Do patients with schizophrenia attribute mental states in a referential communication task?
BACKGROUND
Many studies have reported that individuals with schizophrenia (SZ) may have impaired social cognition, resulting in communication disorders and theory of mind (ToM) impairments. However, the classical tasks used to assess impaired ToM ability are too complex. The aim of this study was to assess ToM ability using both a classical task and a referential communication task that reproduces a ''natural'' conversation situation.


METHODS
Thirty-one participants with schizophrenia and 29 matched healthy participants were tested individually on a referential communication task and on a standard ToM task.


CONCLUSIONS
The main results showed that SZ participants had difficulties using reference markers and attributing mental states in both ToM tasks. Contrary to healthy participants, they exhibited a tendency to ineffectively mark the information they used (indefinite articles for old information and/or definite articles for new information) and had problems using information they shared with the experimenter.
Champagne-Lavau
Maud
M
Hôpital du Sacré-Caeur de Montréal, Pavillon Albert-Prévost, 6555 Gouin Blvd. West, Montreal, Quebec H4K 1B3, Canada. M-Champagne@crhsc.rtss.qc.ca
Fossard
Marion
M
Martel
Guillaume
G
Chapdelaine
Cimon
C
Blouin
Guy
G
Rodriguez
Jean-Pierre
JP
Stip
Emmanuel
E
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D005556:Form Perception; D006801:Humans; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012919:Social Behavior; D012931:Social Environment; D012938:Social Perception; D055815:Young Adult