Examining the Chapman and Chapman theory of schizophrenia through continuous word association with two nosological...

Examined the Chapman and Chapman (1973) theory of excessive yielding to normal response biases in schizophrenia by using the technique of continuous word association. The word association stimulus list included items with single and multiple meanings (homographs) in order to investigate differential response characteristics between single- and multiple-meaning items and the relative neglect of nondominant meaning responses. Several word association variables were examined, including logical relatedness, reaction time, and response productivity. Further, two discrete samples were studied: A DSM-II-diagnosed sample of schizophrenic and non-schizophrenic Ss (N = 61) and a sample (N = 60) diagnosed according to the more contemporary Research Diagnostic Criteria of Spitzer, Endicott, and Robins (1978) with schizophrenic, manic, and schizoaffective disorder diagnoses. Results were not in accord with predictions derived from the Chapmans' theory using either diagnostic approach.