Biomaterial Database

Jumping to conclusions in delusional and non-delusional schizophrenic patients. 2005

Steffen Moritz, and Todd S Woodward

Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Hamburg, Germany. moritz@uke.uni-hamburg.de

OBJECTIVE Several studies have provided evidence for the claim that a subgroup of (schizophrenic) patients with current delusions share a jumping to conclusions (JTC) bias. The primary aim of the present study was to investigate whether currently deluded and non-deluded schizophrenic patients perform differently on three tasks tapping probabilistic reasoning. METHODS Probabilistic reasoning was assessed in 31 schizophrenic patients, 28 psychiatric controls, and 17 healthy controls. In addition to the traditional draws to decision procedure, we employed two tasks for which participants had to judge, at each stage, the likelihood that beads come from either container (graded estimates procedure). Reaction times were recorded for the graded estimates procedure. RESULTS A JTC bias was displayed by 42% of the schizophrenic patients in the draws to decision condition, while 7% of the psychiatric patients and none of the healthy controls reached a decision after only one bead. A similar pattern of results was observed for the graded estimates procedure. This bias was more pronounced in deluded schizophrenic patients, although currently non-deluded patients also showed evidence for earlier decisions. A bias to over-adjust when confronted with potentially disconfirmatory evidence was confined to deluded schizophrenic participants. There was also evidence for an increase in JTC in the deluded group over the course of the tasks. No substantial group differences occurred with respect to reaction time parameters indicating that results are not attributable to impulsivity. CONCLUSIONS The findings provide further evidence for state and trait characteristics of abnormal reasoning in paranoid schizophrenia. Results are discussed in light of several competing explanations for JTC in schizophrenia.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D010054	Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale	A scale comprising 18 symptom constructs chosen to represent relatively independent dimensions of manifest psychopathology. The initial intended use was to provide more efficient assessment of treatment response in clinical psychopharmacology research; however, the scale was readily adapted to other uses. (From Hersen, M. and Bellack, A.S., Dictionary of Behavioral Assessment Techniques, p. 87)	Overall and Gorham Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale,Overall-Gorham Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale,Overall Gorham Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale
D010554	Personality Disorders	A major deviation from normal patterns of behavior.	Avoidant Personality Disorder,Impulse-Ridden Personality,Inadequate Personality,Avoidant Personality Disorders,Impulse Ridden Personality,Personality Disorder,Personality Disorder, Avoidant,Personality Disorders, Avoidant,Personality, Impulse-Ridden,Personality, Inadequate
D003657	Decision Making	The process of making a selective intellectual judgment when presented with several complex alternatives consisting of several variables, and usually defining a course of action or an idea.	Credit Assignment,Assignment, Credit,Assignments, Credit,Credit Assignments
D003702	Delusions	A false belief regarding the self or persons or objects outside the self that persists despite the facts, and is not considered tenable by one's associates.	Delusion
D003710	Demography	Statistical interpretation and description of a population with reference to distribution, composition, or structure.	Demographer,Demographic,Demographic and Health Survey,Population Distribution,Accounting, Demographic,Analyses, Demographic,Analyses, Multiregional,Analysis, Period,Brass Technic,Brass Technique,Demographers,Demographic Accounting,Demographic Analysis,Demographic Factor,Demographic Factors,Demographic Impact,Demographic Impacts,Demographic Survey,Demographic Surveys,Demographic and Health Surveys,Demographics,Demography, Historical,Demography, Prehistoric,Factor, Demographic,Factors, Demographic,Family Reconstitution,Historical Demography,Impact, Demographic,Impacts, Demographic,Multiregional Analysis,Period Analysis,Population Spatial Distribution,Prehistoric Demography,Reverse Survival Method,Stable Population Method,Survey, Demographic,Surveys, Demographic,Analyses, Period,Analysis, Demographic,Analysis, Multiregional,Demographic Analyses,Demographies, Historical,Demographies, Prehistoric,Distribution, Population,Distribution, Population Spatial,Distributions, Population,Distributions, Population Spatial,Family Reconstitutions,Historical Demographies,Method, Reverse Survival,Method, Stable Population,Methods, Reverse Survival,Methods, Stable Population,Multiregional Analyses,Period Analyses,Population Distributions,Population Methods, Stable,Population Spatial Distributions,Prehistoric Demographies,Reconstitution, Family,Reconstitutions, Family,Reverse Survival Methods,Spatial Distribution, Population,Spatial Distributions, Population,Stable Population Methods,Technic, Brass,Technique, Brass
D003865	Depressive Disorder, Major	Disorder in which five (or more) of the following symptoms have been present during the same 2-week period and represent a change from previous functioning; at least one of the symptoms is either (1) depressed mood or (2) loss of interest or pleasure. Symptoms include: depressed mood most of the day, nearly every daily; markedly diminished interest or pleasure in activities most of the day, nearly every day; significant weight loss when not dieting or weight gain; Insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day; psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day; fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day; feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt; diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly every day; or recurrent thoughts of death, recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt. (DSM-5)	Depression, Involutional,Major Depressive Disorder,Melancholia, Involutional,Paraphrenia, Involutional,Psychosis, Involutional,Depressive Disorders, Major,Involutional Depression,Involutional Melancholia,Involutional Paraphrenia,Involutional Paraphrenias,Involutional Psychoses,Involutional Psychosis,Major Depressive Disorders,Paraphrenias, Involutional,Psychoses, Involutional
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000328	Adult	A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available.	Adults