Institutionalization and Perceptual Decrement in Chronic Schizophrenia

Abstract

Data obtained from a cross-sectional study of perceptual changes in chronic schizophrenia were re-analyzed to determine what effects, if any, institutionalization exerted on perception. When duration of illness was held constant, it was found that schizophrenic Ss with a high percentage of institutionalization time were equivalent to Ss with a low percentage of institutionalization time on three perceptual tasks known to be affected by chronicity. Assertions that psychological changes take place through institutionalization alone are called into question.