Why People With Schizophrenia Misinterpret Social Cues

A new study from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London sheds light on why people with schizophrenia misinterpret social cues in others, often leading to unpleasant paranoid and persecutory thoughts.

The research is in Psychological Medicine. (full access paywall)

Research: “You looking at me?: Interpreting social cues in schizophrenia” by T. P. Whitea, F. Borgan, O. Ralley and S. S. Shergill in Psychological Medicine doi:10.1017/S0033291715001622

Image: Researchers found patients with schizophrenia are able to interpret meaningful gestures and incidental movements as accurately as healthy subjects. However, when the direction of the gestures was ambiguous (i.e. not obviously directed at or away from them), they were much more likely to misinterpret the gestures as being directed towards them. Credit: Marco Castellani.

Hvítárbrú: Die Doppelbogenbrücke welche die heutige Straß&#159;e #510 über den Fluss Hvítá bei Ferjukot führt, wurde 1928 gebaut und stellte seitdem die Hauptverbindung zwischen Nord- und Südisland dar, bis sie von der 1979 gebauten Brücke bei Borganes abgelöst wurde.

The twin-arch bridge which today leads road #510 across the river Hvítá near Ferjukot was built in 1928 and since that time it was the main connection between Northiceland and Souticeland until it was succeeded in this function in 1979 by the newly built bridge near Borganes.