ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: This study was aimed to compare abstract reasoning in patients with mental disorders;Depression, Schizophrenia, Organic Brain Syndrome(OBS), and normal control group using Standard Progressive Matrices(SPM), known as a test measuring visual pattern matching ability and reasoning ability by analogy. METHODS: SPM test in Vienna Test System was administered to 82 normal adults, 29 schizophrenic patients, 22 depression patients, and 32 OBS patients. SPM total score and 5 subtest scores in four groups were compared, using ANOVA and post-hoc comparison. SPM subtest scores in OBS and normal group were compared, using discriminant function analysis. RESULTS: SPM total score and all subtest scores in mental disorders group(schizophrenia, depression, OBS) were lower than in normal control group. SPM total score and all subtest scores in OBS group were lower than in schizophrenia and depression group. No difference between SPM total score in Schizophrenia and depression group was found. Discriminant function of B, E subtest was the hightest. CONCLUSION: The impairment of higher cognitive function, especially abstract reasoning impairment in OBS, was qualitatively different from that of schizophrenia and depression. SPM can differentiate specific pattern of abstract reasoning impairment in mental disorders, so SPM can be used not only as a substitute for intelligence test but also as a neuropsychological test.