Schizophrenia Research
Volume 112, Issue 1 , Pages 99-103, July 2009

Configural face processing in schizophrenia

  • Nicole Joshua

      Affiliations

    • Mental Health Research Institute of Victoria, Level 2, 161 Barry Street, Carlton South Victoria 3053, Australia
    • The University of Melbourne, Parkville Victoria 3010, Australia
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Mental Health Research Institute of Victoria, Level 2, 161 Barry Street, Carlton South VIC 3053, Australia. Tel.: +613 8344 1853; fax: +613 9348 1778.
    • ,
  • Susan Rossell

      Affiliations

    • Mental Health Research Institute of Victoria, Level 2, 161 Barry Street, Carlton South Victoria 3053, Australia
    • The University of Melbourne, Parkville Victoria 3010, Australia
    • Monash-Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Monash University School of Psychology, Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, The Alfred Hospital, Victoria, 3004, Australia
    • Present/permanent address. Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Monash University School of Psychology, Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, Old Baker Building, The Alfred Hospital, Commercial Road, Prahran, Victoria, 3004, Australia.

Received 12 September 2008; received in revised form 28 November 2008; accepted 17 March 2009. published online 08 May 2009.

Abstract 

Evidence suggests schizophrenia patients may have problems integrating visual features into perceptual wholes using configural information. This deficit may impact on higher order socio-cognitive abilities such as facial emotion perception. Twenty-six schizophrenia patients and 26 age and gender matched healthy control participants completed a Fractured Faces Task which disrupted configural face information yet maintained featural information. While participants were matched for performance when viewing whole, unaltered faces; schizophrenia patients were significantly less affected than control participants when the configural information was disrupted. The results indicate altered configural processing and potential over-reliance on featural processing in schizophrenia. The implications of such impaired processing strategies are discussed.

Keywords: Schizophrenia, Configural processing, Face processing, Social cognition

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PII: S0920-9964(09)00120-0

doi:10.1016/j.schres.2009.03.033

Schizophrenia Research
Volume 112, Issue 1 , Pages 99-103, July 2009

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