Cognitive Explanations for Schizophrenia

Learning Outcomes Outline the cognitive explanations for Schizophrenia Explore the cognitive reasons for Psychotic symptoms Explore and evaluate the scientific model of delusional thinking Explore research which demonstrates a cognitive explanation

So…lets recap the cog approach What does the Cognitive approach assume? assumes that the key to understanding people is understanding how the mind works primarily concerned with investigating internal mental processes like thinking, problem solving and memory. It explains behaviour in terms of how the mind processes information The underlying idea is that the mind works like a computer – information is inputted, stored and retrieved. As information processors our minds actively organise and manipulate the information we receive – we do not merely passively respond to our environment So in terms of schizophrenia we are interested in the processes and the way information is organised / processed

What’s going on inside the ‘black box’? People are laughing on the bus There’s something wrong with me

What’s going on inside the ‘black box’? My papers are not where I left them People are trying to sabotage my career

What’s going on inside the ‘black box’? I can’t hear what people are saying My family is plotting against me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vvU-Ajwbok

(Behavioural Outputs) Let’s remind ourselves of the Symptoms (Behavioural Outputs) POSITIVE SYMPTOMS – TYPE 1 Distortion of normal function NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS – TYPE 2 Lack of normal function Delusions, hallucinations, disorganised speech, under the control of an alien force, disordered thinking Apathy, no emotion, flat effect, social withdrawal, Alogia (Lack of Speech)

Cognitive Explanation Hemsley (1993) suggested schizophrenics cannot distinguish between information that is already stored and new incoming information. As a result, schizophrenics are subjected to sensory overload and do not know which aspects of a situation to attend to and which to ignore. When schizophrenics first hear voices and experience any other worrying sensory experiences, they turn to their friends and relatives to confirm the validity of what they are experiencing. Some people fail to confirm the reality of these experiences, so the schizophrenic comes to believe they must be hiding the truth. Individuals then begin to reject feedback from those around them and develop delusional beliefs that they are being manipulated and persecuted. The role of biological factors is acknowledged in this explanation – it says that the condition has always existed, but is worsened by those around them

Cut and stick Activity

Most symptoms of schizophrenia can be explained in three cognitive processes Inability to generate willed action (that is, any action that is under the voluntary control of the individual) Inability to monitor willed action Inability to monitor the beliefs and intentions of others

Frith and Done – learning task Use the worksheet to read about the 3 different experiments. A/P/R/C for the 3 experiments Complete the questions Evaluate as a group

Frith has produced some evidence for his ideas by detecting changes in cerebral blood flow in the brains of people with schizophrenia when engaged in specific cognitive tasks Bio link? Evaluation It has provided a comprehensive framework for explaining many of the symptoms in schizophrenia. Research support is far from conclusive and the theory is still regarded as speculative. reductionist, fails to take into account the role of environmental and biological factors.

Other research and evaluation Cognitive psychologists are attempting to find evidence for genetic links by examining whether malfunctioning cognitive processing is a family trait. Park et al. (1995) identified working memory deficits in people with schizophrenia in their first-degree non-schizophrenic relatives, Faraone et al. (1999), also found impairments in auditory attention Consider evaluation points… Reductionist? Nature? Nurture? Effective? Supporting research? Scientific?

Evaluation of Cognitive Approach Focuses on the current cognitions - A Plenty of research into the idea – S Influential and popular model - A Includes biological and the psychological Empowers the individual to change - A Ignores the environmental influences - L Unscientific - T Blaming the individual can make the disorder worse – L / A Is thinking irrational? - A Which is the cause? Which is the effect? - L

Biological Explanation of Schizophrenia Similarities Differences Biological Explanation of Schizophrenia deemed deterministic as they provide complete reasons for the psychosis, however fail to consider free will as many would argue that there is a considerable amount of choice regarding behaviours and thoughts. take into account the role of the family which is a vital aspect to consider when looking at the development of schizophrenia. Both explanations explore family influence in order to discover the origin of the disorder and how it builds a foundation over the years until the illness triggers the biological approach is reductionist as it focuses fully on the bodily and natural causes, ignoring any environmental aspects they may contribute to the development of schizophrenia highly scientific biological explanation allows us to deal with schizophrenia as it has helped in the development of various treatments which have been proven highly successful in controlling the unbearable symptoms of schizophrenia Cognitive Explanation of Schizophrenia is more credible and explores more than one factor that could effect the initiation of schizophrenia – cognitive processes and the environment and some elements of bio Cog does not consider individual differences

Exam Question There are many explanations for schizophrenia including biological ones. Describe one explanation for schizophrenia and compare this with one other explanation. Comparisons include considering similarities and/or differences. (12 Marks) Past paper - June 2011