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Dissertation
The cognitive correlates of autonomic functioning in patients with schizophrenia
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Drexel University
1998
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00010186
Abstract
The specific goal of this dissertation is to determine the relationship between cognitive functioning and autonomic functioning in chronic schizophrenia patients. The present study represents a first attempt to empirically test the relationship between a full set of neuropsychological tests and a complement of both tonic and phasic measures of autonomic functioning. A sample of forty-three patients with schizophrenia was examined to determine if sympathetic arousal has a general, common effect across all cognitive domains, or selective effects on particular domains of function. Cognitive functioning was assessed through composite measures of functioning in 11 neuropsychological domains, and with selected individual tests that capture the distinction between automatic and effortful processing. Autonomic functioning was assessed through measures of tonic and phasic skin conductance levels. It was hypothesized, based on several findings and theoretical positions, that low autonomic arousal would have a non-selective negative effect across all cognitive domains. In general, the hypotheses of this study were not supported. Results indicated several trends showing that cognitive performance is better when autonomic arousal is lower. The results of a Discriminant Function Analysis yielded no significant differences between patients identified as consistently phasically high or low and performance on cognitive tests. Alternate factors such as medication regimen, smoking status, symptomatology, duration of illness, education and gender, also did not appear to affect either cognitive performance or autonomic arousal levels. Results are discussed in light of several models of information processing, methodological considerations, and major models of arousal and performance (e.g., the Yerkes-Dodson law). It is emphasized that the reduced levels of autonomic arousal under cognitive demand as observed in the present study, may reflect methodological issues that need to be addressed in future research of this nature.
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Details
- Title
- The cognitive correlates of autonomic functioning in patients with schizophrenia
- Creators
- Catherine Ann Monaco
- Contributors
- Douglas L. Chute (Advisor) - Drexel University, Drexel University (1970-)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- ix, 157 pages
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- College of Arts and Sciences; Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 991021888979104721