Imitation of facial expressions in schizophrenia

Diminished facial expressivity is a common feature of schizophrenia that interferes with effective interpersonal communication. This study was designed to determine if real-time visual feedback improved the ability of patients with schizophrenia to imitate and produce modeled facial expressions. Twe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychiatry research 2006-12, Vol.145 (2), p.87-94
Main Authors: Schwartz, Barbara L., Mastropaolo, John, Rosse, Richard B., Mathis, Gloria, Deutsch, Stephen I.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Behavior therapy. Cognitive therapy
Behavioral intervention
Biological and medical sciences
Emotional expressivity
Expressed Emotion
Facial Expression
Feedback
Female
Humans
Imitative Behavior
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Perceptual Disorders - diagnosis
Perceptual Disorders - etiology
Perceptual Disorders - therapy
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Psychoses
Remedial Teaching - methods
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia - complications
Schizophrenic Psychology
Treatments
Visual feedback
Visual Perception
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Summary:Diminished facial expressivity is a common feature of schizophrenia that interferes with effective interpersonal communication. This study was designed to determine if real-time visual feedback improved the ability of patients with schizophrenia to imitate and produce modeled facial expressions. Twenty patients with schizophrenia and 10 controls viewed static images of facial expressions and were asked to imitate them. Half of the images were imitated with the use of a mirror and half were imitated without the use of a mirror. In addition, we examined whether practice in imitating and producing expressions improved the ability of participants to generate facial expressions on their own, without the aid of a model or mirror. Participants' facial expressions were photographed with a digital camera and each was rated for accuracy in producing characteristic facial expressions. Patients with schizophrenia were less accurate in imitating and producing facial expressions than controls, and real-time visual feedback did not improve accuracy in either group. Preliminary findings suggest that exposure to model expressions and practice in generating these expressions can improve the accuracy of certain posed expressions in schizophrenia.
ISSN:0165-1781
1872-7123
DOI:10.1016/j.psychres.2005.12.007