Visual Masking and the Schizophrenia Spectrum: Interfacing Clinical and Experimental Methods

The present article reviews and evaluates 20 studies of susceptibility to visual masking among individuals within the schizophrenia spectrum using a neurophysiological framework provided by a multichannel model of masking. Particular emphasis is placed upon methodological considerations within the context of the current experimental visual masking literature. While there is ample evidence to suggest that individuals within the schizophrenia spectrum frequently exhibit a backward masking deficit, very little can be understood about the specific nature of the deficit. To gain increased understanding of the specific nature of this deficit, researchers need to use some contemporary theory of masking and derive a theoretical design rationale that facilitates a priori predictions in addition to the more typical post hoc theorizing.