An experimental re-examination of the inferential confusion hypothesis of obsessive-compulsive doubt

Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry
Amelia GangemiReuven Dar

Abstract

The inferential confusion hypothesis postulates that obsessive doubt is perpetuated by a subjective form of reasoning characterized primarily by a distrust of reality and an overreliance on imagined possibilities. However, experimental evidence for this hypothesis may be compromised by a potential confound between type of information (reality vs. possibility) and its valence (danger vs. safety). In the present study we aimed to untangle this potential confound. Forty OCD and 40 non-clinical participants underwent two versions of the Inferential Processes Task (Aardema, F., et al. (2009). The quantification of doubt in obsessive-compulsive disorder. International Journal of Cognitive Therapy, 2, 188-205). In the original version, the reality-based information is congruent with the safety hypothesis, whereas the possibility-based information is congruent with the danger hypothesis. In the modified version incorporated in the present study, the reality-based information is congruent with the danger hypothesis, whereas the possibility-based information is congruent with the safety hypothesis. Our findings did not support the inferential confusion hypothesis: both OCD and control participants changed their estimations of the probabi...Continue Reading

References

Jan 1, 1989·Behaviour Research and Therapy·E R Niler, S J Beck
Jan 1, 1985·Behaviour Research and Therapy·P M Salkovskis
Nov 1, 1995·Behaviour Research and Therapy·K O'Connor, S Robillard
Jul 1, 1995·Behaviour Research and Therapy·J I ConstansA Mathews
Jan 1, 1995·Behaviour Research and Therapy·P Van OppenP M Emmelkamp
Jan 1, 1994·Behaviour Research and Therapy·P van Oppen, A Arntz
Feb 1, 1993·Behaviour Research and Therapy·S Rachman
Mar 1, 1993·Behaviour Research and Therapy·R J McNally, P A Kohlbeck
Jun 1, 1997·Behaviour Research and Therapy·P J de JongM van den Hout
Jun 5, 1998·Behaviour Research and Therapy·P J de JongB Mayer
Feb 26, 2003·Behaviour Research and Therapy·Marcel van den Hout, Merel Kindt
Jun 24, 2004·Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry·Marcel van den Hout, Merel Kindt
Feb 1, 2005·Behaviour Research and Therapy·Frederick AardemaChristo Todorov
May 3, 2006·Journal of Anxiety Disorders·Jesse R CougleKarina Wahl
May 16, 2006·Behaviour Research and Therapy·Arnoud ArntzAnk C A Goosen
Jun 6, 2006·Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry·Francesco Mancini, Amelia Gangemi
Sep 6, 2006·Cognitive Behaviour Therapy·Frederick AardemaPaul M G Emmelkamp
Oct 4, 2006·Psychological Review·P N Johnson-LairdAmelia Gangemi
Sep 18, 2007·Behaviour Research and Therapy·Maja Nedeljkovic, Michael Kyrios
Dec 14, 2007·Behaviour Research and Therapy·Dirk HermansGuido Pieters
Oct 28, 2008·Behaviour Research and Therapy·Marcel A van den HoutEliane Dek
Nov 22, 2008·Journal of Anxiety Disorders·Maja NedeljkovicGuy Doron
Apr 4, 2009·Behaviour Research and Therapy·Marcel A van den HoutRenate Saric
Jan 6, 2012·Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry·Frederick Aardema, Kieron O'Connor

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations


❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Anxiety Disorders

Discover the latest research on anxiety disorders including agoraphobia, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder here.