Semantic activation abnormalities in disorganized schizotypy.
Abstract
To better understand the relationship between disorganized schizotypy and loose associations, we calculated semantic distances between successive responses on the Category Fluency Test (CFT), using WINDSORS (Windsor Improved Norms of Distance and Similarity of Representations of Semantics; Durda & Buchanan, 2008). We expected that disorganized schizotypy and cognitive slippage would be associated with looser associations. Eighty-six healthy undergraduate students completed the animal CFT and several schizotypy questionnaires. Disorganized schizotypy and cognitive slippage was associated with looser associations from the initial response. Cognitive slippage was also associated with closer associations between successively generated responses. These results support the hypothesis that semantic processing abnormalities are associated with certain aspects of disorganized schizotypy, but may be even more relevant to cognitive slippage, which appears to be a related but independent aspect of schizophrenic liability.