Explicit and implicit memory in female college students with schizotypal traits: An event-related potential study

The explicit and implicit memory of nonclinical individuals with schizotypal traits was investigated using event-related potentials. Explicit and implicit memory was measured with continuous recognition and categorization tasks, respectively. On the recognition task, the control group demonstrated a greater old/new effect in response to the old than to the new words during the 250–750 ms post-stimulus period, whereas schizotypal trait group did not exhibit an old/new effect during the 550–650 ms period. The control group demonstrated faster response times to the old than to the new words, whereas the schizotypal group demonstrated longer response times to the old than to the new words. On the categorization task, both groups showed old/new effects during the 250–550 ms after stimulus onset and responded more rapidly and with fewer errors to the old than to the new words. These results suggest that individuals with schizotypal traits have impaired explicit but preserved implicit memory.

Research highlights► No old/new effect during 550–650 ms on explicit memory task in schizotypal group. ► No behavioral priming effects on explicit memory task in schizotypal group. ► Behavioral priming and old/new effect on implicit memory task in schizotypal group. ► Dissociation of explicit and implicit memory observed in schizotypal group.