title: Multitasking capacities in persons diagnosed with schizophrenia: a preliminary examination of their neurocognitive underpinnings and ability to predict real world functioning.
abstract: Difficulties in everyday life activities are core features of persons diagnosed with schizophrenia and in particular during multitasking activities. However, at present, patients׳ multitasking capacities have not been adequately examined in the literature due to the absence of suitable assessment strategies. We thus recently developed a computerized real-life activity task designed to take into account the complex and multitasking nature of certain everyday life activities where participants are required to prepare a room for a meeting. Twenty-one individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia and 20 matched healthy controls completed the computerized task. Patients were also evaluated with a cognitive battery, measures of symptomatology and real world functioning. To examine the ecological validity, 14 other patients were recruited and were given the computerized version and a real version of the meeting preparation task. Results showed that performance on the computerized task was significantly correlated with executive functioning, pointing to the major implication of these cognitive processes in multitasking situations. Performance on the computerized task also significantly predicted up to 50% of real world functioning. Moreover, the computerized task demonstrated good ecological validity. These findings suggest the importance of evaluating multitasking capacities in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia in order to predict real world functioning.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Liège, Bd. du Rectorat (B33), 4000 Liège, Belgium. Electronic address: j.laloyaux@ulg.ac.be.
authors.forename: Julien
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Laloyaux
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Liège, Bd. du Rectorat (B33), 4000 Liège, Belgium; Cognitive Psychopathology and Neuropsychology Unit, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Martial
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Van der Linden
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Liège, Bd. du Rectorat (B33), 4000 Liège, Belgium; Intercommunale de Soins Spécialisés de Liège (Mental Health Sector), Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: Marie-Noëlle
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Levaux
authors.affiliation: Intercommunale de Soins Spécialisés de Liège (Mental Health Sector), Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: Haitham
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mourad
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Liège, Bd. du Rectorat (B33), 4000 Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pirri
authors.affiliation: Intercommunale de Soins Spécialisés de Liège (Mental Health Sector), Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: Hervé
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bertrand
authors.affiliation: Intercommunale de Soins Spécialisés de Liège (Mental Health Sector), Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: Marc-André
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Domken
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Liège, Bd. du Rectorat (B33), 4000 Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Adam
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Liège, Bd. du Rectorat (B33), 4000 Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Larøi
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology*; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Daily life; Daily living activity; Ecological validity; Executive function; Neurocognition