title: An eye-tracking investigation of intentional motion perception in patients with schizophrenia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Schizophrenia has been characterized by an impaired attribution of intentions in social interactions. However, it remains unclear to what extent poor performance may be due to low-level processes or to later, higher-level stages or to what extent the deficit reflects an over- (hypermentalization) or underattribution of intentions (hypomentalization).
  
  
  METHODS
  We evaluated intentional motion perception using a chasing detection paradigm in individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and in healthy controls while eye movements were recorded. Smooth pursuit was measured as a control task. Eye-tracking was used to dissociate ocular from cognitive stages of processing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We included 27 patients with schizophrenia, 2 with schizoaffective disorder and 29 controls in our analysis. As a group, patients had lower sensitivity to the detection of chasing than controls, but showed no bias toward the chasing present response. Patients showed a slightly different visual exploration strategy, which affected their ocular sensitivity to chasing. They also showed a decreased cognitive sensitivity to chasing that was not explained by differences in smooth pursuit ability, in visual exploration strategy or in general cognitive abilities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is not clear whether the deficit in intentional motion detection demonstrated in this study might be explained by a general deficit in motion perception in individuals with schizophrenia or whether it is specific to the social domain.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Participants with schizophrenia showed a hypomentalization deficit: they adopted suboptimal visual exploration strategies and had difficulties deciding whether a chase was present or not, even when their eye movement revealed that chasing information had been seen correctly.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Sciences Cognitives et Psycholinguistique, UMR 8554, CNRS-ENS-EHESS, Institut d'études de la cognition, École Normale Supérieure, Paris, Service Universitaire de Psychiatrie d'adultes, Centre Hospitalier de Versailles, Le Chesnay, and Université Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines, Versailles, France.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Roux
authors.affiliation: Service Universitaire de Psychiatrie d'adultes, Centre Hospitalier de Versailles, Le Chesnay, and Université Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines, Versailles, France.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Passerieux
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Sciences Cognitives et Psycholinguistique, UMR 8554, CNRS-ENS-EHESS, Institut d'études de la cognition, École Normale Supérieure, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Franck
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ramus
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003071:Cognition; D053483:Eye Movement Measurements; D005133:Eye Movements; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009039:Motion Perception; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000503:physiopathology; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology