Disintegration and context processing in AX-CPT

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the relationship between Disintegration (proneness to psychotic like experiences & behaviours) and achievement in the AX Continuous Performance Task (AX-CPT), which is assumed to measure the efficiency of context processing. The study involved 273 university students. In order to test the research hypotheses, a series of hierarchical multiple regressions was performed. Control variables, including intelligence and basic personality traits, were placed in the first two blocks of regression, while Disintegration was placed in the third block. The criteria used in the analysis were: failure to give an accurate answer to the target stimulus pairs (AX), at the level of the task as a whole, as well as at the level of different interstimulus intervals (total AX errors, AX errors at shorter and AX errors at longer interstimulus interval), mislabeling of a non-target stimulus as a target (total BX errors), the average time of correct responses to stimulus pairs (elapsed time between the presentation of a stimulus pair on the screen and the response as to whether the target stimulus pair was presented - mean reaction time for: AX stimulus pairs at shorter and longer interstimulus interval, total AX, BX and AY stimulus pairs), as well as general sensitivity to context - index d'. Disintegration did not prove to be a significant predictor of these indices of the efficiency of context processing above other predictors. Various indices of task performance are consistently related only to intelligence. The sporadic contribution of other personality traits seems to reflect mostly a general importance of motivation for this type of cognitive tasks.