Frustrative Non-reward and Lab-Based Paradigms for Advancing the Study of Aggression in Persons with Psychosis

Purpose of Review Prior research and assessment of aggression in schizophrenia and other psychotic conditions has focused on one or two levels of measurement (third-party observation and self-report) identified by the NIMH Research Domain Criteria (RDoC), while frequently neglecting a third (laboratory behavioral paradigms). We review aggression in psychosis using the RDoC conceptualization of frustrative non-reward; describe how lab-based behavioral paradigms, particularly, the Point Subtraction Aggression Paradigm (PSAP), can help to better understand aggression in individuals with psychosis; and suggest directions for future research.