Damned If You Do; Damned If You Don't: The Impasse in Cognitive Accounts of the Capgras Delusion

Cognitive models of the Capgras delusion differ on two important dimensions. First, models differ on whether they propose that the Capgras belief represents an abnormal explanation of a disordered experience, or the content of a delusional experience. Second, models can include or omit a conjoint abnormality in belief processing. This yields four possible categories of account of the Capgras delusion. It is argued here that each is currently inadequate to explain all features of the delusion. Some suggestions are made for future research directions.