Avoiding false negatives: are some auditory hallucinations an evolved design flaw?

BACKGROUND

This paper draws on cognitive psychology research and clinical observation to propose a model for the formation of auditory hallucinations that are located externally, and experienced in noisy environments.

METHOD: This model highlights a series of cognitive processes that may make an individual prone to detecting false positives, i.e. believing they have heard something that is absent. A case study is used to illustrate the model.

RESULTS

It is suggested that the false positives may be a by-product of a perceptual system that has evolved to reduce false negatives in conditions of threat. The term hypervigilance hallucination is proposed for this type of experience.

CONCLUSION

The clinical implications of the model are discussed.