Perceptual biases and metacognition and their association with anomalous self experiences in first episode psychosis.
Abigail C. Wright, Barnaby Nelson, David Fowler, Kathryn Greenwood
Consciousness and Cognition 2020 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2019.102847 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 130 |
| Population | Individuals with First Episode Psychosis and matched healthy controls |
| Keywords | Anomalous experiences Dissociation First episode psychosis Metacognition Perceptual biases |
| Citations | 26 |
| Key findings | Increased auditory perceptual biases were significantly associated with increased state and trait anomalous self-experiences, particularly alienation from surroundings and emotional numbing. |
Abstract
Anomalous self-experiences have been described as a prerequisite for anomalous perceptual experiences. Later, these anomalous perceptual experiences may then be metacognitively appraised as distressing, maintaining these experiences and later leading to anomalous (delusional) beliefs. This model of anomalous events may potentially be driven by perceptual biases and metacognitive deficits. This cross-sectional study explored the association between perceptual biases, metacognition and anomalous self- and perceptual experiences and delusional beliefs in First Episode Psychosis (FEP) and a matched healthy control sample. Fifty-eight individuals with FEP and seventy-two healthy controls were included in the main analysis. Increased auditory perceptual biases were significantly associated with increased state and trait anomalous self-experiences, in particular alienation from surroundings and emotional numbing. No significant associations were found between metacognitive efficiency and anomalous experiences. These findings may be consistent with the minimal self-disturbance model of schizophrenia spectrum vulnerability, particularly with the hyperreflexivity concept.