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Working memory, attention, and communication disturbances in schizophrenia
N M Docherty1, K A Hawkins, R E Hoffman
1Department of Psychology, Kent State University, Ohio 44242, USA.
Journal of Abnormal Psychology
|May 1, 1996
Summary
Schizophrenic communication issues are linked to working memory and attention deficits. In contrast, bipolar disorder and controls show links between communication and concept formation or verbal fluency.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive psychology
- Psychiatry
- Linguistics
Background:
- Communication disturbances are a hallmark of schizophrenia.
- Previous research suggests cognitive deficits underlie these disturbances, but specific links remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the cognitive correlates of communication disturbances in schizophrenia.
- To differentiate these correlates from those in bipolar disorder and healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- Assessed linguistic reference performance in individuals with schizophrenia (n=48), bipolar disorder (n=24), and controls (n=23).
- Correlated reference performance with scores on working memory, attention, concept formation, and verbal fluency tests.
Main Results:
- Schizophrenia: Reference performance correlated with working memory and attention, but not concept formation or verbal fluency.
- Bipolar disorder and controls: Reference performance correlated with concept formation and verbal fluency, but not working memory.
Conclusions:
- Schizophrenic communication deficits are specifically associated with working memory and attention impairments.
- These findings suggest distinct cognitive underpinnings for communication disturbances across different psychiatric conditions.