E-ISSN : 2733-4538
The search rate for a target among distractors may vary dramatically depending on whether the stimulus plays the role of target or distractor. The pattern of performance suggests parallel processing when the target has a unique distinguishing feature while it suggests serial self-terminating search when the target is distinguished only by the absence of a feature chat is present in all the distractors. Treisman and Souther(1985) refer to this pattern as a search asymmetry. The purpose of present study was to explore preattentive, automatic processes in schizophrenic patients. Search asymmetry in schizophrenia is similar to that in normals. But patients' detection accuracy was poorer than normals' and their error pattern was different from normal controls'. This suggests that preattentive and automatic process in schizophrenic patients funtions inefficiently. In this study, schizophrenic patients are all remitted. So, inefficient preattentive and automatic process in schizophrenics might be their trait marker.