Cohen Alex S, Auster Tracey L, McGovern Jessica E, MacAulay Rebecca K
Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, United States.
Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, United States.
Schizophr Res. 2014 Dec;160(1-3):169-72. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2014.09.044. Epub 2014 Oct 29.
Speech deficits are thought to be an important feature of schizotypy--defined as the personality organization reflecting a putative liability for schizophrenia. There is reason to suspect that these deficits manifest as a function of limited cognitive resources. To evaluate this idea, we examined speech from individuals with psychometrically-defined schizotypy during a low cognitively-demanding task versus a relatively high cognitively-demanding task. A range of objective, computer-based measures of speech tapping speech production (silence, number and length of pauses, number and length of utterances), speech variability (global and local intonation and emphasis) and speech content (word fillers, idea density) were employed. Data for control (n=37) and schizotypy (n=39) groups were examined. Results did not confirm our hypotheses. While the cognitive-load task reduced speech expressivity for subjects as a group for most variables, the schizotypy group was not more pathological in speech characteristics compared to the control group. Interestingly, some aspects of speech in schizotypal versus control subjects were healthier under high cognitive load. Moreover, schizotypal subjects performed better, at a trend level, than controls on the cognitively demanding task. These findings hold important implications for our understanding of the neurocognitive architecture associated with the schizophrenia-spectrum. Of particular note concerns the apparent mismatch between self-reported schizotypal traits and objective performance, and the resiliency of speech under cognitive stress in persons with high levels of schizotypy.
言语缺陷被认为是分裂型人格特质的一个重要特征，分裂型人格特质被定义为一种反映精神分裂症潜在易感性的人格结构。有理由怀疑这些缺陷是认知资源有限的一种表现。为了评估这一观点，我们在认知要求较低的任务和相对认知要求较高的任务中，对具有心理测量学定义的分裂型人格特质的个体的言语进行了研究。我们采用了一系列基于计算机的客观言语测量方法，包括言语产生（沉默、停顿的数量和时长、话语的数量和时长）、言语变异性（整体和局部语调及重音）以及言语内容（填充词、思想密度）。我们对对照组（n = 37）和分裂型人格特质组（n = 39）的数据进行了研究。结果并未证实我们的假设。虽然认知负荷任务在大多数变量上降低了作为一个整体的受试者的言语表达能力，但与对照组相比，分裂型人格特质组在言语特征上并没有更病态。有趣的是，在高认知负荷下，分裂型人格特质受试者与对照组相比，言语的某些方面更健康。此外，在认知要求较高的任务中，分裂型人格特质受试者在趋势水平上比对照组表现更好。这些发现对我们理解与精神分裂症谱系相关的神经认知结构具有重要意义。特别值得注意的是，自我报告的分裂型人格特质与客观表现之间明显不匹配，以及高分裂型人格特质者在认知压力下言语的弹性。
