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Abstract

The frequently reported inability of schizophrenics to disregard irrelevancy was investigated within the framework of information theory. Quantitative and qualitative noise levels were varied with levels of relevant information. Chronic schizophrenics (N = 30) were compared with tubercular controls and community volunteers (Ns = 30) on a task consisting of the tachistoscopic presentation of dots in the presence of noise. The results substantiated an earlier study that demonstrated schizophrenics have relatively more difficulty processing information under low-noise conditions. Intelligence, by covariance analysis, did not account for the low-noise effect. Institutionalization was related to information-processing deficiencies.

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Application of an Information Model to Schizophrenia: Relationship of Relevancy to Irrelevancy

Abstract

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