INDIRECT SEMANTIC PRIMING IN SCHIZOPHRENIC-PATIENTS

Schizophrenic patients and normal controls performed a lexical decisio n task involving the recognition of words which were preceded (primed) by either associated, indirectly associated, or non-associated words. In contrast to normal control subjects who showed no indirect semanti c priming effect at an inter-stimulus interval (ISI) of 0 ms, a trend towards such an indirect semantic priming effect was found in schizoph renic patients. With a longer ISI of 500 ms, an indirect semantic prim ing effect was obtained in both groups. In the framework of network mo dels of semantic memory, the results are interpreted as further eviden ce for an increase in activation or decrease in inhibition in the spre ading of associational activation in schizophrenic patients.