Deficits in Analytic and Common-Sense Reasoning in Schizophrenia

Bora E., Yalincetin B., Akdede B. B., ALPTEKİN K.

The Journal of nervous and mental disease, vol.211, no.5, pp.376-381, 2023 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 211 Issue: 5
  • Publication Date: 2023
  • Doi Number: 10.1097/nmd.0000000000001635
  • Journal Name: The Journal of nervous and mental disease
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, ATLA Religion Database, BIOSIS, CAB Abstracts, Child Development & Adolescent Studies, CINAHL, Educational research abstracts (ERA), EMBASE, MEDLINE, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, Psycinfo, Violence & Abuse Abstracts
  • Page Numbers: pp.376-381
  • Keywords: Schizophrenia, logical reasoning, formal thought disorder, theory of mind, neurocognition
  • Dokuz Eylül University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Human rationality has a dual nature including analytic and common-sense thinking. Symptoms of schizophrenia have been suggested to be related to deficits in these aspects of logical reasoning. However, empirical studies investigating logical reasoning errors in schizophrenia and their clinical and neurocognitive correlates are scarce. Formal thought disorder and theory of mind (ToM) might be particularly important for understanding logical reasoning errors in schizophrenia. The current study compared the performances of 80 patients with schizophrenia with those of 49 healthy controls on syllogistic and counterfactual reasoning tasks and investigated clinical, neuropsychological, and social cognitive correlates of logical reasoning in schizophrenia. Patients with schizophrenia were impaired in both analytic and common-sense thinking. ToM impairment was a significant predictor of analytic reasoning abilities in schizophrenia. Executive functions and verbal memory were also significantly associated with analytic reasoning in schizophrenia. Further studies investigating logical reasoning errors in the early phases of the illness are needed.