ESTIMATING THE DEGREE OF SCHIZOPHRENIC PATHOLOGY FROM RECORDED INTERVIEW SAMPLES.

The article attempts to determine whether valid judgments of the severity of schizophrenia can be made from recorded interview material, and whether vocal cues contribute to the clinical appraisal. Judgments of relative severity of pathology were obtained from undergraduate subjects using samples of recorded interviews. It has also been demonstrated that valid judgments of schizophrenia cannot be made on the basis of expressive cues alone. Further, no effect was generated by the vocal aspects of speech when combined with the verbal content, either in facilitating judgments of pathology or in inhibiting these judgments.