The investigators developed two multiple-choice vocabulary subtests in which the items of one subtest contained associates to the stimulus word as incorrect alternatives, while the items of the other subtest contained no associative distractors. Using a standardization sample of normal subjects with average and below-average IQ, the subtests were matched on coefficient alpha, mean, and variance of item difficulty and shape of the distribution of item difficulty. Chronic schizophrenics, unlike normal subjects, showed a significantly greater deficit on the with-associates subtest than on the no-associates subtest. This finding demonstrates schizophrenic heightened susceptibility to associative distraction without the possible artifact of generalized deficit coupled with differential discriminating power of tests.
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