Obsessional Cognition: Performance on Two Numerical Tasks

Abstract

It is argued that obsessional indecision reflects a formal cognitive characteristic, and should therefore be detectable in slower performance of insignificant, neutral tasks. The obsessional will not be handicapped in structured tasks requiring concentration and a deductive approach, but he will be slower in less structured tasks requiring a predominantly inductive approach. Results from two neutral (numerical) tasks support the predictions.

When doubting begins: Exploring inductive reasoning in obsessive-compulsive disorder

“…Finally, more standard forms of testing reasoning have examined how participants draw conclusions using fixed premises in a deductive format and how people use abstract forms of reasoning (when solving arithmetic problems for example). Formal reasoning was examined by Reed (1977) where OCD and psychiatric control participants were tested on their deductive and inductive reasoning performances. Differences between the two groups were observed in the deductive reasoning arithmetic task where the OCD group performed better, and in the inductive task where their performance was inferior to the psychiatric control group.…”

A hyper-emotion theory of psychological illnesses.

“…No robust evidence exists that patients with obsessive compulsions are poorer at reasoning than other individuals (see, e.g., the empirical studies of Reed, 1977). Their reasoning starts with a thought about potential danger that appears to come from nowhere, just as many thoughts do in daily life, and it contains a kernel of rational anxiety.…”

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder as a Disturbance of Security Motivation.

“…Individuals with obsessional symptoms ask for significantly more repeats of a trial than those without obsessional symptoms, consistent with the prediction that obsessional individuals will demand more information to arrive at a decision than nonobsessional individuals. Similarly, Reed (1977a) showed that decision difficulty experienced by the obsessional individual is inversely related to the amount of structuring available in the task itself. Deductive tasks present little difficulty because the task itself provides inherent logical closure.…”