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Subclinical delusional ideation and a self-reference bias in everyday reasoning.
Niall Galbraith1, Ken Manktelow, Neil Morris
1Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, UK. n.d.galbraith@warwick.ac.uk
Summary
Individuals with high subclinical delusional ideation show a self-reference bias in everyday reasoning. This bias, where self-related information is prioritized, may contribute to the formation of delusions.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Psychopathology
Background:
- Delusional thinking is associated with an increased focus on self-related stimuli.
- Previous research indicates a link between self-focus and delusional ideation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if individuals with high subclinical delusional ideation exhibit a heightened self-reference tendency.
- To explore the role of self-reference bias in everyday reasoning and belief formation.
Main Methods:
- A mixed-design study comparing healthy individuals with high and low scores on the Peters et al. Delusions Inventory (PDI).
- Participants completed everyday reasoning tasks across three experiments.
- Self-referent and other-referent objections to arguments were assessed.
Main Results:
- High-PDI scorers rated self-referent objections as stronger than other-referent objections.
- Individuals with high subclinical delusional ideation formulated more self-referent assertion-based objections.
- A significant self-reference bias was observed in the high-scoring group.
Conclusions:
- Subclinical delusional ideation is associated with a self-reference bias in everyday thinking.
- This bias may play a role in the cognitive processes underlying delusion formation.
- Findings highlight the importance of self-referential processing in understanding delusional thinking.
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