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Horita Y. Paranoid thinking and perceived competitive intention. PeerJ 2023; 11:e15003. [PMID: 36923500 PMCID: PMC10010176 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.15003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Paranoid thinking, that others are hostile, can be seen even in the general population. Paranoia is considered the expectation that others are competitors who aim to maximize the differences in payoffs rather than maximize their own payoffs. This study examined whether paranoia reflects the irrational belief that others have a competitive intention and is associated with avoiding perceived competition. We recruited 884 US residents via the Internet and conducted a modified Dictator Game, in which monetary allocation was carried out between the Dictator and the Recipient. The Dictator chooses either fair or competitive allocation while selecting the competitive allocation is irrelevant to increasing the Dictator's payoffs. The Recipient decides whether to accept the Dictator's decision or receive sure but low rewards. We found that Recipients with high-level paranoid thinking expected their opponent to select competitive allocation more than those with low levels, even when selecting it was costly for Dictators. Paranoid thinking was not associated with selecting sure rewards or competitive allocations. The results suggest that paranoia reflects the belief that others have a competitive intention but is not related to avoidance behavior against perceived threats and unilateral attacks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yutaka Horita
- Department of Psychology, Teikyo University, Tokyo, Japan
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2
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Kanen JW, Robbins TW, Trofimova IN. Harnessing temperament to elucidate the complexities of serotonin function. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2022.101108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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3
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Greenburgh A, Barnby JM, Delpech R, Kenny A, Bell V, Raihani N. What motivates avoidance in paranoia? Three failures to find a betrayal aversion effect. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jesp.2021.104206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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4
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Horita Y. Conjecturing Harmful Intent and Preemptive Strike in Paranoia. Front Psychol 2021; 12:726081. [PMID: 34566811 PMCID: PMC8455818 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.726081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Paranoia depicts a belief of others having harmful intent. Research using economic games has exhibited the correlation between paranoia and the propensity to characterize ambiguous intentions as harmful. Using a non-clinical sample recruited online from the United States (N=290), we examined whether paranoid thoughts influence aggressive behavior against the subjective perception of harmful intent. We conducted a preemptive strike game wherein aggressive behavior was assumed to be guided by the fear of an opponent. The outcomes indicate that (1) individuals with high paranoia assume harmful intent of an opponent more than those with low paranoia (2) conjecturing an opponent's harmful intent predicted an increase in the probability of a preemptive strike, and (3) paranoia did not have a statistically significant effect on encouraging a preemptive strike. Additionally, the exploratory analysis revealed that paranoia was related to participant's aggressiveness and with suppositions of other's self-interests and competitiveness. This study presents empirical evidence that paranoia is related to the perception of social threats in an uncertain situation. We discuss the possibility that paranoid ideation can promote or inhibit a preemptive strike.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yutaka Horita
- Department of Psychology, Teikyo University, Tokyo, Japan
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Kanen JW, Arntz FE, Yellowlees R, Cardinal RN, Price A, Christmas DM, Apergis-Schoute AM, Sahakian BJ, Robbins TW. Serotonin depletion amplifies distinct human social emotions as a function of individual differences in personality. Transl Psychiatry 2021; 11:81. [PMID: 33518708 PMCID: PMC7847998 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-020-00880-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2019] [Revised: 05/28/2020] [Accepted: 05/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Serotonin is involved in a wide range of mental capacities essential for navigating the social world, including emotion and impulse control. Much recent work on serotonin and social functioning has focused on decision-making. Here we investigated the influence of serotonin on human emotional reactions to social conflict. We used a novel computerised task that required mentally simulating social situations involving unjust harm and found that depleting the serotonin precursor tryptophan-in a double-blind randomised placebo-controlled design-enhanced emotional responses to the scenarios in a large sample of healthy volunteers (n = 73), and interacted with individual differences in trait personality to produce distinctive human emotions. Whereas guilt was preferentially elevated in highly empathic participants, annoyance was potentiated in those high in trait psychopathy, with medium to large effect sizes. Our findings show how individual differences in personality, when combined with fluctuations of serotonin, may produce diverse emotional phenotypes. This has implications for understanding vulnerability to psychopathology, determining who may be more sensitive to serotonin-modulating treatments, and casts new light on the functions of serotonin in emotional processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan W Kanen
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Fréderique E Arntz
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Robyn Yellowlees
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Section of Eating Disorders, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Rudolf N Cardinal
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
| | - Annabel Price
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
| | - David M Christmas
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
| | - Annemieke M Apergis-Schoute
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, and Behaviour, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Barbara J Sahakian
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Trevor W Robbins
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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6
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Savulich G, Edwards A, Assadi S, Guven H, Leathers-Smith E, Shergill S, Yiend J. Biased interpretation in paranoia and its modification. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry 2020; 69:101575. [PMID: 32505999 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2020.101575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2019] [Revised: 03/25/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Cognitive models of psychosis implicate interpretation biases as one of the mechanisms involved in the formation and maintenance of symptoms. First we measured the strength of association between interpretation biases and psychosis-relevant traits. Next we manipulated these biases and quantified the effects of doing so on psychosis-relevant outcomes. METHODS Experiment 1 used two measures of interpretation bias in a healthy sample (n = 70). Experiment 2 used a novel cognitive bias modification procedure (CMB-pa) in individuals with moderate trait paranoia (n = 60). RESULTS Experiment 1 revealed that over a third of the variance in interpretation bias could be explained by the combined effect of trait measures of paranoia/psychosis. In Experiment 2, CBM-pa produced training-congruent changes in the interpretation of new ambiguous information and influenced the interpretation, attribution and distress associated with a real-life social event. LIMITATIONS The potentially confounding effects of elevated anxiety and depression on interpretation bias and the restricted range of outcome measures to assess the wider effects of CBM-pa. CONCLUSIONS These studies are consistent with interpretation biases contributing to the maintenance of paranoia. CBM-pa could next be adapted and evaluated to test its efficacy as a therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- George Savulich
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, School of Clinical Medicine, UK.
| | - Annabel Edwards
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, & Neuroscience, King's College London, UK
| | - Sara Assadi
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, & Neuroscience, King's College London, UK
| | - Husniye Guven
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, & Neuroscience, King's College London, UK
| | - Emily Leathers-Smith
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, & Neuroscience, King's College London, UK
| | - Sukhi Shergill
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, & Neuroscience, King's College London, UK
| | - Jenny Yiend
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, & Neuroscience, King's College London, UK.
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Abstract
Because of the traditional conceptualization of delusion as “irrational belief,” cognitive models of delusions largely focus on impairments to domain-general reasoning. Nevertheless, current rationality-impairment models do not account for the fact that (a) equivalently irrational beliefs can be induced through adaptive social cognitive processes, reflecting social integration rather than impairment; (b) delusions are overwhelmingly socially themed; and (c) delusions show a reduced sensitivity to social context both in terms of how they are shaped and how they are communicated. Consequently, we argue that models of delusions need to include alteration to coalitional cognition—processes involved in affiliation, group perception, and the strategic management of relationships. This approach has the advantage of better accounting for both content (social themes) and form (fixity) of delusion. It is also supported by the established role of mesolimbic dopamine in both delusions and social organization and the ongoing reconceptualization of belief as serving a social organizational function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vaughan Bell
- Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London.,Psychological Interventions Clinic for Outpatients with Psychosis, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, England
| | - Nichola Raihani
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London
| | - Sam Wilkinson
- Department of Sociology, Philosophy and Anthropology, Exeter University
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Bland A, Schei T, Roiser J, Mehta M, Zahn R, Seara-Cardoso A, Viding E, Sahakian B, Robbins T, Elliott R. Agency and intentionality-dependent experiences of moral emotions. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2020.110125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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9
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Barnby JM, Deeley Q, Robinson O, Raihani N, Bell V, Mehta MA. Paranoia, sensitization and social inference: findings from two large-scale, multi-round behavioural experiments. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2020; 7:191525. [PMID: 32269791 PMCID: PMC7137981 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.191525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2019] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
The sensitization model suggests that paranoia is explained by over-sensitivity to social threat. However, this has been difficult to test experimentally. We report two preregistered social interaction studies that tested (i) whether paranoia predicted overall attribution and peak attribution of harmful intent and (ii) whether anxiety, interpersonal sensitivity and worry predicted the attribution of harmful intent. In Study 1, we recruited a large general population sample (N = 987) who serially interacted with other participants in multi-round dictator games and matched to fair, partially fair or unfair partners. Participants rated attributions of harmful intent and self-interest after each interaction. In Study 2 (N = 1011), a new sample of participants completed the same procedure and additionally completed measures of anxiety, worry and interpersonal sensitivity. As predicted, prior paranoid ideation was associated with higher and faster overall harmful intent attributions, whereas attributions of self-interest were unaffected, supporting the sensitization model. Contrary to predictions, neither worry, interpersonal sensitivity nor anxiety was associated with harmful intent attributions. In a third exploratory internal meta-analysis, we combined datasets to examine the effect of paranoia on trial-by-trial attributional changes when playing fair and unfair dictators. Paranoia was associated with a greater reduction in harmful intent attributions when playing a fair but not unfair dictator, suggesting that paranoia may also exaggerate the volatility of beliefs about the harmful intent of others.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. M. Barnby
- Social and Cultural Neuroscience Research Group, Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Author for correspondence: J. M. Barnby e-mail:
| | - Q. Deeley
- Social and Cultural Neuroscience Research Group, Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - O. Robinson
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
| | - N. Raihani
- Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK
| | - V. Bell
- Social and Cultural Neuroscience Research Group, Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Research Department of Clinical, Educational, and Healthy Psychology, University College London, London, UK
| | - M. A. Mehta
- Social and Cultural Neuroscience Research Group, Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
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10
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Dam VH, Thystrup CK, Jensen PS, Bland AR, Mortensen EL, Elliott R, Sahakian BJ, Knudsen GM, Frokjaer VG, Stenbæk DS. Psychometric Properties and Validation of the EMOTICOM Test Battery in a Healthy Danish Population. Front Psychol 2019; 10:2660. [PMID: 31849772 PMCID: PMC6901831 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2019] [Accepted: 11/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Disruptions in hot cognition, i.e., the processing of emotionally salient information, are prevalent in most neuropsychiatric disorders and constitute a potential treatment target. EMOTICOM is the first comprehensive neuropsychological test battery developed specifically to assess hot cognition. The aim of the study was to validate and establish a Danish language version and reference data for the EMOTICOM test battery. To evaluate the psychometric properties of 11 EMOTICOM tasks, we collected data from 100 healthy Danish participants (50 males, 50 females) including retest data from 49 participants. We assessed test-retest reliability, floor and ceiling effects, task-intercorrelations, and correlations between task performance and relevant demographic and descriptive factors. We found that test-retest reliability varied from poor to excellent while some tasks exhibited floor or ceiling effects. Intercorrelations among EMOTICOM task outcomes were low, indicating that the tasks capture different cognitive constructs. EMOTICOM task performance was largely independent of age, sex, education, and IQ as well as current mood, personality, and self-reported motivation and diligence during task completion. Overall, many of the EMOTICOM tasks were found to be useful and objective measures of hot cognition although select tasks may benefit from modifications to avoid floor and ceiling effects in healthy individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vibeke H. Dam
- Neurobiology Research Unit, The Neuroscience Centre, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Christa K. Thystrup
- Neurobiology Research Unit, The Neuroscience Centre, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Peter S. Jensen
- Neurobiology Research Unit, The Neuroscience Centre, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Amy R. Bland
- Neuroscience and Psychiatric Unit, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Erik L. Mortensen
- Department of Public Health and Center for Healthy Aging, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Rebecca Elliott
- Neuroscience and Psychiatric Unit, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Barbara J. Sahakian
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Gitte M. Knudsen
- Neurobiology Research Unit, The Neuroscience Centre, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Vibe G. Frokjaer
- Neurobiology Research Unit, The Neuroscience Centre, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Dea S. Stenbæk
- Neurobiology Research Unit, The Neuroscience Centre, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
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11
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Sahakian BJ, Savulich G. Innovative methods for improving cognition, motivation and wellbeing in schizophrenia. World Psychiatry 2019; 18:168-170. [PMID: 31059610 PMCID: PMC6502422 DOI: 10.1002/wps.20649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Barbara J. Sahakian
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - George Savulich
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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