Faith in Intuition Is Associated With Decreased Latent Inhibition in a Sample of High-Achieving Adolescents

Decreased latent inhibition (LI), reflecting an inability to screen from awareness stimuli previously experienced as irrelevant, has been associated with psychosis. Recent research has suggested, however, that low LI is associated with increased creative achievement in high-functioning individuals (S. H. Carson, J. B. Peterson, & D. M. Higgins, 2003). This study examined the relationship between LI and individual differences in the tendency to rely on intuition to make decisions. Participants scoring higher on a Faith in Intuition factor consisting of items relating to affect tended to have decreased LI. LI was not related to a rational thinking style or to a factor consisting of items relating to a holistic type of intuition. Furthermore, those high in faith in intuition benefitted more from a preexposure condition in which participants received the relevant stimuli in the first phase of the task than did those scoring medium and low in faith in intuition. An explanation is offered for the link between faith in intuition and LI, building on past theory and research on the biological basis of LI and associations with openness to experience and creativity.