Visual Perception Study: Version 1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Is a group of individuals reporting psychotic-like experiences less susceptible to visual illusions than a non-clinical group?
IRAS ID
161513
Contact name
Emily Drake
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of East Anglia
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 8 months, 30 days
Research summary
The study will explore whether a group of young people (aged 18-25 years) reporting psychotic-like experiences (e.g. seeing things others do not) are less susceptible to visual illusions than a non-clinical group. Visual illusions make us see something different from how it actually exists, so what we see does not correspond to its physical reality. Visual illusions also tell us about how our eyes and brains perceive the world. If a group of young people with psychotic-like experiences are less susceptible to visual illusions, it might suggest they have a different way of seeing the world. This information could be used to inform understanding about psychotic-like experiences and potentially would inform the development of interventions.
Participants will complete a visual illusions task on a computer and four questionnaires. The visual illusions task will give a score which is a measure of how susceptible the participant is to the visual illusions. The questionnaires will measure the presence of psychotic-like experiences (currently or across participant lifetime), mood, participant appraisals of their psychotic-like experiences (e.g. how much control they felt they had over the experience) and demographic information (e.g. gender).
Previous research has found individuals with psychosis to be less susceptible to visual illusions than non-clinical groups, suggesting visual information is processed differently between the two groups. Finding out more about how individuals reporting psychotic-like experiences process visual information may be useful clinically. For example, having an explanation for these unusual experiences (e.g. as the result of a different processing style)
The clinical group will consist of 45 participants to be recruited from secondary mental health teams. The non-clinical group consists of 45 participants who have been recruited from UEA.
Participants can complete the study in one or two sessions, either at their home address or the site they are currently receiving clinical care depending on preference.
REC name
Wales REC 4
REC reference
15/WA/0167
Date of REC Opinion
25 Jun 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion