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Discourse Studies, Vol. 1, No. 3, 355-372 (1999)
DOI: 10.1177/1461445699001003004

Disordered Discourse in Schizophrenia Described by the Structure Building Framework

MORTON ANN GERNSBACHER

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON

KATHLEEN A. TALLENT

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON

CAROLINE M. BOLLIGER

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON

This article reviews the phenomena of disordered discourse often manifested in schizophrenia. It argues that the Structure Building Framework, a model of the general cognitive processes and mechanisms underlying discourse, can be used to account for these phenomena. According to the Structure Building Framework, the goal of comprehension is to build coherent mental representations or structures. Building a mental structure involves several component subprocesses: laying a foundation, mapping relevant information onto that foundation, and shifting to initiate a new substructure. Building a mental structure also involves at least two general cognitive mechanisms: enhancement of relevant activation and suppression of irrelevant or inappropriate activation. We suggest that schizophrenics who exhibit verbose disordered discourse have inefficient suppression mechanisms, are impaired in laying a foundation, and tend to shift too often. We also speculate that schizophrenics who exhibit impoverished disordered discourse have inefficient enhancement mechanisms and are impaired with the cognitive process of mapping.

Key Words: discourse comprehension • discourse production • general cognitive processes • mechanisms underlying language • schizophrenia • structure building framework


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