Slater and Roth's (1969) Behavioural Characteristics

These are objective diagnostic indicators

(1) Thought process disorder

• Loose associations (derailment): Wandering from topic to topic, with the wandering often triggered by 'cue' words.
• Word salad: Extremely loose associations producing incoherent speech.
• Neologism: The use of non-words or the novel combination of actual words.
• Clang associations: The linking of words with no relationship to each other, apart from them sounding alike (e.g. rhyming).
• Poverty of content: Talking a lot, but saying little of any meaning.
• Literal interpretation: For example, proverbs
• Thought blocking: Stopping abrupt during speech and failing to remember what comes next.

(2) Disturbances of Affect (emotion)

• Blunted affect: Diminished emotional experience
• Flattened affect: The absence of emotional experience
• Inappropriate affect: Producing the opposite (or different) expected emotion

(3) Psychomoter Disorders (movement)

• Catatonia (Catatonic stupor or excitement): Can range from mutism to agitation
• Stereotypy: Production of repeated movements (e.g. body rocking)

(4) Lack of Volition (movement)

• Apathy: Loss of interest in personal things and/or the environment
• Loss of drive: Lack of motivation to do things

Clinical Characteristics of Schizophrenia

Schneider's (1959) 'first rank' symptoms (subjective experiences)
1. Passivity experiences and thought disturbances
2. Hallucinations
3. Primary delusions

(1) Though broadcasting, thought withdrawal, and thought insertion
(2) Mainly auditory, but can be visual, tactile, olfactory and gustatory.
     Can be third person, insulting, running commentary. Can be second person. Can be internal.
     Can be external. Can be a distortion
(3) Delusion - A false belief which is maintained even when there is evidence to contradict it.
- Delusions of Grandeur (claim to be someone of historical significance)
- Delusions of Persecution - Paranoid
- Delusions of Reference
- Delusions of sin and guilt
- Hypochondria (cal delusions)
- Delusions of Nihilism
- Control (or delusions of influence) - someone/something is controlling their thoughts
- Capgras syndrome - The belief that people you know have been replaced by identical doubles
- Fregoli syndrome - The belief that other people can take the form of others