Traditional test administration and proactive interference undermine visual-spatial working memory performance in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders

Todd A. Girard*, Leanne K. Wilkins, Kathleen M. Lyons, Lixia Yang, Bruce K. Christensen

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    2 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Introduction: Working-memory (WM) is a core cognitive deficit among individuals with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders (SSD). However, the underlying cognitive mechanisms of this deficit are less known. This study applies a modified version of the Corsi Block Test to investigate the role of proactive interference in visuospatial WM (VSWM) impairment in SSD. Methods: Healthy and SSD participants completed a modified version of the Corsi Block Test involving both high (typical ascending set size from 4 to 7 items) and low (descending set size from 7 to 4 items) proactive interference conditions. Results: The results confirmed that the SSD group performed worse overall relative to a healthy comparison group. More importantly, the SSD group demonstrated greater VSWM scores under low (Descending) versus high (Ascending) proactive interference; this pattern is opposite to that of healthy participants. Conclusions: This differential pattern of performance supports that proactive interference associated with the traditional administration format contributes to VSWM impairment in SSD. Further research investigating associated neurocognitive mechanisms and the contribution of proactive interference across other domains of cognition in SSD is warranted.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)242-253
    Number of pages12
    JournalCognitive Neuropsychiatry
    Volume23
    Issue number4
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 4 Jul 2018

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