Current Directions in Psychological Science, Ahead of Print.
People with schizophrenia suffer from hallucinations and delusions as well as from significant cognitive impairments. Working memory is a critical resource for many complex cognitive operations and is a critical area of impairment in schizophrenia. Here we present our hyperfocusing hypothesis, which suggests that an overly narrow and intense focusing of attention may underlie the working memory deficits seen in schizophrenia. The hyperfocusing hypothesis also provides an account of some areas of surprisingly intact cognitive performance also seen in people with schizophrenia.