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.