DO SCHIZOPHRENIC-PATIENTS SHOW A DISJUNCTIVE RELATIONSHIP AMONG EXPRESSIVE, EXPERIENTIAL, AND PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL COMPONENTS OF EMOTION

Recent research has found a discrepancy between schizophrenic patients ' outward expression of emotion and their reported emotional experienc e. In this study, which attempts to replicate and extend the findings of previous studies, participants with and without schizophrenia viewe d emotional film clips while their facial expressions were videotaped and skin conductance was recorded. Participants also reported their su bjective experience of emotion following each film. Those with schizop hrenia were less facially expressive than controls during the emotiona l films and reported experiencing as much positive and negative emotio n, replicating previous findings. Additionally, schizophrenic patients exhibited greater skin conductance reactivity to all films than contr ols. These findings suggest a disjunction among emotional response dom ains for schizophrenic patients; alternative explanations for the find ings are considered as well as suggestions for future research.