| Author: | Wong, Hung-kei Raymond |
| Title: | Facial affect recognition in Chinese patients with schizophrenia |
| Degree: | M.Sc. |
| Year: | 2002 |
| Subject: | Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations Schizophrenics -- China -- Hong Kong Face perception -- Research Facial expression -- Research Neuropsychological tests |
| Department: | Multi-disciplinary Studies Department of Rehabilitation Sciences |
| Pages: | x, 70 leaves ; 30 cm |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | The ability to recognize facial emotion very much affects an individual's performance in affect recognition and social competence. Previous studies revealed that the facial affect recognition of patients with schizophrenia is significantly lower than that of those without the disease. However, the mechanism of which the patients present with the problems is still not clear. This study was aimed at using Bruce and Young's model to further explore the neuropsychological processes of facial affect recognition among the Chinese patients with schizophrenia. The findings would shed light on refining the recognition process which informs the formulation of more effective interventions for this clinical problem. A total of 44 Chinese patients with schizophrenia and 42 normal subjects were recruited. The subjects in the two groups were age- and education level-matched. Six neuropsychological tests were selected to operationalize the structural encoding process. They were Hooper Visual Organization Test (HVOT), Judgment of Line Orientation (JLO), Balloon Test (BT), Digit Span Forward (DSF), Digit Span Backward (DSB), and Digit Vigilance Test (DVT). The Facial Affect Recognition Test (FART) was used for assessing facial affect recognition ability. Besides, the Test of Non-verbal Intelligence (TONI-3) and Scale for Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS) and Negative Symptoms (SANS) were also used. All the instruments were administered to all the subjects in a randomized sequence. Significant correlations were revealed between the five neuropsychological tests and FART. Only the Balloon Test which measured visual inattention was not significantly correlated. Patients with younger age, higher education level, higher intelligence level (TONI-3), and possessed less positive symptoms (SAPS) appeared to perform better on FART. After the adjustment of intelligence, regression analysis indicated that only HYOT and DVT were the significant predictors of patients' performance on FART which explained 33.9% of the total variance. When compared with the normal counterparts, the patients performed significantly lower on FART and on all the neuropsychological tests. The results of this study suggested that Bruce and Young's model is relevant for describing the facial affect recognition phenomenon of the Chinese patients with schizophrenia. Among the different neuropsychological functions required for the "structural encoding process", the decline in visual integration and visual vigilance functions seemed to closely relate to the patients' problems in facial affect recognition. However, younger age and higher intellectual functioning appeared to mediate these perceptual processes. The findings further suggested that the training neuropsychological functions particularly visual integration and vigilance may be useful for better prepare patients with schizophrenia to receive functional training in social skills and competence. Further studies on how the declined neuropsychological functions would affect the patients' performance in other spheres of functioning, i.e. learning and work are recommended. |
| Rights: | All rights reserved |
| Access: | restricted access |
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| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| b16589798.pdf | For All Users (off-campus access for PolyU Staff & Students only) | 2.47 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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