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

Obsessive-compulsive-like reasoning makes an unlikely catastrophe more credible

“…Possibly, the doseeresponse relationship between the number of reasoning cascades and credibility is not linear, but polynomial or logarithmic, whereby making more series of reasoning does not automatically lead to more credibility of the outcome. The findings are in line with earlier research (Pélissier, O'Connor, & Dupuis, 2009) documenting that participants become less confident about an initial formed conclusion based on given premises after they consider alternative conclusions. Making more reasoning cascades may have comparable effects, that is, new series of events may reduce credibility of an earlier cascade.…”

Doubt and fear of self in bulimia nervosa

“…Similar to EDs, OCD has also been associated with impaired performance on probabilistic reasoning tasks (Fear & Healy, ) and relatedly, with impaired inductive reasoning (Pélissier & O'Connor, ; Simpson, Cove, Fineberg, Msetfi, & Ball, ). Additionally, abnormalities in inductive reasoning have been linked to uncertainty and doubt in OCD (Pélissier, O'Connor, & Dupuis, ; Simpson et al, ).…”

“…It was found that individuals with OCD accord undue importance to possibility‐based information (OCD‐relevant example: Maybe my hands are dirty; ED‐relevant example: Maybe I have gained weight) at the expense of reality‐based (or sensory) information (OCD‐relevant example: I do not see any dirt on my hands; ED‐relevant example: My clothes still fit the same), thereby eliciting doubt and contributing to ineffective inductive reasoning. Evidence for the over‐investment in possibility‐based information in OCD has been found on formal inductive reasoning tasks (Pélissier et al, ) as well as ecologically valid measures of inductive reasoning (Aardema, O'Connor, Pélissier, & Lavoie, ; Nikodijevic, Moulding, Anglim, Aardema, & Nedeljkovic, ). Furthermore, an over‐investment in possibility‐based information through a disproportionate investment in a feared possible self has been associated with OCD (e.g., Aardema et al, ), and most recently EDs as well (Purcell Lalonde, O'Connor, Aardema, & Coelho, 2015).…”

Reasoning in Anxiety, OCD and Related Disorders: Can Formal Reasoning Theories Inform Us About Psychopathology?

“…In effect, Pélissier and O'Connor's (2002) proposed that producing too many alternative mental models led people with OCD to be less certain of their conclusion, whereas in reality supporting arguments created greater certainty. This interpretation of the results was challenged by the same authors in a more recent study where Pélissier et al (2009) tested inductive reasoning using a modified version of Johnson-Laird's (1994a, 1994b probabilistic inductive reasoning task. In effect, Pelissier et al tested the mental models hypothesis by creating a task expressly designed to measure the impact of alternative possibilities on conviction level.…”