The Clinical Usefulness of some tests of Over‐inclusive Thinking in Psychiatric Patients*

A retrospective study of fifty‐eight psychiatric patients, who had been given three tests of over‐inclusive thinking as part of their psychological examination, is reported. Clinical information relating to these patients was correlated with their test performance with a view to testing certain predictions made concerning the association of abnormal over‐inclusion with specific symptoms and with clinical outcome. None of the expected relationships attained statistical significance. In addition, the legitimacy of summing the three individual test scores to obtain a single composite over‐inclusion score is considered and the conclusion arrived at that in their present form the tests used are not sufficiently reliable to recommend their clinical use.