Size constancy in psychopathology.

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Abstract
Size-constancy judgments were made by 21 schizophrenics, 17 psychotically depressed, 16 hysterical character disordered patients, and 35 normal controls. Judgments were obtained for a neutral stimulus, a circle of light, under 4 experimental conditions which varied the number of distance cues available to the subject. The psychotic patients were more constant in all experimental conditions; all groups exhibited increasing constancy with increasing distance cues. Anchor effects were less for the controls and most marked in the schizophrenics and hysterical character disorders when distance cues were minimal. Results are interpreted as a function of an integrative defect in perception relating to psychosis rather than specific to schizophrenia. It is hypothesized that the psychotics are more sensitive to the information available whether or not such information leads to veridical perception.

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