Pragmatic Competency and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Comparative Assessment with Normal Controls

Unlike such cognitive impairments as autism and schizophrenia, the speech pattern in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has largely remained underrepresented. We examined the pragmatic competence of OCD-affected individuals under two variant modes: pragmatic recognition and pragmatic production. In the recognition phase, the informants completed a discourse completion test around two speech acts of request and apology (20 high power distance situations). The production phase was carried out through an interview during which the informants' communication behaviors were rated on the basis of the Orion's pragmatic language skills checklist (OPLS) subscales. No significant difference was observed between the normal and OCD groups in terms of pragmatic recognition. Moreover, considering the OPLS subscales, although the normal controls significantly outperformed in non-verbal communication and expressive skills, the overall pragmatic production ability of the two groups was statistically alike. The results are discussed in relation to the two competing disorders of autism and social anxiety.