Dr Ryan Balzan
Visiting Research Fellow
School of Psychology
Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD (as Co-Supervisor) - email supervisor to discuss availability.
Research Fellow
My area of research is within the field of cognitive neuropsychiatry, which applies the knowledge base of cognitive psychology to the study of psychiatric symptoms, such as delusional beliefs. My research has focussed on the role that cognitive biases (i.e., problematic thinking styles) play in the development and maintenance of delusions, both in individuals with schizophrenia and in those identified as "delusion-prone" (i.e., people with mild delusional beliefs or tendencies).
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Appointments
Date Position Institution name 2012 VRF School of Psychology University of Adelaide, Adelaide -
Education
Date Institution name Country Title — University of Adelaide Australia PhD — Flinders University, Adelaide Australia MPsych (Clinical) — University of Adelaide, Adelaide Australia BPsych (Hons) -
Research Interests
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Journals
Year Citation 2019 Balzan, R. P., Mattiske, J. K., Delfabbro, P., Liu, D., & Galletly, C. (2019). Individualized Metacognitive Training (MCT+) Reduces Delusional Symptoms in Psychosis: A Randomized Clinical Trial.. Schizophrenia bulletin, 45(1), 27-36.
Scopus12019 Kindler, J., Lim, C. K., Weickert, C. S., Boerrigter, D., Galletly, C., Liu, D., . . . Weickert, T. W. (2019). Dysregulation of kynurenine metabolism is related to proinflammatory cytokines, attention, and prefrontal cortex volume in schizophrenia. Molecular Psychiatry, 43, 13 pages.
Scopus3 Europe PMC12019 de Vos, C., Leanza, L., Mackintosh, A., Lüdtke, T., Balzan, R., Moritz, S., & Andreou, C. (2019). Investigation of sex differences in delusion-associated cognitive biases. Psychiatry Research, 272, 515-520.
Scopus12019 Weickert, C., Lee, C., Lenroot, R., Bruggemann, J., Galletly, C., Liu, D., . . . Weickert, T. (2019). Increased plasma Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) levels in females with schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research, 209, 212-217.
2019 Georgiou, N., Delfabbro, P., & Balzan, R. (2019). Conspiracy beliefs in the general population: The importance of psychopathology, cognitive style and educational attainment. Personality and Individual Differences, 151, 7 pages.
2018 Jacomb, I., Stanton, C., Vasudevan, R., Powell, H., O'Donnell, M., Lenroot, R., . . . Weickert, T. (2018). C-Reactive protein: higher during acute psychotic episodes and related to cortical thickness in schizophrenia and healthy controls. Frontiers in Immunology, 9(OCT), 2230-1-2230-16.
Scopus4 WoS32018 Balzan, R., Dhillon, V., Liu, D., Hahn, L., Fenech, M., & Galletly, C. (2018). Shorter telomere length in people with schizophrenia who live alone?. Schizophrenia Research, 199, 422-423.
Scopus2 WoS1 Europe PMC12018 McLean, B., Mattiske, J., & Balzan, R. (2018). Towards a reliable repeated-measures beads task for assessing the jumping to conclusions bias. Psychiatry Research, 265, 200-207.
Scopus1 WoS12018 Howe, J., Ross, R., McKay, R., & Balzan, R. (2018). How Do Delusion-Prone Individuals Respond to Disconfirmatory Evidence?: Improving Comprehension of the Beads Task May Help. Zeitschrift fur Psychologie / Journal of Psychology, 226(3), 182-190.
Scopus1 WoS12018 Andreou, C., Balzan, R., Jelinek, L., & Moritz, S. (2018). Letter to the Editor: Metacognitive training and metacognitive therapy. A reply to Lora Capobianco and Adrian Wells. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 59, 162-163.
Scopus6 WoS4 Europe PMC22017 Moritz, S., Lüdtke, T., Pfuhl, G., Balzan, R., & Andreou, C. (2017). Liberal acceptance as a cognitive mechanism in psychosis: A 2-step-therory on the pathogenesis of positive symptoms in schizophrenia. Verhaltenstherapie, 27(2), 108-118.
Scopus3 WoS22017 Balzan, R., & Moritz, S. (2017). Introduction to the special issue on cognition and delusions: What do we know, what do we guess, and what do we perhaps falsely believe?. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 56, 1-3.
Scopus2 WoS2 Europe PMC12017 Galletly, C., Dhillon, V., Liu, D., Balzan, R., Hahn, L., & Fenech, M. (2017). Shorter telomere length in people with schizophrenia: a preliminary study from Australia. Schizophrenia Research, 190, 46-51.
Scopus8 WoS5 Europe PMC22017 Broyd, A., Balzan, R., Woodward, T., & Allen, P. (2017). Dopamine, cognitive biases and assessment of certainty: A neurocognitive model of delusions. Clinical Psychology Review, 54, 96-106.
Scopus13 WoS11 Europe PMC22017 Moritz, S., Göritz, A., Balzan, R., Gawȩda, L., Kulagin, S., & Andreou, C. (2017). A new paradigm to measure probabilistic reasoning and a possible answer to the question why psychosis-prone individuals jump to conclusions. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 126(4), 406-415.
Scopus13 WoS12 Europe PMC12017 Menon, M., Balzan, R., Harper, K., Kumar, D., Andersen, D., Moritz, S., & Woodward, T. (2017). Psychosocial approaches in the treatment of psychosis: Cognitive behavior therapy for psychosis (CBTp) and metacognitive training (MCT). Clinical Schizophrenia and Related Psychoses, 11(3), 156-163.
Scopus3 Europe PMC22017 McLean, B., Mattiske, J., & Balzan, R. (2017). Association of the jumping to conclusions and evidence integration biases with delusions in psychosis: a detailed meta-analysis. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 43(2), 344-354.
Scopus61 WoS44 Europe PMC162017 Gawęda, Ł., Staszkiewicz, M., & Balzan, R. (2017). The relationship between cognitive biases and psychological dimensions of delusions: The importance of jumping to conclusions. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 56, 51-56.
Scopus5 WoS5 Europe PMC12017 Moritz, S., Pfuhl, G., Lüdtke, T., Menon, M., Balzan, R., & Andreou, C. (2017). A two-stage cognitive theory of the positive symptoms of psychosis. Highlighting the role of lowered decision thresholds. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 56, 12-20.
Scopus27 WoS19 Europe PMC72017 Balzan, R., Ephraums, R., Delfabbro, P., & Andreou, C. (2017). Beads task vs. box task: The specificity of the jumping to conclusions bias. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 56, 42-50.
Scopus9 WoS8 Europe PMC32017 Johnstone, K., Chen, J., & Balzan, R. (2017). An investigation into the jumping-to-conclusions bias in social anxiety. Consciousness and Cognition, 48, 55-65.
Scopus1 WoS1 Europe PMC12017 Balzan, R. (2017). Re: Can Cognitive Remediation improve subsequent response to low-intensity Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Psychosis in people with schizophrenia?. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 51(2), 190-191.
WoS12016 Balzan, R. (2016). Overconfidence in psychosis: The foundation of delusional conviction?. Cogent Psychology, 3(1).
Scopus162016 Moritz, S., Werner, D., Menon, M., Balzan, R., & Woodward, T. (2016). Jumping to negative conclusions - A case of study-gathering bias?. Psychological Medicine, 46(1), 59-61.
Scopus4 WoS4 Europe PMC32016 Moritz, S., Balzan, R., Bohn, F., Veckenstedt, R., Kolbeck, K., Bierbrodt, J., & Dietrichkeit, M. (2016). Subjective versus objective cognition: Evidence for poor metacognitive monitoring in schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research, 178(1-3), 74-79.
Scopus14 WoS16 Europe PMC52016 Balzan, R., Woodward, T., Delfabbro, P., & Moritz, S. (2016). Overconfidence across the psychosis continuum: a calibration approach. Cognitive Neuropsychiatry, 21(6), 510-524.
Scopus4 WoS4 Europe PMC12016 Weinberg, D., Lenroot, R., Jacomb, I., Allen, K., Bruggemann, J., Wells, R., . . . Weickert, T. (2016). Cognitive subtypes in schizophrenia characterized by differential brain volumetric reductions and cognitive decline. JAMA Psychiatry, 73(12), 1251-1259.
Scopus27 WoS22 Europe PMC132016 Moritz, S., Woodward, T., & Balzan, R. (2016). Is metacognitive training for psychosis effective?. Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, 16(2), 105-107.
Scopus7 WoS8 Europe PMC32015 Andreou, C., Schneider, B., Balzan, R., Luedecke, D., Roesch-Ely, D., & Moritz, S. (2015). Neurocognitive deficits are relevant for the jumping-to-conclusions bias, but not for delusions: A longitudinal study. Schizophrenia Research: Cognition, 2(1), 8-11.
Scopus7 Europe PMC22015 Weickert, T., Weinberg, D., Lenroot, R., Catts, S., Wells, R., Vercammen, A., . . . Weickert, C. (2015). Adjunctive raloxifene treatment improves attention and memory in men and women with schizophrenia. Molecular Psychiatry, 20(6), 685-694.
Scopus72 WoS69 Europe PMC372015 Lam, K., Ho, C., Wa, J., Chan, S., Yam, K., Yeung, O., . . . Balzan, R. (2015). Metacognitive training (MCT) for schizophrenia improves cognitive insight: A randomized controlled trial in a Chinese sample with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 64, 38-42.
Scopus25 WoS22 Europe PMC152015 Balzan, R., & Galletly, C. (2015). Metacognitive therapy (MCT+) in patients with psychosis not receiving antipsychotic medication: a case study. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 967-1-967-6.
Scopus8 WoS7 Europe PMC42015 Moritz, S., Mayer-Stassfurth, H., Endlich, L., Andreou, C., Ramdani, N., Petermann, F., & Balzan, R. (2015). The Benefits of Doubt: Cognitive Bias Correction Reduces Hasty Decision-Making in Schizophrenia. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 39(5), 627-635.
Scopus8 WoS72014 Sanford, N., Veckenstedt, R., Moritz, S., Balzan, R., & Woodward, T. (2014). Impaired integration of disambiguating evidence in delusional schizophrenia patients. Psychological Medicine, 44(13), 2729-2738.
Scopus34 WoS32 Europe PMC122014 Balzan, R., Neaves, A., Denson, L., Liu, D., & Galletly, C. (2014). Cognitive deficit awareness in schizophrenia: absent, intact, or somewhere in-between?. Cognitive Neuropsychiatry, 19(6), 471-484.
Scopus14 WoS14 Europe PMC102014 Balzan, R., Delfabbro, P., Galletly, C., & Woodward, T. (2014). Metacognitive training for patients with schizophrenia: preliminary evidence for a targeted, single module programme. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 48(12), 1126-1136.
Scopus34 WoS31 Europe PMC182014 Moritz, S., Andreou, C., Schneider, B., Wittekind, C., Menon, M., Balzan, R., & Woodward, T. (2014). Sowing the seeds of doubt: a narrative review on metacognitive training in schizophrenia. Clinical Psychology Review, 34(4), 358-366.
Scopus136 WoS130 Europe PMC752013 Balzan, R., Delfabbro, P., Galletly, C., & Woodward, T. (2013). Illusory correlations and control across the psychosis continuum: the contribution of hypersalient evidence-hypothesis matches. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 201(4), 319-327.
Scopus15 WoS15 Europe PMC112013 Balzan, R., Delfabbro, P., Galletly, C., & Woodward, T. (2013). Confirmation biases across the psychosis continuum: The contribution of hypersalient evidence-hypothesis matches. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 52(1), 53-69.
Scopus30 WoS29 Europe PMC162012 Balzan, R., Delfabbro, P., Galletly, C., & Woodward, T. (2012). Reasoning heuristics across the psychosis continuum: the contribution of hypersalient evidence-hypothesis matches. Cognitive Neuropsychiatry, 17(5), 431-450.
Scopus20 WoS20 Europe PMC132012 Balzan, R., Delfabbro, P., Galletly, C., & Woodward, T. (2012). Over-adjustment or miscomprehension? A re-examination of the jumping to conclusions bias. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 46(6), 532-540.
Scopus41 WoS42 Europe PMC232012 Balzan, R., Delfabbro, P., & Galletly, C. (2012). Delusion-proneness or miscomprehension? A re-examination of the jumping-to-conclusions bias. Australian Journal of Psychology, 64(2), 100-107.
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Book Chapters
Year Citation 2014 Woodward, T., Balzan, R., Menon, M., & Moritz, S. (2014). Metacognitive Training and Therapy: An Individualized and Group Intervention for Psychosis. An Individualized and Group Intervention for Psychosis.. In P. Lysaker, G. Dimaggio, & M. Brune (Eds.), Social Cognition and Metacognition in Schizophrenia: Psychopathology and Treatment Approaches (pp. 179-193).
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Conference Papers
Year Citation 2011 Balzan, R. P., Delfabbro, P., & Galletly, C. (2011). HOW HYPOTHESIS-CONFIRMING AND HYPOTHESIS-DISCONFIRMING INFORMATION IS TREATED ACROSS THE PSYCHOSIS CONTINUUM. In SCHIZOPHRENIA BULLETIN Vol. 37 (pp. 237-238). Colorado Springs, CO: OXFORD UNIV PRESS. -
Conference Items
Year Citation 2017 Weickert, T., Kindler, J., Zavitsanou, K., Lim, C., Guillemin, G., Galletly, C., . . . Weickert, C. S. (2017). Dysregulation of Kynurenine Metabolism is Related to Proinflammatory Cytokines, Prefrontal Cortex Volume, and Attention in Schizophrenia. Poster session presented at the meeting of SCHIZOPHRENIA BULLETIN. San Diego, CA: OXFORD UNIV PRESS.
2013-2018
Vice-Chancellor’s Early Career Postdoctoral Research Fellowship: Maximising the effectiveness of psychological treatment for delusions in schizophrenia: Combining metacognitive and cognitive-behavioural therapy. My role: CIA; Agency: Flinders University; $250,000; 3 years (FTE).
2018
Australia-Germany Joint Research Co-operation Scheme: Metacognitive training for patients with eating disorders. My role: CIA; Agency: Universities Australia-DAAD; $12,600; 1 year (FTE).
CCD Postdoctoral Exchange Scheme: Belief formation across the psychosis continuum. My role: CIA; Agency: ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders; $4,750; 1 year (FTE).
2017
Faculty Research Grant (FRG17) scheme: Combining metacognitive training and cognitive remediation for psychosis: A feasibility pilot study. My role: CIA; Agency: Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences (Flinders University); $9,955; 1 year (FTE).
2012
Trevor Prescott Memorial Scholarship: Metacognitive therapy for psychosis. My role: CIA; Agency: Freemason Foundation; $17,000; 1 year (FTE).
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Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)
Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name 2020 Co-Supervisor Conspiracy theory in the general population: How unusual reasoning patterns influence the outcome of public intervention Doctor of Philosophy/Master of Psychology (Clinical) Doctorate Full Time Mr Neophytos Georgiou
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