week 7: Walker & Lewine (1990) prediction of adult-onset schizophrenia from childhood home movies of the patients

What is the modal age range for the clinical onset of schizophrenia?

The modal age range from the clinical onset of schizophrenia is 20-25 years.

What three sources of information have historically been used to study the developmental precursors of adult-onset schizophrenia?

The three sourced are retrospective reports, follow-back studies (e.g. school records), and prospective research on high-risk subjects.

What was the main limitation of retrospective reports for studying the developmental precursors of schizophrenia?

The main limitation of retrospective reports is their potential unreliability, as memories can be inaccurate or biased.

What was the earliest age at which pre-schizophrenic subjects were distinguishable from control subjects based on schools records?

Based on school records, the earliest age was early adolescence, where pre-schizophrenic subjects showed greater behavioural problems.

What is the primary database used in the Walker and Lewine study for examining childhood behaviour?

The primary database used in the Walker and Lewine study is home movies of the patients filmed during their childhood.

Why were healthy siblings used as a comparison group in the Study?

Healthy siblings served as an ideal comparison group because they were features in the same films within the same behavioural contexts and had the similar genetic background.

What did the viewers in the study know about the children features in the home movies?

The viewers knew that they would be viewing segments of sibships in which only one child eventually developed schizophrenia later in life.

What was the forced-choice question the viewers were asked to answer after watching each film segment?

The forced-choice question was: “Is this the pre-schizophrenic child?”

What were some of the specific characteristics viewers noted about the pre-schizophrenic children in their comments?

Some characteristics noted by the viewers included less responsiveness, reduced eye contact, less positive affect, and poorer fine and gross motor coordination.

What is the significance of the viewers being able to identify pre-schizophrenic children at above-chance levels without specific criteria?

This suggests that the distinguishing characteristics of these children are apparent at a gross, observable level, rather than requiring detailed or specific criteria.