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. 1992 Feb;101(1):37-44.
doi: 10.1037//0021-843x.101.1.37.

Emotional experience and expression in schizophrenia and depression

H Berenbaum  1 , T F Oltmanns
Affiliations

Emotional experience and expression in schizophrenia and depression

H Berenbaum et al. J Abnorm Psychol. 1992 Feb.

Abstract

The emotional responses of schizophrenic, depressed, and normal subjects and whether differences in the emotional responding of these groups depended on how emotional responses were elicited or measured were examined. Twenty-three blunted and 20 nonblunted schizophrenics, 17 unipolar depressed subjects, and 20 normal subjects were exposed to a series of affect-eliciting stimuli. The stimuli varied in valence (positive vs. negative) and in level of cognitive demand. Subjects reported their subjective experiences, and their facial expressions were videotaped. Blunted schizophrenics were the least facially expressive, although their reported subjective experiences did not differ from those of the other groups. The nonblunted schizophrenics were more responsive than the depressed subjects to the positive stimuli, although the two groups did not differ in their clinical ratings of affective flatness.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Reported emotion z scores, averaged across sex and level of cognitive demand. (BL-SCZ = blunted schizophrenics; Non-BL-SCZ = nonblunted schizophrenics.)
Figure 2
Figure 2
Observed emotion z scores, averaged across sex and level of cognitive demand. (BL-SCZ = blunted schizophrenics; Non-BL-SCZ = nonblunted schizophrenics.)
Figure 3
Figure 3
Depression and anhedonia questionnaire scores. (BL-SCZ = blunted schizophrenics; Non-BL-SCZ = nonblunted schizophrenics; BDI = Beck Depression Inventory)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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