Conceptual sequencing and disordered speech in schizophrenia

This study examined associations between impairments of attention, memory, and conceptual sequencing ability, and specific schizophrenia thought and l anguage symptoms. Speech samples of stable schizophrenia outpatients were a ssessed for frequencies of six different types of communication failures. T he classification of types of failures was based on hypothesized difference s in underlying cognitive process. Frequencies of the four types of communi cation failures believed to involve language structural weaknesses all were significantly and fairly strongly related to conceptual sequencing ability . In addition, regression analyses indicated that each of these four types of communication failures was associated with a unique configuration of att entional, memorial, and conceptual sequencing processes. In contrast, the t wo types of communication disturbances not suggestive of language structura l problems were not positively associated with any of the cognitive weaknes ses assessed.