Thresholds of Shock-Induced Discomfort in Process and Reactive Schizophrenics

30 process and 30 reactive schizophrenics were given aversive conditioning trials in which they were asked to determine the highest level of shock intensity they could tolerate. Results indicate that process schizophrenics, as a group, tolerate higher intensity than do the reactives. The outcome supports the notion that process types respond to external threat with reduced awareness while reactives remain acutely attuned.