Redundancy, Pause Distributions and Thought Disorder in Schizophrenia

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Abstract
Recent studies have indicated that schizophrenics with current evidence of formal thought disorder (FTD) can be distinguished from schizophrenics without such disorder on measures of ability to use available redundancies in the recall of words, redundancy and lexicon variability of spoken language, and deficient motor synchrony in the production of rhythmic movements. This investigation examined pause patterns, redundancy, word frequency, and disordered thinking in a group of conservatively diagnosed schizophrenic patients, utilizing Butterworth's model of language production. It was hypothesized that schizophrenics with FTD would be more vulnerable than those without FTD to breakdown in control processes of the interactive type than the autonomous type because of impaired capacities for involuntary attention. The results indicate that schizophrenics with FTD show a disruption of the normal systematic relationship between word redundancy and pauses in speech. This disruption is not found in schizophrenics without FTD, whose responses resemble those of normal speakers. The results are discussed in the light of attempts to integrate findings from language and motor research in schizophrenia.