<P> Deficits in cognitive abilities are widely recognized as a core feature of schizophrenia . The extent of the cognitive deficits an individual experiences is a predictor of how functional an individual will be , the quality of occupational performance , and how successful the individual will be in maintaining treatment . The presence and degree of cognitive dysfunction in individuals with schizophrenia has been reported to be a better indicator of functionality than the presentation of positive or negative symptoms . The deficits impacting the cognitive function are found in a large number of areas : working memory , long - term memory , verbal declarative memory , semantic processing , episodic memory , attention , learning ( particularly verbal learning ) . Deficits in verbal memory are the most pronounced in individuals with schizophrenia , and are not accounted for by deficit in attention . Verbal memory impairment has been linked to a decreased ability in individuals with schizophrenia to semantically encode ( process information relating to meaning ) , which is cited as a cause for another known deficit in long - term memory . When given a list of words , healthy individuals remember positive words more frequently ( known as the Pollyanna principle ) ; however , individuals with schizophrenia tend to remember all words equally regardless of their connotations , suggesting that the experience of anhedonia impairs the semantic encoding of the words . These deficits have been found in individuals before the onset of the illness to some extent . First - degree family members of individuals with schizophrenia and other high - risk individuals also show a degree of deficit in cognitive abilities , and specifically in working memory . A review of the literature on cognitive deficits in individuals with schizophrenia shows that the deficits may be present in early adolescence , or as early as childhood . The deficits which an individual with schizophrenia presents tend to remain the same over time in most patients , or follow an identifiable course based upon environmental variables . </P>
<P> Deficits in cognitive abilities are widely recognized as a core feature of schizophrenia . The extent of the cognitive deficits an individual experiences is a predictor of how functional an individual will be , the quality of occupational performance , and how successful the individual will be in maintaining treatment . The presence and degree of cognitive dysfunction in individuals with schizophrenia has been reported to be a better indicator of functionality than the presentation of positive or negative symptoms . The deficits impacting the cognitive function are found in a large number of areas : working memory , long - term memory , verbal declarative memory , semantic processing , episodic memory , attention , learning ( particularly verbal learning ) . Deficits in verbal memory are the most pronounced in individuals with schizophrenia , and are not accounted for by deficit in attention . Verbal memory impairment has been linked to a decreased ability in individuals with schizophrenia to semantically encode ( process information relating to meaning ) , which is cited as a cause for another known deficit in long - term memory . When given a list of words , healthy individuals remember positive words more frequently ( known as the Pollyanna principle ) ; however , individuals with schizophrenia tend to remember all words equally regardless of their connotations , suggesting that the experience of anhedonia impairs the semantic encoding of the words . These deficits have been found in individuals before the onset of the illness to some extent . First - degree family members of individuals with schizophrenia and other high - risk individuals also show a degree of deficit in cognitive abilities , and specifically in working memory . A review of the literature on cognitive deficits in individuals with schizophrenia shows that the deficits may be present in early adolescence , or as early as childhood . The deficits which an individual with schizophrenia presents tend to remain the same over time in most patients , or follow an identifiable course based upon environmental variables . </P>
what is the most common symptom of schizophrenia
what is the most common symptom of schizophrenia
Deficits in cognitive abilities
Deficits in cognitive abilities