Wilson S, et al. - This research determined the potential correlation between bulimia nervosa (BN) with a maladaptive inductive reasoning style characterized by the over-investment in possibility-based (as opposed to reality-based) information. The data displayed that BN could be linked with maladaptive inductive reasoning processes characterized by over-investment in possibility-based feared outcomes and identities.

Methods

• The recruitment consisted of women with BN (n = 25) and healthy controls (HC; n = 24).
• The enrollees completed the Inference Processes Task (IPT), an ecological inductive reasoning task previously validated in OCD samples.
• Additionally, they completed the Fear of Self Questionnaire (FSQ) that evaluates investment in a feared possible identity.

Results

• The data shed light light on prominent variations on the IPT.
• This, in turn, suggested that the BN group displayed greater influence by possibility-based information throughout the task than the HC group F(5.44, 255.78) = 6.94, p > .001.
• The BN group score was unveiled to be considerably higher on the FSQ than the HC group t(29.98) = 8.4, p > .001, replicating previous findings.
• A connection was discovered between the scores on the IPT with measures of symptom severity.