Abstract: Patients with schizophrenia show deficits across a broad spectrum of
neurocognitive domains. In particular, deficits in verbal fluency are common.
Verbal fluency tests are neuropsychological tests that assess frontal lobe
function or executive function but also assess divergent thinking. However, few
studies have considered the impairment of verbal fluency from the viewpoint of
divergent thinking. To consider the structure of divergent thinking, not only
verbal assessments but also non-verbal assessments are indispensable. We
administered several fluency tests, the idea fluency test, the design fluency
test, and word (letter and category) fluency tests to 26 patients with
schizophrenia and 26 healthy control subjects to evaluate divergent thinking in
both groups and assessed their responses qualitatively. An acceptable minimal
level of intelligence was maintained in the patient group. Although attention
and executive functioning were relatively preserved in the subjects with
schizophrenia, they demonstrated significant deficits in divergent thinking and
had particular difficulty in producing ideas and designs requiring concept
flexibility, a conversion of viewpoint, originality, or novelty. Research on
deficits in divergent thinking in patients with schizophrenia may contribute to
the development of cognitive and behavioral rehabilitation programs.
