Which feature is a negative symptom involving reduced speech output?

• A. Diminished Emotional Expression
• B. Avolition
• C. Alogia
• D. Anhedonia

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is that among negative symptoms, some reflect reductions in expression or motivation rather than unusual thoughts or feelings. Reduced speech output specifically points to alogia. Alogia is the poverty of speech—less spontaneous talking, brief or empty replies, and limited content in what is said. It signals a deficit in verbal production rather than a lack of emotion or pleasure.

Diminished Emotional Expression is about blunted affect—less facial expression, voice, and bodily cues—not about how much someone speaks. Avolition refers to a loss of motivation to initiate and persist in goal-directed activities, not speech quantity. Anhedonia is the diminished ability to experience pleasure, also not about talking. So the feature that describes reduced speech output is alogia.