title: Towards a cognitive resource limitations model of diminished expression in schizotypy.
abstract: Diminished expression of speech is a pernicious feature of both schizophrenia and schizotypy--defined as the personality organization reflecting a putative genetic schizophrenia liability. As yet, the mechanism underlying diminished expression is unclear. We tested the hypothesis that diminished expression reflects a cognitive resource issue--that is, as cognitive resources are depleted, expression becomes diminished in individuals with psychometrically defined schizotypy. Acoustic analysis of natural speech was procured during experimentally manipulated baseline and high cognitive-load dual tasks and examined in 38 individuals with psychometrically defined schizotypy and 34 controls. For both groups, expression significantly decreased as a function of increased task demands, although there were no group differences in expression or magnitude of change across baseline to high cognitive-load conditions. Participants with self-reported constricted affect showed significant reductions in expression under high-load versus baseline speaking conditions relative to other schizotypal and control participants. Moreover, psychometrically defined schizotypal participants with poor cognitive performance on the high-load task, suggestive of depleted cognitive resources, also showed expressivity reductions compared with other participants. These findings suggest that diminished expression occurs as a function of limited cognitive resources in psychometrically defined schizotypy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA. acohen@lsu.edu
authors.forename: Alex S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: Sean C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Morrison
authors.forename: Laura A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Kyle S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Minor
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011594:Psychometrics; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012569:Schizotypal Personality Disorder / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D012737:Sex Factors; D013061:Speech Acoustics; D013064:Speech Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D055815:Young Adult