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Avoiding false negatives: are some auditory hallucinations an evolved design flaw?
1Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS Trust, UK. guy.dodgson@ntw.nhs.uk
Background:
This paper draws on cognitive psychology research and clinical observation to propose a model for the formation of auditory hallucinations that are located externally, and experienced in noisy environments.
Method:
This model highlights a series of cognitive processes that may make an individual prone to detecting false positives, i.e. believing they have heard something that is absent. A case study is used to illustrate the model.
Results:
It is suggested that the false positives may be a by-product of a perceptual system that has evolved to reduce false negatives in conditions of threat. The term hypervigilance hallucination is proposed for this type of experience.
Conclusion:
The clinical implications of the model are discussed.
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