THE FACTOR STRUCTURE OF SCHIZOTYPAL TRAITS - A LARGE REPLICATION STUDY

The heterogeneity of sckizotypal trails, suggested in previous researc h, was further investigated in a sample of subjects (N = 1095) adminis tered a composite questionnaire consisting of a large number of publis hed scales the majority of which were designed to measure psychotic ch aracteristics. Factor analysis confirmed the four components previousl y indicated in our work with the same instrument; namely, 'aberrant pe rceptions and beliefs', 'cognitive disorganization', 'introvertive anh edonia' and 'asocial behaviour'. This structure was maintained regardl ess of whether or not the analysis included scales from the Eysenck Pe rsonality Questionnaire, which might otherwise have been held to expla in the variance. 'Aberrant perceptions and beliefs '-reminiscent of th e positive symptoms of schizophrenia-was the strongest component; but, given the multidimensional nature of the data, together with the patt ern of factor loadings and intercorrelations for the scales involved, it was concluded that the broader term 'psychosis-proneness' or 'psych oticism' (in a non-Eysenckian sense) might be a better descriptor of t he clinical and personality domain sampled.