Facial and facial affect recognition in schizotypic undergraduates

In Phase I, 344 undergraduates were screened with four scales designed to identify schizotypic individuals. The scales Perceptual Aberration, Magical Ideation and Schizotypia proved effective in identifying schizotypic individuals. Twenty who scored above one standard deviation above the group mean on one of the three scales were included in the experimental group. Twenty who scored below the mean on all three scales were included in the control group. All subjects were right handed males, and the groups were equal in handedness, age, and intellectual level. In Phase II of the study, facial stimuli were presented to either the left or the right visual field via a tachistoscope at the speed of 10 milliseconds. Subjects first were asked to identify which of four neutral faces were presented to them and then were asked to state whether two new faces were expressing the affect of angry, happy or surprise.; Results of the face recognition task reveal the experimental group made more errors to stimuli presented to both visual fields while also making significantly more errors to right visual field stimuli. In the affect recognition task, the experimental group again made more errors overall and specifically for the affects of angry and happy. However, when the face recognition data was included as a covariate, the group differences in the affect recognition task were no longer present.; Results are discussed by consideration of task demands which may provide a pull towards a serial processing which would suggest a left hemisphere deficit in schizotypia. The alternative of a left hemisphere deficit in attentional processing is presented. The results are seen as consistent with the often reported left hemisphere deficits seen in schizophrenia. Suggestions for future research to differentiate between a serial processing deficit and an attentional deficit are presented.