Inhibition and Disinhibition in Schizophrenics

Part I  It has often been claimed that the normal inhibitory processes are in some manner disturbed in schizophrenia. Pavlov¹³ for example, asserted that schizophrenics have a predominance of inhibitory potential. Venables and Tizard¹⁵ suggest that schizophrenics show "an exaggerated tendency to develop reactive inhibition," and Ley⁹ concludes that they dissipate reactive inhibition very slowly. The Venables-Tizard and Ley statements can be regarded as attempts to develop Pavlov's position by making it more specific. These 2 proposals may be restated briefly.1. Schizophrenics develop reactive inhibition^* rapidly.2. Schizophrenics dissipate reactive inhibition slowly.In the present study we are concerned Primarily with Statement 2; the evidence relating to Statement 1 is provided by various writers.^3,6,7,12,16The dissipation of reactive inhibition is measured indirectly, by the reminiscence method. The rationale for this method² is, briefly, that postrest increments in Perform