PROFILE OF SCHIZOPHRENIC INPATIENTS IN THE STROOP COLOR-WORD TEST

In a controlled study the STROOP-test was performed in 175 schizophrenic inpatients and 143 alcoholics, treated in the mental State Hospital Haar-Munich. The STROOP-test was used in the version of the Color-Word-Interference-Test (FWIT) by BAUMLER (1985). The FWIT includes the subtests 1) reading of color-words 2) naming of color bars and 3) naming of color-words under interference conditions in a standardized form. The alcoholics achieved average to slightly above average results in all three subtests. According to our study no impairment of cognitive functions could be measured in the FWIT in patients with alcohol abuse. Schizophrenic inpatients showed deficits in ah subtests demonstrating a general disturbance in information processing. Moreover there is an imbalanced profile in the schizophrenics with special deficits in naming color bars in comparison to reading color-words and the interference condition. In contrast to previous interference theories our results demonstrate a reduced distraction by interferring stimuli in schizophrenics. This is in agreement with clinical sydromes of formal thought disorder like thought block, poverty of thinking, circumstantiality, rigidity etc.. The main cognitive deficit in schizophrenics is to define a given concept precisely, therefore they can be called ''legasthenics in naming''.