Space and Objects: On the Phenomenology and Cognitive Neuroscience of Anomalous Perception in Schizophrenia (Ancillary Article to EAWE Domain 1)

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Perception of space and objects is a traditional focus within phenomenology, and disturbances in these aspects of perception among people with schizophrenia have long been discussed within phenomenological psychiatry. Despite this, there has been little empirical work on the causes and effects of most of these perceptual alterations in people with schizophrenia. Progress towards this goal can be accelerated by the use of EAWE (Examination of Anomalous World Experience), an interview-based tool to elicit, categorize, and quantify abnormal perceptual and other experiential phenomena. METHODS: In this brief paper, we review the main types of disturbances in space and object perception in schizophrenia - as described by phenomenologists, clinicians from other theoretical orientations, and experimental psychopathologists - as a first step in a research agenda to achieve a better integration of the clinical and experimental literatures. RESULTS/CONCLUSION: This review indicates that in some cases the cognitive and neurobiological mechanisms of altered space and object perception in schizophrenia are relatively well understood, while in other cases there exist only plausible hypotheses. In still other cases, however, almost nothing is known. Moreover, a fundamental hypothesis of phenomenological psychiatry - that perceptual changes are related to disturbances in the sense of self - has yet to be investigated actively. From this context, we offer suggestions for future research and suggest general research designs that may be useful for advancing progress in this area.

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