[Frequency analysis of verbal associations obtained from schizophrenics and normals. Formal study]

An association experiment was conducted in a group of schizophrenic people and in a group of sane ones. Words varied as to their emotional shade were given as the stimuli. There were 4 words emotionally neutral, 4 words with a positive emotional shade, 4 words with a negative one and 4 words with an aggressive one. The hierarchies obtained in the group of the insane people had a smaller range: the "frequent" responses were more rare here and the "rare" ones more frequent; the strength of the dominating response was also reduced. All these characteristics were clearer in the relation to the emotionally shaded stimuli, especially the aggressive ones. The views of Broen and Storms as well as Mednick and Osgood were corroborated here.