Retrieval Practice and Schizophrenia

When people are tested on a previously learned material, they will later remember it better even when compared to a condition where they can re-study it. This phenomenon is called retrieval practice and is supported by an extensive research literature mostly carried out in normal students. This paradigm begins to be used in cognitive remediation programs in patients suffering from memory difficulties. The objective of this study is to investigate whether retrieval practice is spared in patients with schizophrenia. If effective, this method could be used in cognitive remediation programs. Since episodic memory difficulties are supposed to be secondary to deficits in the initiation/elaboration of efficient encoding and retrieval strategies our hypothesis is that retrieval practice is spared in schizophrenia.