Facial emotion linked cooperation in patients with paranoid schizophrenia: A test on the Interpersonal Communication Model

Abstract

Background: Patients with schizophrenia consistently show deficits in facial affect perception and social behaviours. It is illusive to suggest that these deficits in facial affect perception cause poor social behaviours.

Aim: The present research aims to study how facial affects influence ingratiation, cooperation and punishment behaviours of the patients.

Methods: Forty outpatients with paranoid schizophrenia, 26 matched depressed patients and 46 healthy volunteers were recruited. After measurement of clinical symptoms and depression, their facial emotion recognition, neurocognitive functioning and the facial affects dependent cooperative behaviour were measured using a modified version of Mixed-Motive Game.

Results: The depressed control group showed demographic characteristics, depression levels and neurocognitive functioning similar to the schizophrenic group. Patients with schizophrenia committed significantly more errors in neutral face identification than the other two groups. They were significantly more punitive on the Mixed-Motive Game in the neutral face condition.

Conclusion: Neutral face misidentification was a unique emotion-processing deficit in the schizophrenic group. Their increase in punitive behaviours in the neutral face condition might confuse their family members and trigger more expressed emotion from them, thus increasing the risk of relapse. Family members might display more happy faces to promote positive relationships with patients.

Keywords

cooperative behaviour facial affect perception schizophrenia

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Addington, J. and Addington, D. ( 1988) Facial Affect Recognition and Information Processing in Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder. Schizophrenia Research 32(3): 171-181.

Addington, J. and Addington, D. ( 2000) Neurocognitive and Social Functioning in Schizophrenia: A 2.5-Year Follow-Up Study. Schizophrenia Research 44(1): 47-56.

Angell, B. and Test, M.A. ( 2002) The Relationship of Clinical Factors and Environmental Opportunities to Social Functioning in Young Adults with Schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research 28(2): 259-271.

Asarnow, R.F. and Nuechterlein. K.H. ( 1992) Manual and Computer Program for the UCLA Forced-Choice Span of Apprehension Test: Version 4. Unpublished manual and program.

Beck, A.T. , Steer, R. and Garbin, M. ( 1988) Psychometric Properties of the Beck Depression Inventory: 25 Years of Evaluation. Clinical Psychology Review 8(1): 77-100.

Berg, J. , Dickhaut, J. and McCabe, K. ( 1995) Trust, Reciprocity and Social History. Games Economics and Behaviors 10(1): 122-142.

Bouhuys, A.L. , Geerts, E. , Mersh, P.P.A. and Jenner, J.A. ( 1996) Non-Verbal Interpersonal Sensitivity and Persistence of Depression: Perception of Emotions in Schematic Faces. Psychiatry Research 64(3): 193-203.

Couture, S.M. , Penn, D.L. and Roberts, D.L. ( 2006) The Functional Significance of Social Cognition in Schizophrenia: A Review. Schizophrenia Bulletin 32(Supplement 1): S44-S63.

De Sonneville, L.M.J. , Verschoor, C.A. , Njiokiktjien, C. , Op het Veld, V.O. , Toorenaar, N. and Vranken, M. ( 2002) Facial Identity and Facial Emotions: Speed Accuracy and Processing Strategies in Children and Adults. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology 24(2): 200-213.

10.

Ekman, P. ( 1999) Facial Expressions, in T. Dalgelish and M. Power (eds) Handbook of Cognition and Emotion. New York: Wiley & Son.

11.

Ekman, P. and Friesen, W.V. ( 1976) Pictures of Facial Affect [Slides]. San Francisco: San Francisco State University, Department of Psychology.

12.

Elfenbein, H.A. and Ambady, N. ( 2002a) On the Universality and Cultural Specificity of Emotion Recognition: A Meta-Analysis. Psychological Bulletin 128(2): 203-235.

13.

Elfenbein, H.A. and Ambady, N. ( 2002b) Is there an In-Group Advantage in Emotion Recognition ? Psychological Bulletin 128(2): 243-249.

14.

Elfenbein, H.A. and Ambady, N. ( 2003) When Familiarity breeds Accuracy: Cultural Exposure and Facial Emotion Recognition. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 85(2): 276-290.

15.

Feinberg, T.E. , Rifkin, A. , Schaffer, C. and Walker, E. ( 1986) Facial Discrimination and Emotional Recognition in Schizophrenia and Affective Disorders. Archives of General Psychiatry 43(3): 276-279.

16.

Hokanson, J.E. , Sacco, W.P. , Blumberg, S.R. and Landrum, G.C. ( 1980) Interpersonal Behavior in Depressive Individuals in a Mixed-Motive Game. Journal of Abnormal Psychology 89(3): 320-332.

17.

Hooker, C. and Park, S. ( 2002) Emotion Processing and its Relationship to Social Functioning in Schizophrenia Patients. Psychiatry Research 112(1): 41-50.

18.

Joseph, P.L.A. , Sturgeon, D.A. and Leff, J. ( 1992) The Perception of Emotion by Schizophrenic Patients. British Journal of Psychiatry 161: 603-609.

19.

Kay, S.R. , Fiszbein, A. and Opler, L.A. ( 1987) The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) for Schizophrenia . Schizophrenia Bulletin 13(2): 261-276.

20.

Kee, K.S. , Green, M.F. , Mintz, J. and Brekke, J.S. ( 2003) Is Emotion Processing a Predictor of Functional Outcome in Schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Bulletin 29(3): 487-497.

21.

Kee, K.S. , Kern, R.S. and Green, M.F. ( 1998) Perception of Emotion and Neurocognitive Functioning in Schizophrenia, What’s the Link? Psychiatry Research 81(1): 57-65.

22.

Loughland, C.M. , Williams, L.M. and Gordon, E. ( 2002) Visual Scanpaths to Positive and Negative Facial Emotions in an Outpatient Schizophrenia Sample. Schizophrenia Research 55(1-2): 159-170.

23.

Lysaker, P.H. , Bell, M.D. , Zito, W.S. and Bioty, S.M. ( 1995) Social Skills at Work: Deficits and Predictors of Improvement in Schizophrenia. Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases 183(11): 688-692.

24.

Mueser, K.T. , Doonan, R. , Penn, D.L. , Blanchard, J.J. , Bellack, A.S. , Nishith, P. and DeLeon, J. ( 1996) Emotion Recognition and Social Competence in Chronic Schizophrenia . Journal of Abnormal Psychology 105(2): 271-275.

25.

Nuechterlein, K.H. and Asarnow, R.F. ( 1992) Manual and Computer Program for the UCLA Continuous Performance Test: Version 4. Unpublished manual and program.

26.

Patterson, T.L. , Moscona, S. , McKibbin, C.L. , Davison, K. and Jeste, D.V. ( 2001) Social Skills Performance Assessment among Older Patients with Schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research 48(2): 351-361.

27.

Raine, A. , Dodge, K. , Loeber, R. , Gatzke-Kopp, L. , Lynam, D. , Reynolds, C. , Stouthamer-Loeber, M. and Liu, J. ( 2006) The Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire: Differential Correlates of Reactive and Proactive Aggression in Adolescent Boys. Aggressive Behavior 32: 159-171.

28.

Sachs, G. , Steger-Wuchse, D. , Kryspin-Exner, I. , Cur, R.C. and Katsching, H. ( 2004) Facial Recognition Deficits and Cognition in Schizophrenia . Schizophrenia Research 68(1): 27-35.

29.

Scharlemann, J.P.W. , Eckel, C.C. , Kacelnik, A. and Wilson, R.K. ( 2001) The Value of a Smile: Game Theory with a Human Face. Journal of Economic Psychology 22(5): 617-640.

30.

Schneider, F. , Gur, R.C. , Koch, K. , Backes, V. , Amunts, K. , Shah, N.J. , Bilker, W. , Gur, R.E. and Habel, U. ( 2006) Impairment in the Specificity of Emotion Processing in Schizophrenia. American Journal of Psychiatry 163: 442-447.

31.

Sergi, M.J. and Green, M.F. ( 2002) Social Perception and Early Visual Processing in Schizophrenia . Schizophrenia Research 59(2-3): 233-241.

32.

Siris, S.G. , Addington, D. , Azorin, J.M. , Falloon, I.R. , Gerlach, J. and Hirsch, S.R. ( 2001) Depression in Schizophrenia: Recognition and Management in the USA. Schizophrenia Research 47(2-3): 185-197.

33.

Smith, T.E. , Hull, J.W. , Goodman, M. , Hedayat-Harris, A. , Will-son, D.F. , Israel, L.M. and Munich, R.L. ( 1999) The Relative Influences of Symptoms, Insight and Neurocognitive on Social Adjustment in Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorder. Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases 187(2): 102-108.

34.

Smith, T.E. , Hull, J.W. , Huppert, J.D. and Silverstein, S.M. ( 2002) Recovery from Psychosis in Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorder: Symptoms and Neurocognitive Rate-Limiters for the Development of Social Behavior Skills. Schizophrenia Research 55(3): 229-237.

35.

Takahashi, H. , Iwase, M. , Nakahachi, T. , Sekiyama, R. , Tabushi, K. , Kajimoto, O. , Shimizu, A. and Takeda, M. ( 2005) Spatial Working Memory Deficit correlates with Disorganization Symptoms and Social Functioning in Schizophrenia. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences 59(4): 453-460.

36.

Trower, P. ( 1980) How to lose Friends and Influence Nobody: An Analysis of Social Failure, in W.T. Singleton , P. Spurgeon and R.B. Stammers (eds) The Analysis of Social Skill. New York: Plenum.

37.

Tse, W.S. and Bond, A.J. ( 2003a) Consequences of displaying Abnormal Social Behaviour: Avoidance and Reduction of Social Reinforcement. Journal of Affective Disorders 75(1): 49-58.

38.

Tse, W.S. and Bond, A.J. ( 2003b) Reboxetine promotes Social Bonding in Healthy Volunteers . Journal of Psychopharmacology 17(2): 189-195.

39.

Van der Gaag, M. , Hoffman, T. , Remijsen, M. , Hijman, R. , De Haan, L. , Van Meijel, B. , Van Harteng, P.N. , Valmaggiahij, L. , De Hertk, M. , Cuijpersc, A. and Wiersmab, D. ( 2006) The Five-Factor Model of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale II: A Ten-Fold Cross-Validation of a Revised Model. Schizophrenia Research 85(1): 280-287.

40.

Wechsler, D. ( 1995) Manual for the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. New York: Psychological Corporation.

41.

Woonings, F.M.J. , Appelo, M. , Kluiter, H. , Slooff, C.J. and Van de Bosch, R.J. ( 2004) Learning (Potential) and Social Functioning in Schizophrenia . Schizophrenia Research 59(2-3): 287-296.