HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS Psychiatric Bulletin Advances in Psychiatric Treatment All RCPsych Journals		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Submit an eLetter Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Broadhurst, A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Broadhurst, A.

Experimental Studies of the Mental Speed of Schizophrenics

II. Effects of Practice

Springfield Hospital, Upper Tooting

^* A preliminary report (3) of this work was read at the 1957 Annual Conference of the British Psychological Society at St. Andrews.

ABSTRACT

In an attempt to improve the speed of mental functioning of schizophrenics, a group of eight patients was given practice in tests of intellectual speed and level for five consecutive days. Significant improvements attributable to practice were noted, particularly in the speed tests. A similarly marked improvement in mental speed scores was observed in a comparable group of seven normal subjects also tested on five consecutive days. A comparison of the two groups showed that the improvement in mental speed of the schizophrenics was superior to that of the normals, but this was not true in the level test. An experiment on the ldtransfer" of the found improvability of the schizophrenic subjects indicated that the improvement can be generalized, at least to similar tests of mental speed.

The results are examined in terms of the concept of reactive inhibition, and the implications of the findings for the treatment of schizophrenics briefly noted.