Multidimensional factor structure of unusual experiences: New measures of positive schizotypy

Positive schizotypy has been employed as a unitary construct in previous experimental research despite the phenomenological heterogeneity of the schizotypal experiences that it describes. In the present paper, we report two psychometric studies on the Unusual Experiences (UE) scale, a widely employed measure of positive schizotypy from the Oxford –Liverpool Inventory for Feeling and Experiences (O-LIFE; Mason, Claridge, & Jackson, 1995). Study 1 (N = 829) explored the factor structure of UE and model fit was assessed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Study 2 (N = 108) evaluated the validity of the factors by employing well-established measures of schizotypy related to positive symptomatology. The results supported a theoretically meaningful 3-factor solution: UE1 Unusual perceptions, UE2 Unusual salience/reality monitoring, and UE3 Unusual beliefs. The new subscales had adequate psychometric properties. We propose that the new subscales have the potential of improving research cohesion, motivating further research and enhancing understanding of experimental correlates of positive schizotypy.