The appreciation of imagery by schizophrenics: an interpretation of Goldstein's impairment of the abstract attitude.
Three experiments are reported in which schizophrenics are compared with other psychiatric patients on (i) the imagery value of words in their speech, (ii) their memory for words differing in imagery value, and (iii) their ability to distinguish the imagery value of two words. The study was designed to evaluate a neglected interpretation of Goldstein's ideas that schizophrenics are more concrete, in that their 'action is determined by momentary sense impressions'. The results gave no support for this interpretation and it is suggested that an abnormal way of categorizing the world is more likely to be a useful way of formulating Goldstein's ideas.
D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D001290:Attitude; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007092:Imagination; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D019965:Neurocognitive Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D012564:Schizophrenic Language; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D013067:Speech Perception; D014705:Verbal Behavior