Abstract
During eight years of systematic experimentation a comprehensive conditioning test procedure has been developed which may be useful for psychiatric clinical research. The procedure consists of seven conditioning techniques employed in eleven testing procedures, each requiring about 30 minutes to complete and measuring a total of 12 experimental variables. With this battery of tests significant differences were found between a normal population and a chronic schizophrenic population. The functional ability to extinguish an autonomic OR was found to be impaired in the schizophrenic group, together with an impairment of ‘integrational’ functions, such as generalization, differentiation and delay — all inhibitory functions. Without exception, the autonomic component of the word association response preceded the verbal one in our schizophrenic group. The first clinical, psychopharmacological application of this battery of tests is in progress.