Speech production and disorganization in schizotypy: Investigating the role of cognitive and affective systems

Diminished productivity and elevated disorganization have been detected in the speech of individuals with schizotypy. However, the underlying mechanisms for these disruptions are not well understood. Separate lines of research suggest potential contributions from cognitive and affective systems. In this study, disorganized speech and speech production were examined in speech samples generated by schizotypy (n = 47) and non-schizotypy (n = 51) groups by assessing "reactivity" (i.e., a change in experimental compared with baseline conditions) across baseline, affective, and dual-task (i.e., cognitive) conditions. Relationships with social functioning were also examined within each group. Three key findings emerged: 1) compared to the non-schizotypy group, those with schizotypy exhibited diminished speech production in the affective condition and affective reactivity was observed; 2) the schizotypy group displayed greater levels of disorganized speech in dual-task conditions and cognitive reactivity was observed; and 3) affective reactivity for disorganized speech was linked to worse social functioning within the schizotypy group. This study provides evidence that cognitive and affective systems are uniquely involved in separate characteristics of speech in schizotypy. At this stage, cognitive systems appear to have a specific role in the organization of speech, whereas affective systems are more heavily involved in speech production. Regarding the association between affective reactivity and social functioning, previous research has demonstrated individuals highly reactive to emotional stimuli carry additional risk for conversion to psychosis. Future research identifying a subset with schizotypy who demonstrate affective reactivity could lead to a better understanding of links between schizotypy and future psychosis symptoms.