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The relationship between magical thinking, inferential confusion and obsessive-compulsive symptoms
N A R Goods1, C S Rees, S J Egan
1a Brain, Behaviour and Mental Health Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Psychology and Speech Pathology, Curtin University , Bentley , WA 6845 , Australia.
Magical thinking partially explains how inferential confusion, a faulty reasoning in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), contributes to OCD symptoms. Inferential confusion showed a stronger link to OCD symptoms than other factors.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Inferential confusion, a faulty reasoning process in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), is under-researched.
- It shares similarities with thought-action fusion (TAF) and magical thinking, but its relationship with magical thinking is unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between inferential confusion and magical thinking.
- To examine if magical thinking mediates the link between inferential confusion and obsessive-compulsive symptoms.
Main Methods:
- A non-clinical sample of 201 participants was recruited.
- Regression analyses were used to test the hypothesised mediating relationship.
Main Results:
- Magical thinking was found to partially mediate the relationship between inferential confusion and obsessive-compulsive symptoms.
- Inferential confusion demonstrated a stronger association with obsessive-compulsive symptoms compared to other predictor variables.
Conclusions:
- Inferential confusion can directly and indirectly influence obsessive-compulsive symptoms through magical thinking.
- Further research with clinical samples is recommended to explore these cognitive errors for potential treatment targets in OCD.
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