Perceptual‐Motor Disorders in Chronic Schizophrenia

Abstract

An assessment of chronic schizophrenics suggested that some showed marked perceptualmotor disturbances and others did not. Two extreme groups of twelve each were taken from those assessed and investigated experimentally in a series of every-day perceptualmotor tasks. Performance was analysed in terms of nineteen basic disorders which are listed. The two groups differed strongly in the extent to which they manifested these and the difference was stable over a short period. The contrast is unrelated to general neuropsychiatric status, social variables and differential aptitudes. The resemblance of the disorders to perceptual-motor disorders produced by certain drugs and by anoxia is noted and it is suggested that the basis of the contrast is biochemical and related to the fundamental aetiology of the schizophrenic illnesses. I . AIM OF INQUIRYThis investigation took its point of departure from an assessment of impairments in specific habits carried out on seventy severely deteriorated schizophrenics of both sexes undergoing treatment in a rehabilitation unit. The assessment among other data suggested that some of the patients showed marked perceptual-motor impairments while others, indistinguishable in regard to general neuropsychiatric status, showed little of such impairments. The primary aim of the investigation was to confirm that such a contrast in regard to perceptual-motor behaviour existed among the chronic schizophrenics and was stable on different occasions. Secondary aims were to confirm that the contrast was unrelated to general neuropsychiatric status and to attempt to relate it to variations in social data and performance on psychological tests. METHOD (a) SubjectsThe Ss of the investigation comprised an ineficient group of twelve whom the original assessment indicated to be highly impaired in perceptual-motor activities and an eficient group of twelve whom it indicated to be relatively unimpaired. The intention was to constitute the inefficient group of the six most impaired, and the efficient group of the six least impaired, in each sex. It was known from the assessment that the women in each group were likely to be less impaired than the men. The groups were constituted as intended except that one man had to be omitted from the inefficient group and three from the efficient group on grounds of probable uncooperativeness, the next in order of impairment according to the assessment being taken. (b) TusksThe Ss were required to carry out eight everyday perceptual-motor tasks under experimental conditions: ( I ) to clean and polish a pair of shoes; (2) to put laces in a pair of shoes and tie them in a bow; (3) to put on and tie a tie.(men) or to make up the face with powder and lipstick (women); (4) to put on a boiler-suit and an overcoat (men) or a smock and an overcoat (women); ( 5 ) to dig a hole in earth and fill it up again (men) or to thread a needle (women); (6) to drink a cup of tea; (7) to eat a piece of bread and jam; and (8) to walk up two flights of stairs and then walk down again.B