LATERAL PREFERENCE AND NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL CORRELATES OF SCHIZOTYPY

A battery of 11 schizotypy questionnaires was administered to 316 male undergraduates. The scores of the 266 white subjects were subjected to a principal components analysis, and 73 subjects scoring at the upper and lower ends of the factor score distribution based on the first unrotated component were recalled for neuropsychological testing. The battery of neuropsychological tests consisted of four tests of motoric performance, four subtests from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised, the conjugate lateral eye movement test, and a lateral preference questionnaire. Subjects high on schizotypy did not differ from low scorers on overall neuropsychological performance or performance asymmetries. High scorers did show a sinistral shift in hand and foot preference and more crossed dominance compared with controls. Asians scored significantly higher than whites on several schizotypy scales, raising the question of a possible ethnic bias in these measures.