Results. At-risk individuals did not significantly differ from control participants on
emotion perception measures; however, early and chronic SSI groups performed
significantly worse than controls, although not different from one another.
Conversely, there was evidence that deficits in social skill are present prior to
illness onset. Consistent with the findings for the emotion perception tasks, early
and chronic SSI groups showed comparable levels of social skill impairment.
Conclusion. Social skill deficits may be a vulnerability marker for schizophrenia,
and it appears that the initial psychotic episode represents a critical point for the
emergence of emotion perception deficits in schizophrenia spectrum illnesses.