title: Global capacity reduction and schizophrenia.
abstract: This paper reviews the evidence for a specific deficit in the flow of information through the schizophrenic processing system. It is suggested that there is little to support the notion of a single defective mechanism underlying schizophrenic cognitive dysfunction. The lack of a valid and reliable metric for measuring degree of difficulty across tasks and a lack of concern with matching tasks for attentional processing load, detracts from the usefulness of available results. The applicability of a global limited capacity model of selective attention to schizophrenic information processing is discussed as the most appropriate means of systematizing the wealth of published empirical data.
mesh_terms: D001143:Arousal; D001288:Attention; D003071:Cognition; D006801:Humans; D005082:Physical Exertion; D011930:Reaction Time; D012107:Research Design; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis