Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 17, 2025

Development of a Virtual Reality Assessment of Everyday Living Skills
Published on: April 23, 2014
Bifactor model of cognition in schizophrenia: Evidence for general and specific abilities
Megan L Becker1, Anthony O Ahmed2, Stephen D Benning1
1Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, USA.
Background:
Despite extensive study of cognition in schizophrenia, it remains unclear as to whether cognitive deficits and their latent structure are best characterized as reflecting a generalized deficit, specific deficits, or some combination of general and specific constructs.
Method:
To clarify latent structure of cognitive abilities, confirmatory factor analysis was used to examine the latent structure of cognitive data collected for the Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE) for Schizophrenia study. Baseline assessment data (n = 813) were randomly divided into calibration (n = 413) and cross-validation samples (n = 400). To examine whether generalized or specific deficit models provided better explanation of the data, we estimated first-order, hierarchical, and bifactor models.
Results:
A bifactor model with seven specific factors and one general factor provided the best fit to the data for both the calibration and cross-validation samples.
Conclusions:
These findings lend support for a replicable bifactor model of cognition in schizophrenia, characterized by both a general cognitive factor and specific domains. This suggests that cognitive deficits in schizophrenia might be best understood by separate general and specific contributions.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Negative and Cognitive Symptoms of Schizophrenia
Negative Symptoms
Negative symptoms of schizophrenia manifest as deficits in normal emotional and behavioral functioning, profoundly impacting daily life. Individuals with schizophrenia often display a flat affect, characterized by a near-total absence of emotional expression,...
Biological Causes of Schizophrenia
Genetic Factors in Schizophrenia
The genetic basis of schizophrenia is strongly supported by family and twin...
Language and Cognition
Positive Symptoms of Schizophrenia: Hallucinations and Delusions
Thought Disorders
Disorganized and unusual thought processes mark thought disorders in schizophrenia. One key feature is disorganized speech, where an individual's conversation includes...
Positive Symptoms Schizophrenia: Hallucinations and Delusions
Hallucinations
Hallucinations in...
Biological Influences on Intelligence

