate this question, we developed an experimental paradigm where all participants were administered category fluency tests across baseline, pleasant valence, unpleasant valence, and cognitive load conditions.

Compared to the non-schizotypy group, those with schizotypy performed significantly worse in pleasant and unpleasant valence conditions, but not cognitive load or baseline fluency tests.

This study demonstrated the role of affect - but not cognitive load - on category fluency in psychometric schizotypy, as group differences only emerged once affective load was introduced. One explanation for this finding is that semantic memory may be unimpaired under normal conditions in psychometric schizotypy, but may be compromised once affective load is presented. Future studies should examine whether fluency deficits - particularly when affect is induced - predict future conversion to psychosis in psychometric schizotypy cohorts.