The role of aberrant salience and self-concept clarity in psychotic-like experiences

Personal Disord. 2013 Jan;4(1):33-42. doi: 10.1037/a0027361. Epub 2012 Mar 5.

Abstract

Most theories of psychotic-like experiences posit the involvement of cognitive mechanisms. The current research examined the relations between psychotic-like experiences and two cognitive mechanisms, high aberrant salience and low self-concept clarity. In particular, we examined whether aberrant salience, or the incorrect assignment of importance to neutral stimuli, and low self-concept clarity interacted to predict psychotic-like experiences. The current research included three large samples (n = 667, 724, 744) of participants and oversampled for increased schizotypal personality traits. In all three studies, an interaction between aberrant salience and self-concept clarity was found such that participants with high aberrant salience and low self-concept clarity had the highest levels of psychotic-like experiences. In addition, aberrant salience and self-concept clarity interacted to predict a supplemental measure of delusions in Study 2. In Study 3, in contrast to low self-concept clarity, neuroticism did not interact with aberrant salience to predict psychotic-like experiences, suggesting that the relation between low self-concept clarity and psychosis may not be a result of neuroticism. Additionally, aberrant salience and self-concept clarity did not interact to predict two other SPD criteria, social anhedonia or trait paranoia, which suggests the interaction is specific to psychotic-like experiences. Overall, our results are consistent with several cognitive models of psychosis suggesting that aberrant salience and self-concept clarity might be important mechanisms in the occurrence of psychotic-like symptoms.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adaptation, Psychological
  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Anhedonia
  • Anxiety Disorders / psychology
  • Attention
  • Delusions / psychology
  • Female
  • Hallucinations / psychology
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Models, Psychological*
  • Neuroticism
  • Personality Assessment / statistics & numerical data*
  • Psychotic Disorders / complications
  • Psychotic Disorders / psychology*
  • Regression Analysis
  • Schizotypal Personality Disorder / complications
  • Schizotypal Personality Disorder / psychology*
  • Self Concept*
  • Young Adult