Attentional asymmetry in schizophrenia: Disengagement and inhibition of return deficits

This research examined 2 components of visual orienting in medicated schizo phrenia patients: the validity effect and the inhibition of return (IOR). I n the Ist experiment, patients showed the expected asymmetry in orienting a ttention, that is, larger validity effect in the right visual field than in the left. However, this asymmetry was due to a deficit in facilitatory pro cesses rather than a disengagement deficit. In addition, patients showed a deficit in IOR. In the 2nd experiment, a 2nd central cue for summoning atte ntion, explicitly, back to the center was used. In this experiment, normal IOR in schizophrenia patients was found. Because it was shown that schizoph renia patients do not have a disengagement deficit, IOR possibly could not be observed because of the increased facilitation in that location. It was proposed that the abnormality in visual attention in schizophrenia is due t o a deficit in inhibitory processes.