Distractibility in children vulnerable to psychopathology.

Abstract

Children of schizophrenics (n = 36), unipolars (« = 57), bipolars (« = 60), and normals (n = 65) were evaluated on a digit span measure of distractibility with the distraction and nondistraction conditions matched for discriminating power. Whereas there were no between-groups differences in performance in the nondistraction condition, children of schizophrenics and unipolars performed more poorly than children of normal parents in the distraction condition. Analyses of serial position curves revealed that children of schizophrenics performed more poorly on primacy as compared to recency portions of distraction trials. This finding differentiated children with a schizophrenic parent from children in each of the other groups. These results indicate that children of schizophrenics have a deficit in controlled information processing.

Positive and Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia: Attentional Performance Correlates

“…Controlled processes are pre sumed to be intentional in nature and sub served by capacity-limited mechanisms, which deems them subject to influence by the magnitude of concurrent processing de mands. Several researchers have pointed out that serial recall tasks, such as the digit-span, predominantly tap controlled processes [11,19]. Automatic processes, in contrast, can occur in the absence of conscious intention and are subserved by mechanisms that are not capacity-limited.…”

“…First, assessment of the correlation between atten tional performance and negative symptoms will further test the assumption that atten tional impairment is associated with nega tive symptoms. Second, attentional perfor mance has been hypothesized to be a marker of vulnerability to schizophrenia [24], as it is present in the schizophrenic syndrome across phases of the disorder [19,25], is medication responsive [25], and is positively associated with the frequency of psychiatric disturbance in the relatives of schizophrenic patients [33]. Thus attentional dysfunction appears to be a core deficit associated with at least some cases of schizophrenia, and it is important to know whether there are specific symptom correlates of this deficit.…”

Neurocognitive deficits in first‐episode schizophrenic patients and their first‐degree relatives

“…However, there is no consensus on whether schizophrenic patients have generalized neurocognitive deficits, or have circumscribed impairments in specific domains. A number of studies have shown that neurocognitive deficits are present both during, and after, the occurrence of psychotic symptoms [Harvey et al, 1981[Harvey et al, , 1990aNuechterlein, 1986;Baxter and Liddle, 1998]. Indeed, there is evidence from birth cohort [Jones et al, 1994;Cannon et al, 2002] and high-risk studies [Cornblatt et al, 1999] that some neuropsychological deficits are present in childhood long before the onset of frank psychosis.…”

Kinder depressiver und psychiatrisch unauffälliger Eltern in der Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie - eine vergleichende Studie

“…Sie lassen sich folgendermaßen zusammenfassen (vgl. auch Hammen et al, 1990;Harvey et al, 1981;Keller et al, 1986;Müllenmeister, 1995;Remschmidt u. Mattejat, 1994) Hammen et al, 1990, Harvey et al, 1981, Keller et al, 1986. Der Erkrankungsgrad der Eltern lässt sich nach Keller et al (1986) ermitteln über: (1) Anzahl der depressiven Episoden, (2) Anzahl der Behandlungen, (Remschmidt u. Schmidt, 1994), eine Screeningversion der psychopathologischen Befunddokumentation ("PSYBES", Döpfner et al, 1991) und eine neu entwickelte Leistungsdokumentation.…”