Paranoid explanations of experience: a novel experimental study.
BACKGROUND
Paranoia is a common experience in the non-clinical population. We use a novel experimental methodology to investigate paranoid ideas in individuals without a history of mental illness.


OBJECTIVE
We aimed to determine whether this paradigm could elicit unfounded paranoid thoughts and whether these thoughts could be predicted by factors from a cognitive model.


METHODS
Fifty-eight individuals took part and completed measures assessing trait paranoia, mood, self and other schema and attributional style. They were exposed to two experimental events: 1) an interruption to the testing session by a stooge, and 2) a recording of laughter played outside the testing room and subsequently asked about their explanations for these events.


RESULTS
15.5% (n = 9) of the sample gave a paranoid explanation for at least one of the experimental events. The remainder reported generally neutral explanations. Individuals with a paranoid explanation reported significantly higher levels of trait paranoia. Factors predictive of a paranoid interpretation were interpersonal sensitivity and attributional style.


CONCLUSIONS
The results show that spontaneous paranoid explanations can be elicited in non-clinical individuals, even for quite neutral events. In line with current theories, the findings suggest that emotional processes contribute to paranoid interpretations of events, although, as a novel study with a modest sample, it requires replication.
Green
Catherine E L
CE
Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, UK. catherine.green@kcl.ac.uk
Freeman
Daniel
D
Kuipers
Elizabeth
E
Bebbington
Paul
P
Fowler
David
D
Dunn
Graham
G
Garety
Philippa A
PA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003071:Cognition; D003702:Delusions / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D007600:Judgment; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D010259:Paranoid Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011936:Reality Testing; D012938:Social Perception; D013850:Thinking; D055815:Young Adult