Capgras delusion is thought to involve a mismatch between which two processes?

• A. Disconnection Between Visual Recognition And Emotional Response
• B. Overactivation Of The Visual Cortex
• C. Depression Of Mood
• D. Memory Consolidation Deficit

Answer: (A)

Capgras delusion arises when there’s a mismatch between seeing a familiar face and feeling the normal emotional response to that face. The visual recognition system identifies the person, but the emotional signal that usually accompanies familiarity is dampened or cut off because the pathways linking recognition to emotion are disrupted. That disconnection makes the face feel familiar without the expected affect, prompting the delusional belief that the person has been replaced by an impostor. The other options don’t capture this specific split between perceptual recognition and emotional appraisal: simply enhanced visual activity wouldn’t account for the missing emotional response; mood depression and memory consolidation problems describe different clinical patterns and don’t specifically explain the face-for-impostor misidentification.