Characteristics of communication of schizophrenic, neurotic, and healthy adolescents

Research on communication skills in psychotic patients demonstrates that in dialogues schizophrenics neglect the needs of the listener. There are only few linguistic studies which investigate the speech of schizophrenic child ren and adolescents. The verbal and non-verbal communication of schizophren ic, neurotic, and healthy adolescents during a problem solving situation wa s transcribed and compared by a content analysis. The transcripts were scre ened for dialogue control and communication disturbance of verbal/non-verba l activities of the speaker and listener: Dialogue control was defined by t he variables signals of the speaker or signals of hearer and eye or body co ntact of the test person to the experimenter. Communication disturbance was defined as the amount of incomprehensible articulation and selections. Neu rotic test persons produce the highest signals of speaker rate. In dialogue s with neurotic and schizophrenic test persons the experimenter uses more s ignals of hearer than in dialogues with healthy test persons. In dialogues with neurotic test persons the experimenter shows more signals of the speak er than in dialogues with healthy test persons. Schizophrenics neglect more often the statements of the experimenter than in other dialogues and vice versa. Although the experimenter was instructed to restricted verbal behavi or the communication intensifyed in the neurotic group. The communication i n the schizophrenic group was characterized by frequent communication distu rbance.