Detecting an Intention to Communicate From Nonword Sounds

Previous research has explained the production and perception of speech and anomalies found in the brains and cognitive abilities of people with schizophrenia when compared with mentally healthy controls. One aspect of research that has been lacking is an explanation of auditory verbal hallucinations and referential delusions of communication that combines social cognition theory with neuroimaging evidence, with particular emphasis on detecting an intention to communicate. Developing this knowledge could reduce the difficulties faced in early detection of schizophrenia. This study aimed to find clear evidence that mentally healthy people describe sounds in certain qualitative ways and whether a diagnosis of schizophrenia influences this. Second, it aimed to identify brain regions in mentally healthy adults that are involved in the detection of auditory intention to communicate and to hypothesize regarding what could differ in schizophrenia. We conducted a selective review of literature pertaining to the development of theory of mind and its relationship to schizophrenia, with a focus on the “intention to communicate.” We found that mentally healthy people should use certain brain regions, especially the superior and medial temporal gyri, and the way people with schizophrenia use their brains should differ from mentally healthy brain activation patterns shown in functional neuroimaging. Now these links and differences can be examined in more detail, using novel, schizophrenia-relevant tests. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)