The orienting response in schizophrenia: proposed resolution of a controversy.

The habituation of the skin conductance orienting response ( SCOR ) was studied in 36 schizophrenic and 11 normal male subjects. Scoring criteria significantly influenced results: more inclusive criteria (used in most SCOR studies) scored 56% of patients as nonresponders and 19% as slow habituators . More restrictive criteria scored 75% of patients as nonresponders, and the remainder as faster habituators than normals. The faster habituation of patient responders could be explained by the effects of low response amplitude. Evidence is given for the greater validity of the restrictive scoring criteria; on this basis the schizophrenic patients in this study were SCOR nonresponders or fast habituators . The data suggest that the more inclusive scoring criteria can confuse spontaneous and orienting activity. Clinical and theoretical implications are discussed.