The research is directed at one of the key symptoms of schizophrenia--flat affect. We are trying to understand whether the marked nonexpressivity of schizophrenics patients also reflects little inner experience of emotion or whether schizophrenic patients experience significant amounts of emotion but for some reason do not express it. Our prior research indicated that schizophrenics reported as much emotion as normals, were more electrodermally responsive than normals, but were markedly non- expressive. But to conclude that schizophrenics' emotional experience is like that of normals require data that is less subject to alternative interpretations and that is the purpose of this project. We will collect data on two, nonverbal indications of emotional state--the startle response and facial electromyography-as patients view film clips or slides designed to elicit specific moods. The magnitude of the startle response is increased during negative emotional states and is decreased during positive ones; specific facial EMG changes also accompany positive and negative affects, even when no change is observable in facial expression. Finally, we will examine the effects of two emotion inductions-taste and smell-which are less cognitively demanding.
