Possibility-Based Information Elicits Doubt in Bulimia Nervosa: A Study of Inductive Reasoning

Abstract

Several theoretical accounts suggest the relevance of reasoning processes in eating disorders (EDs), but empirical studies in this area have been limited. Faulty inductive reasoning characterised by doubt has previously been demonstrated in obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), a disorder that is highly comorbid and shares several cognitive processes with EDs. In particular, a reasoning process termed inferential confusion has been found to elicit doubt and lead to faulty inductive reasoning via an over-investment in possibility-based information. Participants with bulimia nervosa (BN; n = 25) and healthy controls (HC; n = 24) completed a self-report measure of inferential confusion as well as the experimental Reasoning with Inductive Arguments Task (RIAT). The BN group demonstrated greater levels of inferential confusion as compared to the HC group. On the RIAT, BN group confidence was more impacted by possibility-based information than the HC group on neutral items. These findings suggest the relevance of inferential confusion in BN and its potential impact on inductive reasoning.