Critical Stimulus Duration: Schizophrenic Trait or State?

Abstract

Recent evidence challenges the conclusion of Nuechterlein and Dawson (1984) that a critical stimulus duration (CSD) may be a likely candidate for a state marker of schizophrenia. We summarize the results of three different CSD investigations which used differing schizotypic detection criteria and report that the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) 2-7-8 schizotypic profile identified vulnerable college students with a CSD deficit. On the basis of these data, we suggest that the CSD task should not be considered a state marker of schizophrenia and may qualify as a trait marker of a specific subgroup of schizophrenia.