Abstract

This study investigated the abilities of perspective taking in college students with schizotypal traits using Own Body Transformation (OBT) task and event-related potentials (ERPs). Based on the scores of Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ), participants were assigned into the control (n=24) and schizotypal trait (n=22) groups. The OBT task consisted of back-facing (first-person perspective) and front-facing (third-person perspective) conditions where a person wearing a glove on his/her right or left hand. Participants were required to respond to the location of the glove by pressing a response button. The behavioral results of the OBT task showed that the schizotypal trait group exhibited significantly longer reaction times in both the first-person and third-person perspective conditions than the control group. However, the two groups did not differ in the accuracy rates. Both groups also showed significantly longer reaction times and lower accuracy rates in response to the third-person perspective condition than to the first-person perspective condition. In terms of ERPs, the schizotypal trait and control groups showed significantly larger P100 amplitudes in the third-person perspective condition than the first-person perspective condition, and both groups showed significantly larger N200 amplitudes in the third-person perspective condition than the first-person perspective condition. Both groups showed larger P300 amplitudes in the first-person perspective condition than the third-person perspective condition. In addtion, the schizotypal trait group showed significantly longer P300 latencies than control group in both conditions. Finally, a significant negative correlation between disorganization score of the SPQ and P300 amplitude was observed in the schizotypal trait group, and significant positive correlations between the positive score, total score of the SPQ and P300 latency were observed in all participants. Present results indicate that the schizotypal trait group may have difficulties in visuospatial and mental rotation abilities, and that P300 latency could serve as an electrophysiological index of perspective taking.