Perceptual biases and metacognition and their association with anomalous self experiences in first episode psychosis.

Auditory perceptual biases, such as a tendency to hear things differently, are linked to anomalous self-experiences, especially feeling alienated from one's surroundings and emotional numbing, in people with first episode psychosis and healthy controls. No link was found between metacognitive efficiency and anomalous experiences. The findings support the minimal self-disturbance model of schizophrenia spectrum vulnerability, particularly the idea of hyperreflexivity.

Study at a glance

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.