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

The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that inductive reasoning plays a role in obsessional doubting by comparing an OCD sample with a non-OCD control group in performance of an inductive reasoning task. The ‘Reasoning with Inductive Arguments Task’ (RIAT) measures inductive performance using arguments drawn from both given vs. self-generated sources and containing neutral vs. OCD-related content. Both an OCD group recruited from clinical referrals and a control group recruited from the general population were compared on performance of the RIAT. People with OCD tended to doubt an initial conclusion much more than controls in the light of subsequent alternative conclusions given by the experimenter. There were no significant differences between the two groups in the self-generated condition. The OCD group doubted more regardless of whether the items were OCD-relevant or neutral. The control group also doubted the initial conclusions but not to the same extent as the OCD group in the ‘given’ condition and their degree of doubting did not differ between self-generated or given items. People with OCD may create doubt because they are giving too much credit to mental models given from external sources.