Sustained attention (SA) deficit is a core feature of schizophrenia (SZ), potentially impacting daily life participation. However, factors affecting SA in SZ and the relationship between SA and real-world participation in SZ remains unclear. This study aims to investigate context- dependent SA functions in SZ and their contribution to daily-life participation, using both one- time and ecological momentary assessment (EMA). Sixty individuals with SZ and 60 matched healthy controls will be recruited. Participants will complete two SA tasks: Continuous Performance Test (CPT) with ecological and non- ecological stimuli. Daily-life participation will be measured through the Adults Subjective Assessment of participation and a 5-day EMA protocol. Data on general cognitive functioning and symptoms severity will be collected. We hypothesize that: (1) performance on both CPT tasks will be inferior in SZ comparing to controls, with a more pronounced difference on non-ecological CPT; (2) CTP with ecological stimuli will have stronger association with the participation indices; and (3) the correlation will be stronger with the EMA measure of participation. This study will provide insights into the contextual impacts on SA functions in SZ and on their real-world implications. This research could inform theoretical models of SA in SZ and advance our understanding of neurocognitive factors underlying participation limitations. Furthermore, the findings may contribute to developing more ecologically valid cognitive assessments and targeted interventions with ultimate goal of improving daily participation in SZ and reducing its personal and community burden.

Supervisor: Dr. Elena Lipskaya-Velikovsky