Chronic schizophrenic disorder. II. Reaction time, social performance and arousal

Reaction time, set index, critical flicker frequency, two-flash threshold, a sustained performance task and psychophysiological parameters from people with chronic schizophrenic disorder (n = 14) and a control group (n = 12) were analysed to assess the association between arousal, attentional dysfunction and social dysfunction in schizophrenia. Shorter reaction time, rated ability to mime and, in the schizophrenic group, scores on Venable's ward activity scale correlated with each other. In the schizophrenic group, prolonged reaction time latency correlated positively with skin conductance level in the right hand and negatively with skin conductance variability in the left hand, the latter being in the opposite direction to that for the control group. The results may provide support for the hypothesis that lateralised cerebral dysfunction is associated with performance deficits in people with chronic schizophrenic symptoms.