Cognitive Biases in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders

Abstract

In the scientific literature, a close relationship between cognitive biases and schizophre‐ nia disorder has been widely demonstrated. Cognitive biases would be a pattern of deviation in judgment, in which the inferences we make about other people and/or situations can be illogical. Throughout this chapter will be analyzed how some cognitive biases are greatly related and are involved in the onset, maintenance, relapse and recovery of this disorder. Specifically, we will discuss five biases [need for closure, overconfidence bias, bias against confirmatory evidence (BACE), bias against discon‐ firmatory evidence (BADE) and above all jumping to conclusions (JTC)] that have been extensively studied and shown in patients with schizophrenia, especially with delusions. In this chapter the importance of studying in depth these cognitive biases in schizophrenia in order to understand, reduce and avoid them will be seen. The reduction and avoidance of these biases will result in an improvement in symptoms of schizophrenia. Therefore, it will lead to a faster, effective recovery. Moreover, the patient with schizophrenia will have an active role in his recovery. As a result, nowadays we can find several behavioral cognitive therapies, which are working on the reduction and avoidance of these cognitive biases and are demonstrating their effectiveness.