ABSTRACT
As we have mentioned in recent chapters and articles (Harvey & Neale, 1983; Neale et al., 1985), there has been a notable paucity of research in the laboratory modality which has addressed the connection between measured psychological processes and symptom variables. Despite Bannister’s (1968) assertion that the logical requirements of schizophrenia demand that researchers specify hypothetical relationships between deficits and symptom variables, few such studies appeared in the literature before 1980. A notable exception was the report of Oltmanns, Ohayon, and Neale (1978) where it was reported that the severity of thought disorder was significantly correlated with susceptibility to auditory distraction. The measure of thought disorder used was, relative to scales developed in the interim, somewhat general, but the study did constitute an attempt to develop knowledge of the association between laboratory measures and clinical symptoms.
