Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 19, 2026

Correlating Behavioral Responses to fMRI Signals from Human Prefrontal Cortex: Examining Cognitive Processes Using Task Analysis
Published on: June 20, 2012
Analytic cognitive style, not delusional ideation, predicts data gathering in a large beads task study.
Robert M Ross1,2, Gordon Pennycook3, Ryan McKay1,2
1a Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway , University of London , Egham , UK.
Individuals with an analytic cognitive style gather more evidence before forming beliefs, unlike those prone to delusions. This study explored cognitive mechanisms in the "jumping to conclusions" bias using the beads task.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Psychopathology
Background:
- The
- jumping to conclusions
- (JTC) bias is theorized to involve reduced evidence gathering before belief formation.
- The
- beads task
- is a primary paradigm for assessing JTC, but underlying cognitive mechanisms remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the cognitive mechanisms of data gathering in the
- beads task
- using dual-process theories of reasoning.
- To examine the relationship between analytic cognitive style, delusional ideation, and data gathering behavior.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the largest published
- beads task
- study to date (n=558).
- Applied influential dual-process theories of reasoning to analyze data gathering patterns.
Main Results:
- Analytic cognitive style significantly predicted data gathering in a non-clinical sample.
- Delusional ideation was not found to be associated with data gathering in this study.
Conclusions:
- Dual-process theories of reasoning offer insights into the cognitive mechanisms underlying the
- beads task
- and JTC bias.
- The lack of association between delusional ideation and data gathering warrants further investigation.
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