An analysis of the cognitive deficit of schizophrenia based on the Piaget developmental theory

d Objective: The objective of the study was to evaluate from the perspective of the Piaget developmental model the cognitive functioning of a sample of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. Method: Fifty patients with schizophrenia (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition) and 40 healthy matched controls were evaluated by means of the Longeot Logical Thought Evaluation Scale. Results: Only 6% of the subjects with schizophrenia reached the '' formal period,'' and 70% remained at the "concrete operations" stage. The corresponding figures for the control sample were 25% and 15%, respectively. These differences were statistically significant. The samples were specifically differentiable on the permutation, probabilities, and pendulum tests of the scale. Conclusions: The Longeot Logical Thought Evaluation Scale can discriminate between subjects with schizophrenia and healthy controls. (c) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.