Theory of mind, neurocognition, and functional status in schizotypy

• Published in: Schizophrenia research Vol. 89; no. 1; pp. 278 - 286
• Main Authors: Jahshan, Carol S, Sergi, Mark J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.01.2007; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Biological and medical sciences; Cognition; Cognition Disorders - diagnosis; Cognition Disorders - psychology; Discrimination Learning; Emotion perception; Female; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Mental Recall; Neuropsychological Tests; Pattern Recognition, Visual; Personal Construct Theory; Personality disorders; Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Schizotypal Personality Disorder - diagnosis; Schizotypal Personality Disorder - psychology; Schizotypy; Social Adjustment; Social cognition; Social functioning; Students - psychology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Theory of mind; Verbal Learning; Cognition; Theory of mind; Social functioning; Schizotypy; Emotion perception; Social cognition; Human; Affect affectivity; Emotion emotionality; Personality disorder; Schizotypal personality; Social behavior; Social interaction; Perception
• ISSN: 0920-9964; 1573-2509
• DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2006.09.004

Abstract The present study is the first to concurrently examine social cognition, neurocognition, and social functioning in psychometric schizotypes. Screening of 2108 undergraduates with the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire–Brief (SPQ-B) identified 52 persons high in schizotypy and 40 persons low in schizotypy. All participants were administered a test battery designed to assess two elements of neurocognition, verbal secondary memory (California Verbal Learning Test) and executive functioning (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test), two elements of social cognition, emotion perception (The Awareness of Social Inference Test—Part 1) and theory of mind (The Awareness of Social Inference Test—Parts 2 and 3), and social functioning (Social Adjustment Scale–Self Report). Although the persons with high schizotypy were impaired in social functioning relative to the persons with low schizotypy, they were not impaired in theory of mind, emotion perception, verbal secondary memory, or executive functioning. Theory of mind and verbal secondary memory were correlated in persons with high schizotypy. The present findings suggest that psychometric schizotypes are not impaired in the domains of social cognition and neurocognition examined.