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We conducted 2 studies examining the psychometric properties of the Multidimensional Schizotypy Scale (MSS) and the Multidimensional Schizotypy Scale-Brief (MSS-B). These studies offered the first examination of the scales' test-retest reliability (dependability), impact of testing interval on test-retest reliability, and concordance of the 2 versions. The MSS and MSS-B contain positive, negative, and disorganized schizotypy subscales that reflect current models of schizotypy. In Study 1, MTurk participants ( n  = 245) completed the scales at 2 assessments across a 7-week time interval. Test-retest reliabilities (intraclass correlations) ranged from .84 to .90 for the MSS subscales and from .77 to .85 for the MSS-B subscales, and were unaffected by the interval length between administrations. The association between the same subscales of the MSS and MSS-B across the 2 assessments ranged from .79 to .87, indicating good correspondence between the MSS and MSS-B. Scores on the MSS-B subscales in Study 1 were derived from the full-length MSS. Therefore, we replicated the findings using the actual MSS-B subscales in Study 2 in 3 samples (total n  = 339). The results indicated that the MSS and MSS-B have good internal consistency and test-retest reliabilities (dependability), and that there is high concordance between the full-length and brief versions.

Schizotypy refers to traits or symptoms similar to schizophrenia, but in a diminished form, and schizotypy is thought to reflect a liability for the future development of schizophrenia. The Multidimensional Schizotypy Scale (MSS) is a new measure of schizotypy that improves on existing measures. The MSS contains full and brief subscales for positive, negative, and disorganized schizotypy. Although MSS scores have been validated in a variety of populations, the scales have not been thoroughly examined for differential item functioning in East Asian, Southeast Asian, Hispanic, Multiracial, and White participants. The current study included 567 East Asian, 351 Southeast Asian, 360 Hispanic, 230 Multiracial, and 345 White undergraduate participants from the United States. Overall, few of the items in the full or brief versions of the scales displayed differential item functioning across groups. The full and brief versions of the scales also displayed similar and not-significantly different validity coefficients with the Detachment and Psychoticism scales of the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 . These findings suggest that the MSS measures the same constructs across ethnic groups, and the scale scores represent the same latent level of schizotypy among groups. Future research may use the MSS in these diverse groups without concern that the psychometric properties differ significantly among groups. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

The present study provided the first examination of the construct validity of the Multidimensional Schizotypy Scale (MSS) and the first assessment of its psychometric properties outside of its derivation samples. The MSS contains 77 items that assess positive, negative, and disorganized schizotypy. A large multisite sample of 1,430 participants completed the MSS and measures of schizotypal personality traits and the five-factor model of personality. The MSS subscales had good-to-excellent internal consistency reliability that showed no shrinkage relative to the MSS derivation samples. The psychometric properties and intercorrelations of the MSS subscales were closely consistent with the derivation findings. The MSS Positive Schizotypy subscale had a strong association with cognitive-perceptual schizotypal traits (large effect), positive associations with personality traits of neuroticism and openness to experience, and negative associations with agreeableness. The MSS Negative Schizotypy subscale had a strong association with interpersonal schizotypal traits (medium effect) and negative associations with personality traits of extraversion, openness, and agreeableness. The MSS Disorganized Schizotypy subscale had a strong association with disorganized schizotypal traits (medium effect), a positive association with neuroticism, and a negative association with conscientiousness. The findings were consistent with the a priori predictions and support the construct validity of the MSS. (PsycINFO Database Record, ((c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).)

This article reports on the development of a new self-report questionnaire measure of schizotypy - the Multidimensional Schizotypy Scale (MSS). Schizotypy offers a useful and unifying construct for understanding schizophrenia-spectrum psychopathology. Questionnaire measures have been widely used to assess schizotypy and have greatly informed our understanding of the construct. However, available measures suffer from a number of limitations, including lack of a clear conceptual framework, outdated wording, unclear factor structure, and psychometric shortcomings. The MSS is based on current conceptual models and taps positive, negative, and disorganized dimensions of schizotypy. The derivation sample included 6265 participants sampled from four universities and Amazon Mechanical Turk. A separate sample of 1000 participants from these sources was used to examine the psychometric properties of the final subscales. Scale development employed classical test theory, item response theory, and differential item function methods. The positive schizotypy and negative schizotypy subscales contain 26 items each, and the disorganized schizotypy subscale contains 25 items. The psychometric properties were almost identical in the derivation and validation samples. All three subscales demonstrated good to excellent reliability, high item-scale correlations, and good item and test curve characteristics. The MSS appears to provide a promising measure for assessing schizotypy., (Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Schizotypy is a multidimensional construct that captures the expression of schizophrenic symptoms and impairment from subclinical levels to full-blown psychosis. The present study examined the comparability of the factor structure of 2 leading psychometric measures of schizotypy: the Wisconsin Schizotypy Scales (WSS) and the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ). Both the SPQ and WSS purportedly capture the multidimensional structure of schizotypy; however, whether they are measuring comparable factors has not been empirically demonstrated. This study provided support for a 2-factor model with positive and negative factors underlying the WSS; however, contrary to previous findings, the best fit for the SPQ was for a 4-factor model using confirmatory factor analysis, and a 2-factor model using exploratory factor analysis. The WSS factors were relatively distinct, whereas those underlying the SPQ showed high overlap. The WSS positive and SPQ cognitive-perceptual factors appeared to tap comparable constructs. However, the WSS negative and SPQ interpersonal factors appeared to tap somewhat different constructs based on their correlation and their patterns of associations with other schizotypy dimensions and the Five-Factor Model-suggesting that the SPQ interpersonal factor may not adequately tap negative or deficit schizotypy. Although the SPQ offers the advantage over the WSS of having a disorganization factor, it is not clear that this SPQ factor is actually distinct from positive schizotypy. Existing measures should be used with caution and new measures based on a priori theories are necessary to further understand the factor structure of schizotypy., ((PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved).)

The Wisconsin Schizotypy Scales (WSS) have been widely used in the study of clinical and non-clinical samples. However, researchers often find the length of the scales prohibitive. The present study examined the reliability and validity of recently developed 15-item short forms of the Perceptual Aberration, Magical Ideation, Physical Anhedonia, and Revised Social Anhedonia Scales in two large samples of non-clinically ascertained young adults. The scales demonstrated good reliability and correlated highly with the original scales. The validity of the scales was assessed by comparing the association of the original and shortened WSS with interview measures of psychotic-like and schizophrenia-spectrum symptoms and impaired functioning, as well as with questionnaire measures of personality and social impairment. The associations of the shortened WSS with the interview and questionnaire measures were comparable in terms of statistical significance and effect size with the associations of the original scales. The present findings provide the first demonstration of the validity of the shortened WSS and support their use in the study of schizotypy., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Patients with schizophrenia often exhibit structural brain abnormalities, as well as neurological soft signs (NSS), consistent with its conceptualization as a neurodevelopmental disorder. NSS are mild, presumably nonlocalizing, neurological impairments that are inferred from performance deficits in domains such as sensory integration, motor coordination, and motor sequencing. The vulnerability for schizophrenia is presumed to be expressed across a broad continuum of impairment referred to as schizotypy. It is hypothesized that nondisordered people along the schizotypy continuum should exhibit elevated rates of NSS. The present study examined the relation of psychometrically identified positive and negative schizotypy with NSS using the Neurological Evaluation Scale in a nonclinically ascertained sample of young adults (n=177). As hypothesized, negative, but not positive, schizotypy was related to increased NSS in tasks that assessed fine and gross motor coordination, motor sequencing, eye movement abnormalities, and memory recall. However, positive schizotypy was associated with increased NSS in tasks related to sensory integration dysfunction. In general, the positivexnegative schizotypy interaction term was unrelated to individual NSS tasks. The findings support: a) the theory that the vulnerability for schizophrenia is expressed across a broad continuum of subclinical and clinical impairment referred to as schizotypy; b) the multidimensional structure of schizotypy; and c) the notion that schizotypy is an appropriate construct for understanding the etiology and development of schizophrenia-spectrum disorders.

The neurodevelopmental vulnerability for schizophrenia appears to be expressed across a dynamic continuum of adjustment referred to as schizotypy. This model suggests that nonpsychotic schizotypic individuals should exhibit mild and transient forms of symptoms seen in full-blown schizophrenia. Given that depression and anxiety are reported to be comorbid with schizophrenia, the present study examined the relationship of psychometrically defined schizotypy with symptoms of depression and anxiety in a college student sample (n=1258). A series of confirmatory factor analyses indicated that a three-factor solution of positive schizotypy, negative schizotypy, and negative affect provided the best solution for self-report measures of schizotypy, anxiety, and depression. As hypothesized, the model indicated that symptoms of depression and anxiety are more strongly associated with the positive-symptom dimension of schizotypy than with the negative-symptom dimension. This is consistent with studies of schizophrenic patients and longitudinal findings that positive-symptom schizotypes are at risk for both mood and non-mood psychotic disorders, while negative-symptom schizotypes appear more specifically at risk for schizophrenia-spectrum disorders.

Olfactory hallucinations, although relatively rare, are reportedly indicative of serious psychopathology and poor prognosis in psychotic patients. This article describes the development of a rating scale for assessing olfactory experiences of psychotic and psychoticlike deviancy. The scale is modeled after Chapman and Chapman's rating scales for other psychoticlike experiences, which have been found to predict psychosis and psychosis-proneness. In a longitudinal study, college students who reported deviant olfactory experiences at their initial assessment (n = 31) exceeded the remaining subjects (n = 477) on DSM-III-R psychosis and on measures of psychosis proneness at a 10-year followup. Furthermore, hypothetically psychosis-prone subjects identified by the Perceptual Aberration and Magical Ideation scales exceeded control subjects on ratings of olfactory experiences at both initial and followup assessments.