Thought disorder and associative cognitive dysfunction in the first-degree relatives of adult schizophrenics. A reply to Romney.

Contrary to both theoretical and empirical findings, Romney equates associative cognitive dysfunction with other manifestations of thought disorder. Moreover, he overstates the case for the documentation of thought disorder in the families of schizophrenics. We discuss his reaction to Callahan and Saccuzzo in the context of four major issues. We conclude that the evidence for thought disorder in the families of schizophrenics is weak and inconclusive. We call for more rigorous research as well as the exploration of viable alternatives.