A longitudinal study of learning potential and rehabilitation outcome in schizophrenia.

Objective: The study examined whether a measure of learning potential is prospectively related to the success of a vocational rehabilitation program for patients with severe mental illness in Germany.

Methods: At rehabilitation intake (November 2002 to January 2004), 41 persons with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorders completed a test-train-test version of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test as a measure of learning potential. Research participants were classified as high scorers, learners, or nonlearners.