Source monitoring and memory confidence in schizophrenia.

Full Abstract

BACKGROUND:
The present study attempted to extend previous research on source monitoring deficits in schizophrenia. We hypothesized that patients would show a bias to attribute self-generated words to an external source. Furthermore, it was expected that schizophrenic patients would be overconfident regarding false memory attributions.

METHOD:
Thirty schizophrenic and 21 healthy participants were instructed to provide a semantic association for 20 words. Subsequently, a list was read containing experimenter- and self-generated words as well as new words. The subject was required to identify each item as old/new, name the source. and state the degree of confidence for the source attribution.

RESULTS:
Schizophrenic patients displayed a significantly increased number of source attribution errors and were significantly more confident than controls that a false source attribution response was true. The latter bias was ameliorated by higher doses of neuroleptics.

CONCLUSIONS:
It is inferred that a core cognitive deficit underlying schizophrenia is a failure to distinguish false from true mnestic contents.

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Author information

Author/s: Moritz, S (S); Woodward, T S (TS); Ruff, C C (CC);

Affiliation: Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Hamburg, Germany.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Comparative Study; Journal Article

Journal: Psychological medicine (Psychol Med), published in England. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2003-Jan; vol 33 (issue 1) : pp 131-9

Dates: Created 2003/01/22; Completed 2003/04/15; Revised 2006/11/15;

PMID: 12537044, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adult
Antipsychotic Agents - adverse effects
Case-Control Studies
Cognition Disorders - diagnosis; etiology
Female
Humans
Internal-External Control

Male
Memory - drug effects
Neuropsychological Tests
Schizophrenia - complications; diagnosis; drug therapy
Schizophrenic Psychology
Semantics
Word Association Tests

Associated Chemicals: Antipsychotic Agents (0)

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