Abstract - Sonia Afroz

Schizophrenia research using healthy student populations increasingly shows subtle cognitive weaknesses in areas such as working memory. Fewer studies have focused on the relationship of psychotic-like symptoms to intelligence and the differential associations between the two sexes. This paper presents the results of a study examining the relationship of schizotypal traits, as measured by the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-Brief (SPQ-B), to working memory and estimated intellectual functioning (IQ) among 65 college undergraduates. Working memory was assessed using the Digit Span subtest of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III (WAIS-III) and estimated IQ was measured using the Wechsler Test of Adult Reading (WTAR). Results revealed no significant correlations between SPQ-B and WAIS-III scores in the total sample or separately for each sex. Among males alone, there was a significant negative correlation between the SPQ-B (Interpersonal subscale and Total scores) and the WTAR scores. There were no significant findings among females alone. These results suggest that, among healthy young males, schizotypal traits are negatively associated with aspects of cognition, particularly an estimate of intellectual functioning. This is in line with findings among patients with schizophrenia and supports the view that processes underlying schizophrenia may be expressed on a continuum, ranging from normal to clinically significant. The results also suggest differences between the sexes regarding the relationship of trait expression and cognitive functioning, which further underscores the importance of examining sex differences in schizophrenia research.

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