title: Cognitive factors associated with subclinical delusional ideation in the general population.
abstract: Cognitive biases have been found to be associated with delusions in schizophrenia and schizotypy. In the current study, we examined the relationship between subclinical delusional ideation, measured using the Peters Delusions Inventory, and cognitive biases including the bias against disconfirmatory evidence (BADE), 'jumping to conclusions', and need for closure, evaluated using the computerized BADE program, in a sample of 117 healthy, non-psychiatric controls. Our results suggest that subclinical delusional ideation is associated with BADE, greater need for closure, a 'jumping to conclusions' response style, and a tendency to rate absurd and unlikely interpretations of an event as more plausible, which might be indicative of insufficient evidence integration or 'liberal acceptance'. These cognitive biases, which occur in a much milder fashion than seen in typical deluded patient samples, may nonetheless additively play a role in the development of delusional ideation, and suggest common pathways seen in healthy and psychiatric samples.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: John Anthony
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Zawadzki
authors.forename: Todd Stephen
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Woodward
authors.forename: Helen Moriah
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Sokolowski
authors.forename: Heather Shirley
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Boon
authors.forename: Albert Hung Choy
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Mahesh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Menon
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003071:Cognition; D003657:Decision Making; D003702:Delusions / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D013850:Thinking