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Introduction: Emotion recognition impairments and a tendency to misclassify neutral faces as negative are common in schizophrenia. A possible explanation for these deficits is aberrant salience attribution. To explore the possibility of salience driven emotion recognition deficits, we implemented a novel facial emotion salience task (FEST). Methods: Sixty-six healthy participants with variations in psychometric schizotypy completed the FEST. In the FEST, we manipulated physical salience (FEST-1: contrast, FEST-2: saturation) of emotionally salient (positive, i.e., happy and negative, i.e., fearful) and non-salient (neutral) facial expressions. Results: When salience was high (increased contrast), participants recognized negative facial expressions faster, whereas neutral faces were recognized more slowly and were more frequently misclassified as negative. When salience was low (decreased saturation), positive expressions were recognized more slowly. These measures were not associated with schizotypy in our sample. Discussion: Our findings show that the match between physical and emotional salience influences emotion recognition and suggest that the FEST is suitable to simulate aberrant salience processing during emotion recognition in healthy participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although ubiquitous in numerous nightlife cultures, poker-machines present a high risk for problematic use and addiction. Previous research has demonstrated that gambling cues (e.g., flashing lights) can activate gambling urges in poker-machine gamblers. However, the processes that contribute to the maintenance of cue-reactive urges to gamble remain unclear. Consequently, the present study explored whether positive schizotypy predicted gambling urge, and whether cue-reactive altered state of awareness, cue-reactive altered time sense, and cue-reactive absorption mediated this relationship. Seventy adults aged between 19 and 68 (M = 48.86, SD = 12.82) participated in an online cue-reactivity experiment. Participants first completed the Problem Gambling Severity Index and the Unusual Experiences subscale of the Short Oxford-Liverpool Inventory of Feelings and Experiences. Subsequently, at three time points (i.e., baseline, directly after a neutral cue, and directly after a gambling cue) participants completed the Altered State of Awareness, Altered Time Sense, and Absorption subscales of the Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory and a visual analogue scale measuring cue-reactive urge to gamble. It was found that positive schizotypy was significantly positively correlated with cue-reactive urge to gamble. Additionally, cue-reactive altered state of awareness, cue-reactive altered time sense, and cue-reactive absorption mediated this relationship. The theoretical, clinical and practical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Hypothesis Based on a childhood intervention from ages 3 to 5 years that included additional fish consumption and which resulted in reduced schizotypal personality at age 23, we had previously hypothesized that omega-3 could reduce schizotypy. The current study tests the hypothesis that omega-3 supplementation reduces schizotypy in children. Study Design In this intention-to-treat, randomized, single-blind, stratified, factorial trial, a community sample of 290 children aged 11–12 years were randomized into Omega-3 Only, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Only, Omega-3 + CBT, and Control groups. Schizotypy was assessed using the SPQ-C (Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire for Children) at 0 months (baseline), 3 months (end of treatment), 6 months (3 months post-treatment), and 12 months (9 months post-treatment). Study Results A significant group × time interaction (P  = .013) indicated that, compared with Controls, total schizotypy scores were reduced in both Omega-3 Only and Omega-3 + CBT groups immediately post-treatment (d  = 0.56 and 0.47, respectively), and also 3 months after supplementation terminated (d  = 0.49, d  = 0.70). Stronger findings were observed for the interpersonal schizotypy factor, with both omega-3 groups showing reductions 9 months post-treatment compared with the CBT Only group. Schizotypy reductions were significantly stronger for those with higher dietary intake of omega-3 at intake. Sensitivity analyses confirmed findings. Conclusions Results are unique in the field and suggest that omega-3 can help reduce schizotypal personality in community-residing children. From an epidemiological standpoint, if replicated and extended, these findings could have implications for early prevention of more significant schizotypal features developing later in adolescence. Clinical Trial Registration "Healthy Brains & Behavior: Understanding and Treating Youth Aggression (HBB)." ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00842439 , https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00842439. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although impaired auditory mismatch negativity (MMN) has consistently been found in individuals with schizophrenia, there are few and inconsistent reports on nonclinical individuals with schizotypy. To date, no studies have thoroughly assessed MMN with different degrees of deviant oddballs in nonclinical schizotypal samples. The aim of this study was to examine the extent of duration MMN (dMMN) amplitudes under two deviant duration conditions (large and small) in nonclinical participants with high schizotypal traits. Methods: An extreme-group design was utilized, in which 63 participants from the schizotypy and control groups were selected from a pool of 1519 young adults using the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ). MMN was measured using passive duration oddball paradigms. Basic demographic information and musical backgrounds were assessed and matched, while depression and anxiety were evaluated and controlled for. The repeated measures analysis of covariance was utilized to evaluate differences in dMMN between groups. The Bonferroni correction was applied for multiple comparisons. Partial correlation and multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to investigate the association between dMMN amplitudes and SPQ scores. Results: The amplitudes of dMMN at Cz were significantly increased under the large deviance condition in nonclinical schizotypal individuals (F = 4.36, p = .04). Large-deviance dMMN amplitudes at Fz were positively correlated with mild cognitive-perceptual symptoms in the control group (rp = .42, p = .03). However, as schizophrenia-like symptoms worsened and approached the clinical threshold for schizophrenia, small-deviance dMMN amplitudes at Cz showed negative associations with the cognitive-perceptual factor in the schizotypy group (rp = -.40, p = .04). Conclusion: These results suggest the importance of considering the degree of deviation in duration when implementing the auditory oddball paradigm among nonclinical participants with schizotypal traits. In addition, our findings reveal a potential non-linear relationship between bottom-up auditory processing and the positive dimension of the schizophrenia spectrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Deficits in social functioning and decision-making are welldocumented in schizophrenia, but their relationship with positive symptoms and social conflicts is poorly understood. We created a new paradigm based on the Dictator Game (DG) to explore differences in social decision-making between individuals experiencing high levels of psychotic-like experiences (PLEs), particularly hallucinations and delusions, and controls with less PLEs. Methods: A large community sample (N = 1,161) completed a DG in an online study whereby extreme groups were built based on the positive subscale of the CAPE. Results: Overall, participants experiencing PLEs did not act less prosocial than controls but showed a somewhat aberrant decision-making behavior, particularly a pattern of behaving more prosocial in fair situations and generally favoring punishment over compensation relative to controls. Mediation analyses suggest that measures of empathy and Machiavellism have predictive power for prosocial behavior beyond group status. Discussion: The present study raises the possibility that individuals with high levels of PLEs may be less able to adapt their behavior to the situation at hand than controls. These irregularities might be due to deficits in social cognition which may elicit conflict, thus compromising social functioning and possibly contributing to the formation of positive symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined variations in positive well-being as a function of paranormal belief and schizotypy. A sample of 2,362 United Kingdom-based respondents completed self-report measures assessing paranormal belief, schizotypy, positive well-being (meaning in life, satisfaction with life, and self-esteem), paranormal experience, and belief in conspiracies. The paranormal belief was most strongly related to the cognitive-perceptual factor of schizotypy. Both paranormal belief and the cognitive-perceptual factor were associated with reporting paranormal experiences and endorsement of conspiracist beliefs. Despite commonality, paranormal belief and schizotypy were differentially related to well-being. Paranormal belief correlated positively with meaning in life (presence and search) and satisfaction with life. Schizotypy correlated negatively with presence, satisfaction with life, and self-esteem and positively with search. Latent profile analysis identified four subgroups: Profile 1, low belief and schizotypy (49% of the sample); Profile 2, low belief and cognitive-perceptual, moderate interpersonal and disorganised (13.6%); Profile 3, high belief, moderate cognitive-perceptual and interpersonal, low disorganised (24.3%); and Profile 4, high belief and schizotypy (13.1%). Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) found that low belief with mixed schizotypy was associated with lower presence, and low belief and schizotypy (vs. high) were related to higher presence. Paranormal belief and schizotypy were associated with greater search, higher scores on paranormal experiential factors, and endorsement of generic conspiracist beliefs. Finally, lower belief and schizotypy were concomitant with higher satisfaction with life and self-esteem. Overall, paranormal belief was related to positive well-being, whereas schizotypy was associated with lower positive wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discourse abnormalities are a prominent feature in schizophrenia spectrum disorders, including poor lexical diversity, and have been found to differentiate patients from healthy subjects. However, discourse processing in individuals with high schizotypal personality traits is less understood and is often overshadowed by research on clinical psychotic symptoms. In the present study, we examined schizotypal traits at a non-clinical threshold and their association with lexical diversity and discourse coherence using two automated Natural Language Processing (NLP) tools - Type-Token-Ratio (TTR) measures from the Tool for the Automatic Analysis of Lexical Diversity (TAALED) and discourse coherence using sentence-level average cosign similarity with FastText to assess sentence similarity. 276 college students completed the full assessment including the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire- Brief Revised (SPQ-BR) and recorded a speech sample describing a detailed painting. Results revealed that high schizotypal traits, specifically positive traits, were associated with lower lexical diversity and higher sentence similarity. Our findings suggest that even when clinically significant symptoms are not present, discourse abnormalities are present in healthy populations with high ST. The stronger association with positive traits suggests that theories of perseveration and top-down processing may warrant further investigation in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research addresses the construct of fantasy proneness that is unexplored in the context of Turkey by adapting and assessing the psychometric properties of the widely accepted Creative Experiences Questionnaire (CEQ), aiming to fill a significant gap in existing literature and contribute to the understanding of this construct and its correlates in a population aged between 18 and 60 years. The Turkish version of the CEQ demonstrated face validity, aligning participant responses with fantasy, imagination, and dissociation (n = 15). Exploratory Factor Analysis confirmed a single-factor solution based on the scree plot graphic, without item removal (n = 310). Reliability and validity analyses (N = 464) affirmed robustness with adequate internal consistency (Cronbach's Alpha = 0.78, McDonald's Omega = 0.77) and test-retest reliability (n = 110, r =.72). Convergent validity was supported by correlations with dissociative experiences (r =.51) and magical ideation (r =.51). Discriminant validity was evident in negative correlations with social desirability (r = -.10, p <.05), notably, impression management (r = -.12, p <.05), indicating unbiased capture of fantasy experiences. Predictive validity was supported by a positive correlation observed between fantasy proneness and interest in creative activities (r =.21). Participants engaged in or aspiring to engage in creative activities professionally scored notably higher, broadening implications for creativity research. Similarities between the original and Turkish versions suggested cultural variations do not significantly affect fantasy proneness in adults. Considering limitations, future research should explore age-related variations of fantasy proneness as well as its association with social desirability. Implications extend to clinical research, emphasizing consideration of fantasy proneness and its correlates in psychopathological and broader psychological health studies in Turkey and globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Script memory is stored information about a sequential structure of an activity (e.g., going shopping), including what actors do, the purpose of the activity, and the likely consequences of the actor's actions. It has been reported that script memory is impaired among schizophrenia patients. The present research investigated the relationship between schizotypal personality tendencies (schizotypy) and script memory by testing Japanese individuals. Method: First, a new test to measure the intactness of the script memory was created by asking the public to report activities they often perform and what behaviors each activity contains. The test contains 15 everyday activities, each accompanied by 15 behavior choices, either strongly associated, completely unrelated, or weakly associated with the activity. Next, undergraduate participants were presented with the test and chose appropriate behaviors for each activity (Study 1 and 2). Their extent of schizotypy was measured using Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire Brief (SPQ-B). Study 3 targeted the public of various ages. In addition to Study 2 procedure, participants reported the extent of psychological burden for performing each activity, their life satisfaction, and subjective evaluation of their memory ability. Results: All studies consistently found that the script memory performance was worse for individuals with higher schizotypy. Signal detection indices for accurate discrimination between correct and incorrect choices, which were A' in Study 1 and C in Study 2 and 3, negatively correlated with the SPQ-B scores (r = -0.16, -0.11, -0.17, respectively). Study 3 found that the relationship between schizotypy and memory task performance was mediated by the extent of psychological burden. When a signal detection index (d') for the memory task was regressed on the SPQ-B, while the psychological burden scores being a mediator, the mediation effect was significant (B = 0.003, SE = 0.001, 95% CI [0.001, 0.005]). Conclusion: Individuals with higher schizotypy seem to associate unrelated behaviors to an event, forming script memory with irrelevant information, maybe due to the schizotypy symptom of having peculiar thoughts. The newly created test must be validated using a clinical population to expand its potential to be used in clinical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mismatch negativity (MMN) amplitude is attenuated in schizophrenia patients (SZ). However, variability in illness course among SZ samples and types of deviant stimuli used in MMN paradigms have contributed to inconsistent findings across studies. Though MMN is suggested to be impaired in schizotypy, the potential link between the two is yet to be systematically examined in unaffected first-degree relatives of schizophrenia patients (FDR). The SZ sample had twenty-two drug-naïve or drug-free patients (dSZ) and thirty chronic/medicated patients (cSZ). dSZ and cSZ patients were compared with thirty-six unaffected FDR and thirty-two healthy controls (HC) using a two-tone passive auditory oddball MMN paradigm in an event-related potential experiment with two conditions (presented as separate blocks)–duration-deviant (duration-MMN) and frequency-deviant (frequency-MMN). Schizotypy scores and MMN indices were examined for correlation in FDR. Duration-MMN amplitude was significantly attenuated in both dSZ and cSZ compared to other groups. dSZ and cSZ did not differ on MMN indices. Psychopathology scores and features of illness (illness duration, medication dosage, etc.) did not correlate with MMN indices. In FDR, Schizotypal trait measures did not correlate with MMN indices. Duration-MMN emerged as a more robust indicator of prediction error signalling deficit in SZ. Frequency-MMN amplitude did not significantly differ among the groups, and MMN indices did not correlate with state and trait measures of schizophrenia-related psychopathology. These findings reiterates that auditory sensory processing captured by MMN is likely reflective of dynamic cognitive functions at the point of testing, and is unlikely to be an expression of enduring symptomatology. • Duration-MMN amplitude is attenuated in chronic/medicated (cSZ) and drug-naïve/free (dSZ) schizophrenia patients in comparison to FDR and HC. • Frequency-deviant mismatch negativity (frequency-MMN) amplitude did not significantly differ between the groups. • Duration-MMN and frequency-MMN indices did not significantly differ between medicated/chronic SZ patients and drug-naïve or drug-free/early-course SZ patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the main tasks of the human visual system is to organize the temporal flow of visual events into meaningful patterns. It has been suggested that segregation/integration of continuous visual stimuli relies on temporal windows that are phase-locked to brain oscillations in the alpha frequency range (~10 Hz). From a behavioral point of view, the balance between integration and segregation is reflected in visual temporal acuity: the ability to perceive a small temporal gap between two identical stimuli. Disruption of this balance may lead to impairment of perceptual organization processes. Notably, schizophrenia, a condition characterized by unusual perceptual experiences, has been associated with abnormal temporal processing of sensory stimuli and aberrant oscillations. We asked a large cohort of healthy participants to complete an online version of the two-flash fusion task and two questionnaires for schizotypal personality traits to investigate individual differences in the temporal resolution of perception, particularly its relationship with anomalous perceptual experiences. We found that two-flash discrimination acuity declines with age and that schizotypal traits are associated with better performances. Although this association was strong for perceptual and cognitive subscales, we found that this result could not be attributed to response biases (e.g., hallucination of two flashes). While these results appear to contrast with findings of slower alpha rhythms and sensory processing in schizotypy, we propose that a faster visual rate could be the consequence of an oscillopathy or a disconnection between different sensory modalities and their physiological pacemaker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schizotypy involves schizophrenia-like traits and symptoms, with the Wisconsin Schizotypy Scales (WSS) being frequently used in previous research. There is some evidence that schizophrenia-spectrum symptom levels, including when using the WSS, might vary both by gender and by race and ethnicity. However, previous research has rarely examined to what extent the WSS show gender and racial bias. Further, this has not been previously examined for the Cognitive Slippage Scale, a measure of disorganized schizotypy. In this study, we examined biases for a subset of items from the WSS in a large sample of undergraduate students (n = 21,829). Using item response theory to test for levels of differential item functioning (DIF), we found some evidence of problematic DIF for all scales, including for negative, positive, and disorganized schizotypy scales. There was evidence of problematic DIF especially by gender and for Black and Multiracial participants. Overall, the current results suggest that gender and/or racial bias on these scales should be an important consideration in using these scales and our results could have implications for assessment of schizophrenia-spectrum symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The term psychotic experiences (PEs) encompass subclinical hallucinatory and delusional experiences. There are limited number of studies on PEs clinical and socio-demographic characteristics. We aimed to investigate the association between PEs and patterns of cannabis use, cognitive functions, schizotypy and childhood traumas. Methods: Participants were recruited from specialized units using the snowball method. All of the participants were regular cannabis users. Participants with PEs and without PEs were compared by looking into socio-demographic and clinical correlates. Significant variables at univariate comparisons were included in binary multivariate logistic regression analysis with PEs as the dependent variable. Results: Forty participants were recruited (20 with PEs, 20 without PEs). Adolescence onset of cannabis use (χ2 = 8.120; p < 0.05), positive schizotypy (t = 3.762; p < 0.01), Trail Making Test A (TMT A) Scores (u = 98.5; p < 0.01) and emotional neglect (u = 128; p = 0.05) were significantly associated with PEs. The binary regression model included a significant contribution of positive schizotypy (OR = 1.16, CI 1.025–1.330) and TMT A Score (OR = 1.22, CI 1.03–1.44). Conclusions: Results showed a novel positive association of PEs with adolescent-onset cannabis use, TMT A Scores, positive schizotypy and emotional neglect. PEs were predicted independently by positive schizotypy and TMT A Scores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lixia Wang,1,&ast; Yilai Pei,2,&ast; Yuanfei Zhu,1 Haiying Long,3 Weiguo Pang4 1Shanghai Teacher Institute, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 2China Institute of Education and Social Development, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Educational Psychology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA; 4School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Haiying Long; Weiguo Pang, Email hlong@ku.edu; wgpang@psy.ecnu.edu.cnIntroduction: The schizotypy-creativity link has been studied from different perspectives over the past few decades, yet the results of this relationship are inconsistent in the literature. Previous studies have suggested that two basic motivational systems—Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS, avoidance motivation) and Behavioral Activation System (BAS, approach motivation)—underlie the relationship between schizotypy and creativity. Few empirical studies, however, have examined how the relationship interacts with other variables. This study fills these gaps and explores the role of the approach and avoidance motivation assessed by trait behavioral activation and inhibition in the link between schizotypy as a dimensional personality trait and creative ideational behavior as a measure of creativity.Method: Undergraduate students (N = 388) completed questionnaires including the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) measuring 3 dimensions of schizotypy, Runco Ideational Behavior Scale (RIBS) measuring creative ideational behavior, and BIS/BAS Scales measuring trait behavioral motivation. Bivariate Pearson correlation was computed, and hierarchical linear regression was performed to explore the effects of schizotypy, BIS/BAS, and their interaction on creative ideational behavior. The conditional effect of schizotypy based on different levels of the moderator was further tested.Results: The total score, positive dimension and disorganized dimension of SPQ were all positively correlated with RIBS, BAS, and BIS. Negative dimension of SPQ was not significantly correlated with the RIBS score but was positively correlated with BIS. Additionally, after controlling gender and age, BAS significantly moderated the relationship between the positive and disorganized dimensions of schizotypy and creative ideational behavior measured by RIBS. However, BIS was not a significant moderator.Discussion: The findings of this study regarding the relationships between different dimensions of schizotypy, two motivational systems, and creative ideational behavior were mostly consistent with previous findings. The significant moderated effect of BAS on the relationship between two dimensions of schizotypy and creative ideational behavior made significant contributions to the understanding of the relationship between schizotypy and creativity.Keywords: schizotypy, creativity, creative ideational behavior, motivation

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the influence of familial predisposition on substance-induced psychosis among healthy siblings of patients diagnosed with substance-induced psychotic disorder, who themselves lack any family history of psychotic disorders. Additionally, the study aimed to explore clinical high-risk states for psychosis, schizotypal features, and neurocognitive functions in comparison to a healthy control group. Method: The study compared healthy siblings of 41 patients diagnosed with substance-induced psychotic disorder with 41 healthy volunteers without a family history of psychotic disorders, matching age, gender, and education. Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of participants were obtained using data collection forms. The Comprehensive Assessment of At-Risk Mental States (CAARMS) and the Structured Interview for Schizotypy-Revised Form (SIS-R) scales were utilized to assess clinical high risk for psychosis. Neurocognitive functions were evaluated with digit span test (DST), trail making test part A-B (TMT), verbal fluency test (VFT), and Stroop test (ST). Results: Analysis using the CAARMS scale revealed that 39% of siblings and 7.3% of the control group were at clinically high risk for psychosis, indicating a significant difference in rates of psychotic vulnerability. Comparison between siblings and the control group showed significant differences in mean SIS-R subscale scores, including social behavior, hypersensitivity, referential thinking, suspiciousness, illusions, and overall oddness, as well as in mean neurocognitive function scores, including errors in TMT-A, TMT-B, and VFT out-of-category errors, with siblings exhibiting poorer performance. Conclusion: Our study suggests that healthy siblings of patients with substance-induced psychosis exhibit more schizotypal features and have a higher risk of developing psychosis compared to healthy controls. Additionally, siblings demonstrate greater impairment in attention, response inhibition, and executive functions compared to healthy controls, indicating the potential role of genetic predisposition in the development of substance-induced psychotic disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving social functioning deficits—a core characteristic of schizophrenia-spectrum disorders—is often listed by patients as a key recovery goal. Evidence suggests that social deficits also extend to people with schizotypy, a group at heightened risk for psychotic and other psychopathological disorders. One challenge of social functioning research in schizotypy is understanding whether social deficits arise from receiving less pleasure from social activities or from participating less in high-pleasure activities. However, limited information exists on what constitutes highly pleasurable, common social activities. In this study, 357 college students rated the frequency and enjoyment of 38 social activities. Our aims were to categorize activities based on their frequency and enjoyment, and whether these correlated with validated social functioning and schizotypy measures. We found that social activities could be characterized based on their frequency and enjoyment and created a frequency–enjoyment matrix that could be useful for future studies. Activities were correlated with social functioning, generally reaching a small effect size level, with increasing frequency and enjoyment showing associations with greater social functioning. Further, negative and disorganized—but not positive—traits were associated with less engagement and pleasure. Although follow-up studies in community samples are needed, our findings have the potential to help researchers and clinicians better understand which activities participants are more likely to engage in and derive pleasure from. The findings may also illustrate the extent to which social deficits may be due to less engagement or less pleasure from social activities, as well as which aspects of schizophrenia-spectrum disorders are associated with these facets of social functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Avolition in schizophrenia has been attributed to an underlying decoupling between affect and volitional action. It may be demonstrated behaviourally in the Anticipatory Consummatory Pleasure (ACP) task, whereby subjects may adjust the viewing (in time or future probability) of images with positive or negative affective content. Correspondence between response vigour and perceived affective intensity of the images was typically poorer in people with schizophrenia than healthy controls. Here, we investigated if ACP performance would be similarly modulated by schizotypal traits in the non-clinical population. Schizotypal traits were assessed in healthy adult volunteers using Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-Brief before evaluation of ACP performance. Association between the three schizotypal traits and affect-volition coupling was examined by correlative analysis followed by comparison between dichotomized clusters. Affect-volition coupling appeared to correlate positively with increasing schizotypal traits, especially in the interpersonal and disorganization dimensions. Direct comparison between the two clusters of subjects demarcated with respect to all three schizotypy dimensions showed that actions motivated by future affective outcomes was selectively potentiated, as opposed to in-the-moment outcomes, in the higher schizotypy cluster. The positive modulation of affect-volition coupling by schizotypal traits seen here was unexpected given the robust decoupling reported in people with schizophrenia. Our data also contradicted with previous ACP studies reporting either an opposite or null relationship between schizotypy and affect-volition coupling. We speculate that the relationship across a more extended continuum of schizotypal traits may follow an inverted U-shape, thus either ends of the continuum is associated with suboptimal ACP performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Incidence of first-episode psychosis (FEP) varies substantially across geographic regions. Phenotypes of subclinical psychosis (SP), such as psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) and schizotypy, present several similarities with psychosis. We aimed to examine whether SP measures varied across different sites and whether this variation was comparable with FEP incidence within the same areas. We further examined contribution of environmental and genetic factors to SP. Methods: We used data from 1497 controls recruited in 16 different sites across 6 countries. Factor scores for several psychopathological dimensions of schizotypy and PLEs were obtained using multidimensional item response theory models. Variation of these scores was assessed using multi-level regression analysis to estimate individual and between-sites variance adjusting for age, sex, education, migrant, employment and relational status, childhood adversity, and cannabis use. In the final model we added local FEP incidence as a second-level variable. Association with genetic liability was examined separately. Results: Schizotypy showed a large between-sites variation with up to 15% of variance attributable to site-level characteristics. Adding local FEP incidence to the model considerably reduced the between-sites unexplained schizotypy variance. PLEs did not show as much variation. Overall, SP was associated with younger age, migrant, unmarried, unemployed and less educated individuals, cannabis use, and childhood adversity. Both phenotypes were associated with genetic liability to schizophrenia. Conclusions: Schizotypy showed substantial between-sites variation, being more represented in areas where FEP incidence is higher. This supports the hypothesis that shared contextual factors shape the between-sites variation of psychosis across the spectrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traumatic experiences are associated with increased experiences of positive schizotypy. This may be especially important for People of Color, who experience higher rates of trauma and racial discrimination. No study to date has examined how racial disparities in traumatic experiences may impact schizotypy. Furthermore, of the studies that have examined the relationship between trauma and schizotypy, none have examined racial discrimination as a potential moderator. The present study examined if racial discrimination moderates the relationship between trauma and multidimensional (positive, negative, and disorganized) schizotypy. In a sample of 770 college students, we conducted chi-squared analyses, analyses of variance, and stepwise regressions. We found that Black students experienced significantly higher racial discrimination and trauma than Latinx and Asian students. Furthermore, Black and Latinx students experienced significantly more multidimensional schizotypy items than Asian students. Trauma and racial discrimination explained 8 to 23% of the variance in each dimension of schizotypy. Racial discrimination did not moderate the relationships between trauma and multidimensional schizotypy. Our findings suggest that we need to examine risk factors that may prevent recovery from psychotic disorders. Additionally, disorganized schizotypy showed the most robust associations and may be a critical site of intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder are distinct neurodevelopmental disorders sharing clinically relevant behaviours. However, early sensory responses show divergent responses. Individuals with schizophrenia typically exhibit cortical hypo-excitability whereas individuals with autism show cortical hyperexcitability. Identifying reliable neurobiological differences between the disorders can diminish misdiagnosis and optimise treatments. The pattern glare test (PGT) is a simple measure of behavioural hyperexcitability. It measures the number of illusions seen in a static horizontal grating. We collected PGT data from non-clinical adults varying in traits of autism and schizophrenia (schizotypy). 576 undergraduate students completed an online survey consisting of the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire – Brief Revised, the Autism Spectrum Quotient, and the PGT. Subclinical autism and schizotypy traits were highly positively correlated. However, only schizotypy scores were significantly predictive of reporting more pattern glare (PG) illusions. When assessing the subcomponents of the schizotypy and autism scores, positive and disorganised schizotypy traits were predictive of reporting more PG illusions. Whereas, subclinical autism factors were not predictive of PG illusions. High schizotypy performed the PGT in a manner consistent with behavioural hyperexcitability. The PGT distinguished subclinical autistic traits from schizotypy, suggesting potential clinical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schizotypal personality pathology (SZP) is a persistent and debilitating problem for a substantial number of people. Research on SZP has typically emphasized its biological and more specifically genetic origins. However, recent research has highlighted the potential influence of trauma on SZP. This research is promising, although it has thus far focused primarily on type of trauma (e.g., different types of abuse vs. neglect in childhood) rather than who perpetrated the trauma. Previous studies on both personality pathology in general and psychotic-spectrum experiences characteristic of SZP in particular have highlighted the influence of trauma perpetrated by someone with whom the trauma survivor was close (i.e., betrayal trauma), although this has not yet been examined with respect to SZP specifically. In this study we examined this, evaluating the influence of trauma with varying degrees of betrayal on SZP in a sample of adults (N = 364) using structural equation modeling. Results suggest that interpersonal trauma in general was associated with higher levels of SZP. Findings further indicate that for women but not men, trauma with a high degree of betrayal was uniquely associated with SZP. These results underscore the potential role of trauma in SZP and have implications for future research on and intervention with people with high levels of SZP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recently proposed "Hyperfocusing hypothesis" suggests that schizotypy is associated with a more narrow but more intense way of allocating attention. The current study aims to test a vital prediction of this hypothesis in a social context, that schizotypy may be related to greater difficulty overcoming the distracting effects of gaze. This could cause a longer time to respond to targets that are invalidly cued by gaze. The current study tested this prediction in a modified Posner cueing paradigm by using P3 as an indicator for attentional resources. Seventy-four young healthy individuals with different levels of schizotypy were included, they were asked to detect the location of a target that was cued validly or invalidly by the gaze and head orientation. The results revealed that (a) schizotypy is associated with hyperfocusing on gaze direction, leading to greater difficulty overcoming the distracting effect of gaze. The higher the trait-schizotypy score, the more time needed to respond to targets that were invalidly cued by gaze (b) schizotypy is associated with reduced P3 which is directed by social communicative stimuli. The higher the trait-schizotypy score, the smaller the amplitude of P3 (c) the relationship between schizotypal traits and response times of the gaze-invalid condition is fully intermediated by P3. The findings of the current study suggest the P3 component may be a crucial neural mechanism underlying joint attention deficits in schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background It has been proposed that cat ownership may be a risk-modifying factor for schizophrenia-related disorders and psychotic-like experiences (PLE). This study aimed to systematically review and meta-analyze publications that reported the relationship between cat ownership and schizophrenia-related outcomes. Methodology We searched Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, and gray literature for publications between January 1, 1980, and May 30, 2023, regardless of geographical location and language. Backward citation search methods were used to locate additional articles. We included studies that reported original data on cat ownership and schizophrenia-related outcomes. We meta-analyzed estimates based on broad definitions (cat ownership, cat bites, and cat contact) with estimates with or without covariate adjustments. We pooled comparable estimates using random-effects models and assessed the risk of bias, heterogeneity, and study quality. Results We identified 1915 studies, of which 106 were chosen for full-text review, ultimately resulting in the inclusion of 17 studies. We found an association between broadly defined cat ownership and increased odds of developing schizophrenia-related disorders. For the studies reporting unadjusted odds ratios (OR; n = 10), the pooled OR was 2.14 (95% CI: 1.29–3.55). Exclusion of one outlier study resulted in a pooled OR (n = 9) of 1.56 (95% CI: 1.27–1.92). For the studies reporting adjusted estimates (n = 5), the pooled OR was 2.44 (95% CI: 1.59–3.73). After excluding one study with suboptimal exposure/design features, the pooled adjusted OR (n = 4) was 2.40 (95% CI: 1.50–3.86). We were unable to aggregate the estimates for the PLE outcomes because of the broad range of measures. Conclusions Our findings provide support for the hypothesis that cat exposure is associated with an increased risk of broadly defined schizophrenia-related disorders; however, the findings related to PLE as an outcome are mixed. There is a need for more high-quality studies in this field. PROSPERO registration PROSPERO 2023 CRD42023426974. Available from: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42023426974 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term schizotypy refers to the latent personality organization that is thought to underpin the liability to develop schizophrenia and associated disorders. Metacognition, or the ability to understand and form increasingly complex and integrated ideas of oneself, others, and one's community, has been proposed to be an important transdiagnostic construct across schizophrenia spectrum disorders and a range of both clinical and non-clinical manifestations of schizotypy. In this paper, we review evidence that deficits in metacognition are present in individuals with relatively high levels of schizotypy and that these deficits are related to symptomology, function, and quality of life. We address the idea that decrements in metacognition may also contribute to the progression from schizotypy to more severe manifestations, while the amelioration of these deficits may enhance aspects of recovery, including the ability to form an integrated sense of self, others, and the wider world. We also review the following two recovery-oriented psychotherapies that target metacognition to promote recovery in individuals with clinical manifestations of schizotypy: Evolutionary Systems Therapy for Schizotypy (ESTS) and Metacognitive Reflection and Insight Therapy (MERIT). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Psychotic symptoms and self-rated schizotypal phenomena have similar dimensional structures. Additionally, dissociative phenomena have conceptual links with psychosis/schizotypy and all of these phenotypes are associated with adverse life events (ALEs). The relationships between these factors among individuals with psychotic disorders are not well established and were investigated in this study. Method: 76 participants with any psychotic disorder were recruited from mental health services in West Yorkshire, UK. Lifetime psychotic and affective symptoms were assessed by research interviews and case record review. The self-rated Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) with additional questions regarding inappropriate affect, Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES), and questionnaires regarding cumulative adverse life events in childhood (CLEQ) and in the year before clinical onset (BLEQ) were also administered. Relationships between factors were assessed using Spearman correlations and linear regression analysis. Results: Correlations with relevant psychotic symptoms ranged from ~0.3 for some positive and negative SPQ subdomains to ~0 for disorganised subdomains. In contrast, SPQ and DES were highly correlated (~0.7). In univariate analysis, ALEs were associated with depression, DES, and positive and disorganised SPQ subdomains. In multivariable analysis, ALEs in childhood and before onset were independently associated with the SPQ Unusual perceptual experiences subdomain. Conclusion: Among individuals with psychotic disorders, neither SPQ nor DES questionnaire responses are likely to be useful proxies for psychotic symptoms. However, particularly questionnaire-based unusual perceptual experiences may be useful when assessing the range of phenomena associated with adverse life events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IntroductionEmotion recognition impairments and a tendency to misclassify neutral faces as negative are common in schizophrenia. A possible explanation for these deficits is aberrant salience attribution. To explore the possibility of salience driven emotion recognition deficits, we implemented a novel facial emotion salience task (FEST).MethodsSixty-six healthy participants with variations in psychometric schizotypy completed the FEST. In the FEST, we manipulated physical salience (FEST-1: contrast, FEST-2: saturation) of emotionally salient (positive, i.e., happy and negative, i.e., fearful) and non-salient (neutral) facial expressions.ResultsWhen salience was high (increased contrast), participants recognized negative facial expressions faster, whereas neutral faces were recognized more slowly and were more frequently misclassified as negative. When salience was low (decreased saturation), positive expressions were recognized more slowly. These measures were not associated with schizotypy in our sample.DiscussionOur findings show that the match between physical and emotional salience influences emotion recognition and suggest that the FEST is suitable to simulate aberrant salience processing during emotion recognition in healthy participants.

IntroductionDeficits in social functioning and decision-making are well-documented in schizophrenia, but their relationship with positive symptoms and social conflicts is poorly understood. We created a new paradigm based on the Dictator Game (DG) to explore differences in social decision-making between individuals experiencing high levels of psychotic-like experiences (PLEs), particularly hallucinations and delusions, and controls with less PLEs.MethodsA large community sample (N = 1,161) completed a DG in an online study whereby extreme groups were built based on the positive subscale of the CAPE.ResultsOverall, participants experiencing PLEs did not act less prosocial than controls but showed a somewhat aberrant decision-making behavior, particularly a pattern of behaving more prosocial in fair situations and generally favoring punishment over compensation relative to controls. Mediation analyses suggest that measures of empathy and Machiavellism have predictive power for prosocial behavior beyond group status.DiscussionThe present study raises the possibility that individuals with high levels of PLEs may be less able to adapt their behavior to the situation at hand than controls. These irregularities might be due to deficits in social cognition which may elicit conflict, thus compromising social functioning and possibly contributing to the formation of positive symptoms.

This study examined variations in positive well-being as a function of paranormal belief and schizotypy. A sample of 2,362 United Kingdom-based respondents completed self-report measures assessing paranormal belief, schizotypy, positive well-being (meaning in life, satisfaction with life, and self-esteem), paranormal experience, and belief in conspiracies. The paranormal belief was most strongly related to the cognitive–perceptual factor of schizotypy. Both paranormal belief and the cognitive–perceptual factor were associated with reporting paranormal experiences and endorsement of conspiracist beliefs. Despite commonality, paranormal belief and schizotypy were differentially related to well-being. Paranormal belief correlated positively with meaning in life (presence and search) and satisfaction with life. Schizotypy correlated negatively with presence, satisfaction with life, and self-esteem and positively with search. Latent profile analysis identified four subgroups: Profile 1, low belief and schizotypy (49% of the sample); Profile 2, low belief and cognitive–perceptual, moderate interpersonal and disorganised (13.6%); Profile 3, high belief, moderate cognitive–perceptual and interpersonal, low disorganised (24.3%); and Profile 4, high belief and schizotypy (13.1%). Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) found that low belief with mixed schizotypy was associated with lower presence, and low belief and schizotypy (vs. high) were related to higher presence. Paranormal belief and schizotypy were associated with greater search, higher scores on paranormal experiential factors, and endorsement of generic conspiracist beliefs. Finally, lower belief and schizotypy were concomitant with higher satisfaction with life and self-esteem. Overall, paranormal belief was related to positive well-being, whereas schizotypy was associated with lower positive wellbeing.

Schizotypy refers to a latent personality organization that reflects liability to schizophrenia. Because schizotypy is a multidimensional construct, people with schizotypy vary in behavioral and neurobiological features. In this article, we selectively review the neuropsychological and neurobiological profiles of people with schizotypy, with a focus on negative schizotypy. Empirical evidence is presented for alterations of neuropsychological performance in negative schizotypy. We also cover the Research Domain Criteria domains of positive valence, social process, and sensorimotor systems. Moreover, we systematically summarize the neurobiological correlates of negative schizotypy at the structural, resting-state, and task-based neural levels, as well as the neurochemical level. The convergence and inconsistency of the evidence are critically reviewed. Regarding theoretical and clinical implications, we argue that negative schizotypy represents a useful organizational framework for studying neuropsychology and neurobiology across different psychiatric disorders.

This article explores the concept of the bodily self and its disruptions in clinical populations. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the link between sensory perception, multisensory integration, and bodily self-representation for effective therapeutic interventions. The article also discusses the concept of peripersonal space and its relationship to bodily self-consciousness, particularly in psychological trauma-related disorders. The research contributions provide insights into the diverse ways in which the bodily self can be compromised and highlight the need for further exploration in this area. [Extracted from the article]

Abstract Background Comorbid personality disorders and obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) range between 33 and 87%. Patients having OCD more commonly receive cluster A (the odd and eccentric cluster) compared with other nonpsychotic patients. Poor insight levels within OCD increase disease severity and impair neuropsychological factors, where OCD patients exhibit poorer speech learning and memory. Objectives To assess schizotypal, autistic traits, and insight levels in patients with OCD. Methods Forty subjects with OCD were recruited from outpatient clinics of Kasr Alainy Psychiatry and Addiction Prevention Hospital and assessed using the Dimensional Yale-Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale (DYBOCS), Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-Brief Revised (SPQ-BR), and Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) while insight level was assessed using Brown Assessment of Beliefs Scale (BABS). Results Total DY-BOCS score was positively correlated with the AQ score and SPQ score. Global distress and interference subdomains of DY-BOCS were positively correlated with AQ, SPQ score, and Insight level (BABS). Indicating that the worse the insight the higher the distress and interference in daily life. Global distress and interference were also positively correlated to all subscales of SPQ. Aggressive obsessions were correlated with SPQ score, cognitive-perceptual (CP) traits, ideas of reference, and magical thinking. Contamination/cleaning obsessions were positively correlated with the level of insight (BABS). While sexual and religious obsessions were negatively correlated with the level of insight. Conclusion Increased severity of OCD is associated with more autistic symptoms, schizotypal symptoms, and poorer insight. No gender differences in OCD patients regarding severity, autistic symptoms, schizotypal symptoms, or insight.

Empirical research using the Empathic Accuracy Task (EAT) has suggested that schizophrenia patients and people with schizotypal personality disorder exhibit lower empathic accuracy than healthy people. However, empathic accuracy in a subclinical sample with high levels of schizotypy has seldom been studied. Our study aimed to investigate empathy in a subclinical sample using the Chinese version of the EAT and a self‐report empathy measure. Forty participants with high levels of schizotypy (HS participants) and 40 with low levels of schizotypy (LS participants), as measured by the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ), were recruited. All participants completed the Chinese version of the EAT and the self‐report Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy. Empathic accuracy (EA) scores and the intra‐individual variability of EA scores were calculated. Independent samples t tests and Pearson correlation analyses were performed to examine group differences in empathy and the relationship between empathy and schizotypy respectively. HS participants exhibited reduced EA for both positive and negative videos, and larger intra‐individual variability of EA for negative videos than LS participants. However, HS and LS participants did not differ in self‐report cognitive empathy. Moreover, the interpersonal dimension of the SPQ was negatively correlated with EAT performance and self‐report cognitive empathy in LS participants. Individuals with HS show poorer performance‐based EA but relatively intact self‐report cognitive empathy. This study provides empirical evidence for the ontogeny of empathy deficits in subclinical populations at risk of developing schizophrenia, supporting early interventions for social cognitive deficits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Comorbid personality disorders and obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) range between 33 and 87%. Patients having OCD more commonly receive cluster A (the odd and eccentric cluster) compared with other nonpsychotic patients. Poor insight levels within OCD increase disease severity and impair neuropsychological factors, where OCD patients exhibit poorer speech learning and memory. Objectives: To assess schizotypal, autistic traits, and insight levels in patients with OCD. Methods: Forty subjects with OCD were recruited from outpatient clinics of Kasr Alainy Psychiatry and Addiction Prevention Hospital and assessed using the Dimensional Yale-Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale (DYBOCS), Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-Brief Revised (SPQ-BR), and Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) while insight level was assessed using Brown Assessment of Beliefs Scale (BABS). Results: Total DY-BOCS score was positively correlated with the AQ score and SPQ score. Global distress and interference subdomains of DY-BOCS were positively correlated with AQ, SPQ score, and Insight level (BABS). Indicating that the worse the insight the higher the distress and interference in daily life. Global distress and interference were also positively correlated to all subscales of SPQ. Aggressive obsessions were correlated with SPQ score, cognitive-perceptual (CP) traits, ideas of reference, and magical thinking. Contamination/cleaning obsessions were positively correlated with the level of insight (BABS). While sexual and religious obsessions were negatively correlated with the level of insight. Conclusion: Increased severity of OCD is associated with more autistic symptoms, schizotypal symptoms, and poorer insight. No gender differences in OCD patients regarding severity, autistic symptoms, schizotypal symptoms, or insight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) have become a serious topic in the US Congress, and new legislation has been released outlining a plan for declassification for the public. There are numerous factors that could lead an individual to mistakenly think they saw a UAP, including the proclivities of the personalities that observe what they think to be a UAP. This study examined the big five personality traits: extraversion, neuroticism, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness, as well as schizotypy traits, to see if UAP experiencers could be distinguished from people who had not seen a UAP. The study included 206 participants, with 103 people who self-reported to have seen a UAP. Latent profile analysis was conducted on the personality variables to explore the grouping of participants. Group one was average on the traits, a second cluster was labeled as the Neurotic/Schizotypy group, which was high in neuroticism and schizotypy traits, and a third group was labeled as O-ACE, which were high on openness, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and extraversion but low on neuroticism and schizotypy traits. The findings indicated that the O-ACE group was more likely to see UAP, but this effect was not strong. A presumptuous stereotype exists in the general public that people who see UAP are probably people who are emotionally reactive (neurotic) and vulnerable to perceptual and cognitive abnormalities, but this was not evident in our data. We also found that the descriptive UAP accounts by the general public were similar to the descriptions provided by military witnesses. It was also of note that only 28% of participants reported their sightings anywhere, and 14% used a UFO reporting organization, which suggests that events are vastly underreported. Stigma and a lack of places to legitimately report sightings appeared to be primary barriers. The conclusion of this study is that personality factors are an insufficient explanation for most UAP sightings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Empathy is a multifaceted concept that is vital to effective social functioning; yet, it is impaired in high schizotypy groups. Furthermore, empathy has been found to be a mediator in the relationship between schizotypy and social functioning, highlighting the importance of empathy as a driver in social outcomes. Despite this, the four-factor structure of a widely-used measure of empathy—the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI)—has been found to be psychometrically weak in high schizotypy samples. As such, this study aimed to assess differences in the item-level network of the IRI between high (n = 427) and low schizotypy groups (n = 470). The results reveal that there are significant differences in the structure of these networks, though they evidence similar strengths. Within the high schizotypy group, the network structure was consistent with the four-factor structure of the IRI subscales; items from each subscale clustered together and were distinct from those in the other subscales. By contrast, the low schizotypy group evidenced six clusters that did not mirror the IRI subscales. These results suggest that the item-level structure of the IRI is dependent upon the level of schizotypy of the sample, with the high schizotypy group's network functioning similarly to what would be expected from the original four-factor structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals with high schizotypy or schizophrenia exhibit difficulties in distributing their attention across space, leading to a reduction in their "perceptual span" – the extent of visual space that can be attended to at once. In this study, we aim to explore the correlation between schizotypy and perceptual span in a non-clinical sample to investigate whether perceptual span correlates with schizotypy across its range. Schizotypy was assessed in fifty-five participants using the Schizotypy Personality Questionnaire (SPQ; Raine, 1991). Participants were required to attend to two dynamic targets displayed in a head-mounted virtual reality display. Perceptual span was estimated as the lateral angle of separation between the two targets beyond which performance in the task dropped to threshold. Participants with higher schizotypy scores performed significantly worse on the task. Of all the factors associated with schizotypy, the shared variance between Disorganisation and Cognitive/Perceptual Factors was most predictive of task performance. The results support the hypothesis that schizotypy predicts perceptual span in non-clinical samples. Furthermore, the demonstration of a reduced perceptual span in individuals with higher trait schizotypy shows that variations in an individual's capacity to divide attention across space can be accurately captured using a virtual reality head-mounted display. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poor sleep quality has been tied to worse social cognition. Social cognitive deficits have been noted in those with high schizotypy. Yet, no study has assessed whether schizotypy moderates the relationship between sleep quality and social cognition, which may be vital to our understanding of contributors to social functioning. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of associations of sleep quality and social cognition, with potential moderation by schizotypy. Participants (n = 906) completed self-report measures of schizotypy, sleep quality, and social cognition. Levels of schizotypy significantly moderated some of the relationships between sleep and social cognition. For participants low in total or interpersonal schizotypy, worse sleep quality was associated with worse theory of mind scores. For participants low in total, disorganized, or cognitive perceptual schizotypy, worse sleep quality was associated with worse self-reported cognitive empathy. For those high in these facets of schizotypy, worse sleep quality was associated with better self-reported cognitive empathy. These results suggest that the individual facets of schizotypy provide additional information and, therefore, are important to assess when examining social cognition and sleep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between affective disturbances and aberrant salience in the context of childhood trauma, attachment, and mentalization in an analogue study. Methods: Using a cross‐sectional design, an online community sample completed self‐report measures of key variables. Structural equation modelling was used to test childhood trauma's influence on aberrant salience via a set of intermediate risk factors (depression, negative schizotypy, and insecure attachment). These intermediate risk factors were assumed to lead to the proximal risk factors of aberrant salience (i.e., disorganized schizotypy and disorganized attachment) depending on the vulnerability of mentalizing capacity to elevated stress. Results: The sample (N = 1263) was 78% female and aged between 18 and 35 years. The tested models closely fitted the observed data, revealing significant pathways from childhood trauma to aberrant salience via the hypothesized pathways. The direct effect of childhood trauma on aberrant salience was significant. Conclusion: Findings suggest that the pathway to aberrant salience may be characterized by disorganization of self‐state and intersubjectivity as a function of diminishment in mentalizing ability. This may relate to changes in attachment organization and socio‐cognitive capacity, which could constitute possible risk factors signalling development of aberrant salience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to remember our past and to imagine the future are critical to our sense of self. Previous research has indicated that they are disrupted in schizophrenia. However, it is unclear (i) whether this is found when examining experimenter-scored indices of content and/or participants' self-report of phenomenological characteristics, and (ii) how these abilities might be related to symptoms. This study sought to address these questions by taking a dimensional approach and measuring positive and negative schizotypal experiences in healthy people (n = 90). Participants were given cue words. For some, they remembered an event from the past and for others they generated an event in the future. No significant relationships were found with any aspect of schizotypy when participants' descriptions were scored by the experimenter according to a standardised episodic content measure. In contrast, several significant positive correlations were observed for past memory and future thinking when examining the positive dimension of schizotypy and participants' ratings, particularly to sensory characteristics of the experience and mental pre- or reliving. These results indicate enhanced subjective experiences of autobiographical memory and future thinking in those who report delusional and hallucinatory-like occurrences, which might be linked to mental imagery or metacognitive alterations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visual illusions provide a unique opportunity to understand cognitive and perceptual alterations in schizophrenia-spectrum conditions. Schizophrenia patients often exhibit increased susceptibility to the Müller-Lyer illusion. Here, we investigate susceptibility to the Müller-Lyer visual illusion in the general population with different levels of schizotypy. We assessed a population-based convenience sample (N = 263) on an online platform. In addition to basic demographics, participants completed the Müller-Lyer illusion, the Cardiff Anomalous Perceptions Scale (CAPS) to measure perceptual anomalies, and the Multidimensional Schizotypy Scale – Brief (MSS-B) for schizotypic traits. To evaluate what predicts susceptibility to the illusion, we fitted a large set of multilevel logistic regression models and performed model averaging over the coefficients. We found support for increased illusion susceptibility among individuals with high positive schizotypy. However, we did not find a comparable effect for anomalous perceptions alone, or for negative or disorganized schizotypy. The increased Müller-Lyer effect in positive schizotypy might be specific to delusion-like beliefs and magical ideation. Further research is needed to clarify how a hierarchical Bayesian formulation of brain function (e.g. imbalances between bottom-up perceptual processing and substantial reliance on prior expectations) can account for the Müller-Lyer effect in schizophrenia-spectrum conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing literature suggests that humiliation experiences, coupled with a negative family context, significantly predicts persecutory ideation in non-clinical participants. Whether this may also be linked to attenuated psychotic experiences is unknown. The current study aimed to assess whether familial adversity and humiliation may be related to hallucination-like experiences (HLEs) and other psychotic symptoms, and if state anxiety significantly contributed to these relationships. This cross-sectional study recruited a community sample of 93 adults (38% male; mean age = 27.3 years, standard deviation = 10.8 years), who completed measures of maladaptive familial environments, past and anticipated humiliation experiences, state anxiety and attenuated psychotic symptoms. Correlations and hierarchical regressions tested for direct and indirect relationships amongst study variables. A maladaptive family context, and humiliation (past and anticipated) were positively correlated with HLEs, and facets of attenuated psychotic symptoms. Anxiety uniquely predicted audio-visual and multisensory HLEs. Past humiliation and anxiety jointly predicted cognitive-perceptual disturbance and disorganisation, whereas fear of humiliation and anxiety jointly predicted interpersonal difficulty. Elevated state anxiety, coupled with humiliation, may increase attenuated psychotic symptoms in adulthood. Future research is needed to ascertain if these relationships hold true in clinical cohorts to examine the clinical significance of these data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Hypothesis Hallucinations are characterized by disturbances in perceptual decision-making about environmental stimuli. When integrating across multiple stimuli to form a perceptual decision, typical observers engage in "robust averaging" by down-weighting extreme perceptual evidence, akin to a statistician excluding outlying data. Furthermore, observers adapt to contexts with more unreliable evidence by increasing this down-weighting strategy. Here, we test the hypothesis that hallucination-prone individuals (n  = 38 high vs n  = 91 low) would show a decrease in this robust averaging and diminished sensitivity to changes in evidence variance. Study Design We used a multielement perceptual averaging task to elicit dichotomous judgments about the "average color" (red/blue) of an array of stimuli in trials with varied strength (mean) and reliability (variance) of decision-relevant perceptual evidence. We fitted computational models to task behavior, with a focus on a log-posterior-ratio (LPR) model which integrates evidence as a function of the log odds of each perceptual option and produces a robust averaging effect. Study Results Hallucination-prone individuals demonstrated less robust averaging, seeming to weigh inlying and outlying extreme or untrustworthy evidence more equally. Furthermore, the model that integrated evidence as a function of the LPR of the two perceptual options and produced robust averaging showed poorer fit for the group prone to hallucinations. Finally, the weighting strategy in hallucination-prone individuals remained insensitive to evidence variance. Conclusions Our findings provide empirical support for theoretical proposals regarding evidence integration aberrations in psychosis and alterations in the perceptual systems that track statistical regularities in environmental stimuli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Schizophrenia stands as one of the most studied and storied disorders in the history of clinical psychology; however, it remains a nexus of conflicting and competing conceptualizations. Patients endure great stigma, poor treatment outcomes, and condemnatory prognosis. Current conceptualizations suffer from unstable categorical borders, heterogeneity in presentation, outcome and etiology, and holes in etiological models. Taken in aggregate, research and clinical experience indicate that the class of psychopathologies oriented toward schizophrenia are best understood as spectra of phenomenological, cognitive, and behavioral modalities. These apparently taxonomic expressions are rooted in normal human personality traits as described in both psychodynamic and Five Factor personality models, and more accurately represent explicable distress reactions to biopsychosocial stress and trauma. Current categorical approaches are internally hampered by axiomatic bias and systemic inertia rooted in the foundational history of psychological inquiry; however, when such axioms are schematically decentralized, convergent cross-disciplinary evidence outlines a more robust explanatory construct. By reconceptualizing these disorders under a dimensional and cybernetic model, the aforementioned issues of instability and inaccuracy may be resolved, while simultaneously opening avenues for both early detection and intervention, as well as for more targeted and effective treatment approaches.