A new continuous within-participants latent inhibition task: Examining associations with schizotypy dimensions, smoking status and gender

A within-participants latent inhibition task (LI: the retardation in learning that occurs if a stimulus has first been presented without consequence) was developed that produced robust LI, using both reaction time and number of correct responses as the dependent measures. Furthermore, associations were found between the preexposed stimulus and the schizotypy dimension of unusual experiences and smoking status. There were no significant relationships with the non-preexposed stimulus. This pattern of results was found using both reaction time and number of correct responses as the dependent measures which indicates that individuals who smoke and those high in unusual experiences show reduced LI. These findings indicate that the task may have sufficient sensitivity to be used in patients with schizophrenia.