A COMPARISON OF THE INTERPERSONAL COGNITIVE PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS OF SCHIZOPHRENICS AND NORMAL

The purpose of this investigation is to study some of the quantitative and qualitative differences between the cognitive interpersonal problem solving skills of schizophrenics and normals.;Subjects were recruited from Camarillo State Hospital. Sixteen subjects were psychiatric inpatients diagnosed schizophrenic by a psychiatrist and on the basis of their score on the New Haven Schizophrenia Index. Twenty subjects were hospital employees. All subjects were Caucasian males, from 20 to 46 years of age, with at least an 11th grade education. Half of all subjects received an instructional set, providing an example of what the test instructions would direct them to do. The MMPI-168, two tests of attention, the Harris Adaptation of the Phillips Scale of Premorbid Adjustment and the Vocabulary Subtest of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale were also administered.;Subjects were asked to verbally generate alternative solutions to four problem situations, two familiar, two unfamiliar. Subjects were then asked to verbally generate consequences of two alternatives, one rated effective, the other rated ineffective. Subjects were then presented with four additional videotaped problem situations, two familiar and two unfamiliar, and six alternatives, and six consequences, each for two alternatives, per problem situation. Subjects were asked to select effective alternatives and likely consequences from those presented.;Schizophrenic subjects generated fewer alternatives and consequences than normal subjects. Schizophrenics and normals did not differ in the proportion of effective alternatives generated, or in the ability to recognize effective alternatives from a group of alternatives ranging in ratings of effectiveness. Schizophrenics generated proportionately fewer likely consequences than normals when asked to generate the consequences of an alternative with a high effectiveness rating. There was no significant difference between schizophrenics and normals in the ability to recognize likely and unlikely consequences from a group of consequences ranging in ratings of likelihood, although schizophrenics tended to select less likely consequences than normals when asked to select the most likely consequence.;Both schizophrenics and normals performed better in response to familiar problems than to unfamiliar problems. The presentation of the instructional set did not significantly affect the performance of schizophrenics or normals.