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LD3907 * S
•G7 Jasnow, Alexander, 1915-
1951 Conceptual impairment in schizophrenia
.J3 as related to impairment in perceptual
processes.
266p. tables.
Thesis (Ph.D.) - N.Y.U., Graduate
School, 1951."
Bibliography:p.261-266.
C8d|-65
I.Schizophrenia. 2.Dissertations,
Academic - H.Y.U. - 1951. I.Title.
) ‘
Shelf List
Xerox University Microfilms, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106
THIS DISSERTATION HAS BEEN MICROFILMED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED.
LIBRARY OF
NEt YORK UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY HEIGHT?
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY
Graduate School of Arts and Science
CONCEPTUAL IMPAIRMENT IN SCHIZOPHRENIA
AS RELATED TO IMPAIRMENT IN PERCEPTUAL
PROCESSES
by
Alexander Jasnow
A dissertation in the Department
of Psychology submitted in partial
fulfillment of the requirements for
the degree of Doctor of Philosophy
at New York University.
April, 1951
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The writer is deeply grateful to
Dr. Thomas N. Jenkins for his supervision and
consistently helpful criticism of this research
from its inception to its present stage.
He wishes to acknowledge, his debt to the
Veterans Administration in whose facilities this
research was conducted. He is grateful to ,
Dr. Robert S. Morrow, Chief Clinical Psychologist,
Bronx Veterans Hospital, Dr. G. M. Gilbert, Chief
Clinical Psychologist, Northport Veterans Hospital,
and Dr. Stanley S. Schwartz, formerly Acting Chief
Clinical Psychologist, Northport Veterans Hospital,
for their cooperation in obtaining subjects for this
study.
To his friends and colleagues, Dr. Jacob Cohen
and Dr. Louis M. Rosenberg, special thanks for the
help and encouragement they supplied in the course
of this research. The writer is also indebted to
Dr. Leopold Winter, Chief Clinical Psychologist,
Veterans Hospital, Augusta, Ga. for his assistance
in the preparation of experimental material for this
study.
^
2 0 4 5
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter
I. INTRODUCTION 1
Relationship between Clinical
and General Psychology 1
Influence of Clinical Upon
Experimental Psychology 2
The Nature of the Present Study 5
Empirical Base of Present Study 6
Theoretical Aspects of the problem 10
Role of Attitude in Perception
and in Conceptual Functioning 14
The Schizophrenic Process and
Cognitive Functioning 16
The "Concrete" and "Abstract"
Attitudes 19
Final Statement of Problem 23
II RELATED LITERATURE 26
Intellectual Functioning in
Schizophrenia as Evaluated
by Tests of General Intelligence 26
Evaluation of Thinking Disturbance
in Schizophrenia Through the Use
of "Special" tests 53
Literature on Perceptual Function
ing in Schizophrenia - Rorschach
Studies 47
Perceptual Functioning in Schizo
phrenia - Non-Rorschach Litera
ture 52
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter
III RESEARCH DESIGN AND PROCEDURE 56
Subjects - Experimental Group 56
Subjects - Normal Control Group 62
Experimental Methods - The Concept'
ual Variable 66
Specific Techniques to be used
in the Evaluation of the
Conceptual Vatiable 69
A. Level of Conceptual
Functioning 69
B. Evaluation of "Shift" 79
C. Evaluation of "Concept
Span" 81
Experimental Methods - The
Perceptual Variable 83
Rotation of Experimental
Variables 92
IV RESULTS 94
The Conceptual Variable - Evalu
ation of "Level of Conceptual
Functioning" 95
Object Sorting I - Active Sorting 96
Object Sorting II - Passive Sort
ing 103
Verbal Sorting I - Reaction to
Stimulus Words 109
Verbal Sorting II - Active Sorting 114
Verbal Sorting Ill-Passive Sorting 119
Summary of Findings with Respect
to "Conceptual Level" 126
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Bhapter
IV (continued)
The Conceptual Variable -
Evaluation of "Shift" 129
Color-Form Shift 129
Verbal Shift 151
Summary of Results on "Shift" 131
The Conceptual Variable -
Evaluation of "Concept Span" 133
Summary of Results on "Concept
Span" 137
The Perceptual Variable 139
The Perceptual Variable-Thirty
Second Time Limit 139
The Perceptual Variable-Three
Second Time Limit 141
The Perceptual Variable-Two
Second Time Limit 144
Summary of Results on the
Perceptual Variable 144
Establishing the Conceptually
Unimpaired and Conceptually
Impaired Schizophrenic Groups 147
Evaluation of the Perceptual
Functioning of the Conceptually
Unimpaired and Conceptually
Impaired Schizophrenic Groups 154
Summary of Results - Perceptual
Functioning of Conceptually
Unimpaired and Conceptually
Impaired Schizophrenic Groups 160
Establishing the Perceptually
Unimpaired and Perceptually
Impaired Schizophrenic Groups 161
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter
IV (continued)
Incidence of Conceptual
Impairment Compared to
Incidence of Perceptual
Impairment in the Clinical
Groups 168
Evaluation of the Relation
of Conceptual Impairment
to Perceptual Impairment 169
Analysis of "unsuccessful"
Responses in the Perceptual
Task 171
V DISCUSSION 176
The Conceptual Variable 176
The Perceptual Variable 187
Relation of the Conceptual and
Perceptual Variables in the
Schizophrenic Groups 198
Theoretical Implications of the
Study 202
VI SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 216
Purpose of Study 216
Methods 216
Conclusions 221
Implications for Future Research 227
APPENDICES 230
BIBLIOGRAPHY 261
LIST OF TABLES
Table
I Distribution of Experimental Subjects
By Schizophrenic Sub-Type Categories 61
II Means and Standard Deviations of Norm
als, Non-Deteriorated and Deterior
ated Schizophrenics on Age, Education
and Vocabulary Score - Significance of
Mean Differences 63
III Significance of Variance Differences
Between Groups on Equating Criteria
Summary of F Test Results 65
IV Object Sorting I - Active Sorting
Frequency of Responses in Various
Conceptual Categories for Normals,
Non-Deteriorated and Deteriorated
Schizophrenics 96
V Object Sorting I - Active Sorting
Summary of Analysis of Variance Results 98
VI Object Sorting I - Active Sorting
Summary of Chi Square Results 100
VII Object Sorting II - Passive Sorting
Frequency of Responses in Various
Conceptual Categories for Normals,
Non-Deteriorated and Deteriorated
Schizophrenics 104
VIII Object Sorting II - Passive Sorting
Summary of Analysis of Variance Results 106
IX Object Sorting II - Passive Sorting
Summary of Chi Square Results 108
X Verbal Sorting I - Reaction to Stimulus
Words - Frequency of Responses in
Various Reaction Categories for Norm
als, Non-Deteriorated and Deteriorated
Schizophrenics 111
LIST OF TABLES
Table
XI Verbal Sorting I - Reaction to Stimulus
Words - Summary of Analysis of
Variance Results 113
XII Verbal Sorting I - Reaction to Stimulus
Words - Summary of Chi Square Results 115
XIII Verbal Sorting II - Active Sorting
Frequency of Responses in Various
Conceptual Categories for Normals,
Non-Deteriorated and Deteriorated
Schizophrenics 116
XIV Verbal Sorting II - Active Sorting
Summary of Analysis of Variance
Results 118
XV Verbal Sorting II - Active Sorting
Summary of Chi Square Results 120
XVI Verbal Sorting III - Passive Sorting
Frequency of Responses in Various
Conceptual Categories For Normals,
Non-Deteriorated and Deteriorated
Schizophrenics 121
XVII Verbal Sorting III - Passive Sorting
Summary of Analysis of Variance
Results 123
XVIII Verbal Sorting III - Passive Sorting
Summary of Chi Square Results 125
XIX Comparison of Normals, Non-Deterior
ated and Deteriorated Schizophrenics
as to Incidence of "Adequate" Types
of Conceptual Functioning
Summary of "t" Test Results 127
XX Success on Color-Form Shift
Chi Square Results 130
XXI Success on Verbal Shift
Analysis of Variance Results 132
XXII Evaluation of Conceptual Equivalence in
Three Situations in Clinical Groups
in Terms of Mean Scores 135
