Gerald Rosenbaum

The problem of premorbid intelligence in neuropsychological assessment

Abstract The aim of this study was to compare the utility of two methods of estimating premorbid IQ in the assessment of intellectual deterioration secondary to brain dysfunction. One estimate is based on demographic information, and the other is based on measures of present ability thought to be insensitive to brain dysfunction. Demographic and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale data were gathered for two groups: (1) 140 neurologic patients and (2) 140 nonneurologic subjects. This diagnostic dichotomy was regressed separately on two deterioration indices which differed only in the method used to estimate premorbid IQ. The index which relied on the demographic estimate was 11% more accurate than the present ability estimate in case classification. The results suggest that demographic information, when applied systematically, can provide a reasonably accurate and useful estimate of premorbid IQ.

Combined sernyl and sensory deprivation

Summary When Sernyl was combined with sensory deprivation, considerable damping of psychotomimetic effects was noted. The subjects remained calm, felt more in control, and experienced a state comparable to utter nothingness or emptiness. It is hypothesized that exteroceptive input is required to produce the severe psychotomimetic changes associated with Sernyl.

Visual Recognitive Thresholds Following Sensory Deprivation

Recent studies of sensory deprivation have shown that reduced stimulus-variability may appreciably modify sensory and cognitive efficiency. The McGill experiments demonstrated that exposing human Ss for several days to an environment, which minimized stimulus-change and restricted visual functions to the perception of diffuse light, resulted in progressive intellectual deterioration, hallucinations, and a variety of visual disturbances.1 Similarly, studies of visual monitoring have shown that impairments in attention increase with the length of the period of vigilance.2 Hebb has suggested that these disturbances in sensory efficiency result from the lack of stimulation of the nonspecific arousal system of the brain stem.3 According to his formulation, reduced exteroceptive stimulation may lead to a lowering of the generalized drive which presumably energizes the normal, perceptual functions. On the other hand, contrary results were obtained by Vernon and Hoffman who reported that periods of relatively complete sensory deprivation (up to 48 hrs., in a lightproof, soundproof, floating room) resulted in improvements in learning ability which correlated directly with the length of deprivation.4 Butler obtained similar results. He found an increase in the responsiveness of monkeys to visual incentives after periods of visual deprivation varying from 2-8 hrs. He ascribed his findings to the activation of a visual exploratory drive that increased with the duration of deprivation.5 The divergent results obtained in this area may be due to variations in the conditions of deprivation, or to differences in the measures of behavioral efficiency employed, or to both. In the present study, a comparison is made of the effects of two different conditions of sensory deprivation upon perceptual functioning in vision. Vernon and Hoffmans findings suggest that increments in visual efficiency would result from relatively complete visual deprivation.6 The visual exploratory drive, invoked by Butler, could account for the increments in visual functioning.7

Bilateral transfer of inhibition in the motor learning of schizophrenics and normals.

Bilateral transfer of the effects of massed practice in motor learning was evaluated for an adjusted sample of 36 chronic undifferentiated schizophrenics and 36 normal controls. Ss were trained and tested on a rotary pursuit task under two bilateral transfer conditions-Rest and No-Rest- and one non-transfer Control condition. Normal Ss demonstrated positive reminiscence scores in the Rest condition and significant transfer of inhibitory effects in the No-Rest condition. Schizophrenics, on the other hand, showed no significant transfer of inhibition. The results were discussed as supporting the hypothesis of a proprioceptive deficit in schizophrenia involving central integrating mechanisms. Such findings also suggested that a proprioceptive deficit might be a significant underlying factor in the cognitive dysfunction and body image disturbances of schizophrenia, processes which also can be explained by impairment in central integrating mechanisms.

EFFECTS OF AUDITORY INTENSITY ON SIMPLE REACTION TIME OF SCHIZOPHRENICS

Previous studies (Rosenbaum, Mackavey, & Grisell, 1957; Rosenbaum, Grisell, & Mackavey, 1957) have shown that aversive shock motivation seems to normalize the simple reaction times ( R T ) of chronic schizophrenics. Lang (1959) and Karras (1962) found that aversive auditory stimulation improved disjunctive R T in chronic schizophrenics, but none of their groups approached normal levels. This study investigated the effects of five levels of auditory intensity on the simple RT of 2 3 chronic male schizophrenic patients and 2 8 control Ss. The mean age of the schizophrenics was 31.04 (range = 25-40); of the controls, 28.39 (range = 20-39). The educational backgrounds for last grade completed were: schizophrenics, Af = 11.22 (range 9-18) ; controls, 1M = 12.57 (range 8-20) . All Ss were required to lift a finger from a telegraph key as rapidly as possibIe at the onset of an 800-cps tone presented through a set of earphones. The tone followed a 2-sec. preparatory interval initiated by a ready light. Eighty R T trials consisting of 1 6 trials at each of the 5 auditory inrensities were administered ro all Ss. Each intensity occurred once in every 5 trials, but was randomly ordered within each 5-trial block. The 5 intensity levels employed ranged in approximately equal steps from minimally audible (approximately 15 db) to just below the pain threshold (approximately 90 db) . A Lindquist Type I analysis of variance showed that increases in auditory inrensity resulted in linear increases in speed of simple R T for the schizophrenics, but mean RTs were significantly slower than for the controls at all intensity levels. Normal Ss showed a rapidly decelerated RT curve which approaches an asymptote with small increases in auditory intensity. It is concluded that aversive auditory stimulation has motivating effects on performance by schizophrenics, but that shock srimulation is significantly more effective in activating the biological systems required to normalize simple R T in chronic schizophrenic paciencs.

A Note on the Ego-Strength Scale and Sex Differences in College Students

This paper presents data bearing on the inconsistencies observed in the failure of Barron’s Es scale to predict therapy outcome for females. It is suggested that in females, Es is more likely to be associated with either the male or female role orientation, rather than masculinity or femininity per se.

THE EFFECTS OF WHITE NOISE AND MESSAGE REPETITION ON PROVERB INTERPRETATION IN GOOD AND POOR PREMORBID SCHIZOPHRENICS

A total of 29 male Ss (10 good premorbid schizophrenics, 11 poor premorbid schizophrenics, and 8 normal controls) were administered the Lafayette Clinic Proverbs Test. Each S answered half of the test items under a condition of white noise and half without white noise. As a separate experimental dimension, each repeated half of the proverb items before his answer and did not repeat the other half of the items. Results indicated that voice volume was significantly increased in all groups when performing under white noise. Analysis of generalization (G) scores (abstraction) indicated that within the general context of normals exceeding good premorbid schizophrenics and goods exceeding poors, white noise had opposing effects on the good and poor premorbid schizophrenic Ss, especially under the no repetition condition. Good premorbids increased and poor premorbicls decreased G scores under the white noise. Information (I) scores were significantly higher among normals than among the poor premorbid schizophrenics, with the good premorbid schizophrenics falling in between. Results on the symbolic reasoning (SR = G × I) followed the G score results but were less strong. The results were discussed in terms of proprioceptive feedback, redundancy, and arousal interpretations of schizophrenia.