Declarative and procedural learning in schizophrenia: A test of the integrity of divergent memory systems

A comparison of learning rates between schizophrenia patients and normals on measures tapping different memory systems may provide clues about relatively preserved areas of learning in schizophrenia. The present study assessed declarative (nonsense syllable list learning) and procedural (pursuit rotor tracking) learning in a group of chronic schizophrenia inpatients and a group of normal adults. Approximately equivalent baselines were obtained for the two groups on both measures. The results revealed a significant group X trial interaction on the declarative memory measure, exemplified by a shallower learning slope for the patient group. For the procedural learning measure, there was no significant group X block interaction; that is, both groups showed similar learning slopes. These findings suggest a relative preservation of selected procedural aspects of learning in schizophrenia.