Blunted affect is one of the most persistent, characteristic features of schizophrenia, but very little is known about variables that influence the experience and expression of emotion in schizophrenia. The proposed studies are designed to examine this problem using a laboratory procedure in which various groups of schizophrenic patients will be asked to view brief excerpts from emotionally toned films. Data analyses will focus on examinations of the patients' facial expressions, recorded while they are viewing the films, and their self-report of emotional experience, using an adjective checklist to be completed after each film-clip. A sequence of three studies is proposed. Study 1 will answer two principal questions: (1) Are clinicians' judgments of blunted affectrelated to schizophrenics' emotional behavior during the laboratory procedure? and (2) Do patients who appear to be blunted (on the basis of their behavior during a clinical interview) differe from those who do not appear to be blunted in terms of their experience of emotional reactions or simply their expression of those reactions in the presence of others? Study 2 will expand these results using a prospective design with patients who are being withdrawn from antipsychotic medication. This study will indicate what influence these drugs have on emotional behavior in schizophrenic patients who are in a residual phase of the disorder. Study 3 will answer two more questions regarding the potential influence of interpersonal variables: (1) Are drug-free schizophrenics more likely to inhibit the expression of emotion in the presence of those who are perceived as being critical, or more likely to openly express emotion in the presence of those who are perceived as being supportive? and (2) If some schizophrenics' level of emotional expression does differe as a function of such interpersonal variables, is this aspect of self-control related to the probability of an exacerbation of psychotic symptoms which requires reintroduction of antipsychotic medication?
