To explore semantic categorization strategies in patients with schizophrenia.
Method:
A short-term memory-recognition task that reveals the effects associated with categorization was created and applied to 2 groups of patients with schizophrenia and depression.
Results:
Only the schizophrenic subgroup with formal thought disorder (measured using Andreasen's Thought, Language, and Communication [TLC] scale) exhibited a deficiency in semantic categorization strategies during the task.
Conclusion:
These results support the hypothesis of the impairment of the processes involved in the processing of contextual information inpatients with schizophrenia who suffer from formal thought disorder.
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