title: Do patients with schizophrenia attribute mental states in a referential communication task?
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Hôpital du Sacré-Caeur de Montréal, Pavillon Albert-Prévost, 6555 Gouin Blvd. West, Montreal, Quebec H4K 1B3, Canada. M-Champagne@crhsc.rtss.qc.ca
authors.forename: Maud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Champagne-Lavau
authors.forename: Marion
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fossard
authors.forename: Guillaume
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Martel
authors.forename: Cimon
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chapdelaine
authors.forename: Guy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Blouin
authors.forename: Jean-Pierre
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
authors.forename: Emmanuel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Stip
mesh_terms: 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