Validation of the WCS
Neuropsychological dysfunction in schizophrenia has been documented in many studies. In particular, deficits in the areas of attention, executive functions, and memory have been identified. It is estimated that approximately 85 to 90 percent of people with schizophrenia score 1.3 to 2 standard deviations below the mean on the aforementioned cognitive domains. Although antipsychotic medications reduce positive symptoms of the disorder, such as delusions and hallucinations, it is believed that persistent cognitive deficits are functionally debilitating and strongly related to poor clinical outcome in the areas of social interactions, independent living, and vocational life.

In order to validate the use of the WCS with the chronically mentally ill, HeadMinder collaborated with Federation Employment Guidance Services of NY (FEGS).

•	The WCS proved to be a valid measure of attention/concentration and memory function, and it appeared to be as sensitive as traditional face-to-face measures.
•	The WCS was useful in differentiating low-functioning from high-functioning patients.
•	The WCS differentiated thought-disorder patients from mood-disorder patients on measures of attention and memory.

Click here to view a PDF file with a more detailed description of this study and our findings.