Do patients with schizophrenia consciously recollect emotional events better than neutral events?

Am J Psychiatry. 2003 Oct;160(10):1879-81. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.160.10.1879.

Abstract

Objective: The influence of the emotional valence of words on conscious awareness was assessed in patients with schizophrenia.

Method: The remember/know procedure was used to test 24 patients with schizophrenia and 24 normal comparison subjects.

Results: Patients' "remember" responses and conscious recollection were more frequent for emotional words than for neutral words. In contrast, the levels of "know" responses and familiarity were independent of emotional words.

Conclusions: Patients with schizophrenia consciously recollected emotional words better than neutral words.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Awareness
  • Consciousness
  • Emotions*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mental Recall*
  • Middle Aged
  • Retention, Psychology
  • Schizophrenic Psychology*
  • Vocabulary*