Cognitive Approach Evaluation Flashcards
1 Strength…
Beck and Frith’s theories have led to a significant amount of research.
Barch et al compared performance on stroop test between those w/ schiz and those without.
Those w/ schiz: made more mistakes- concluding that mental filters did not inhibit info effectively - supporting Frith
1 Strength..
Unlike other cog psychologists, Frith offers a casual explanation for the cognitive deficitis mentioned..
They are due to a disconnection of functions between the frontal cortex (action + decision making) and the prosterior areas of brain (perception)
Supported this w/ evidence of changes in cerebral blood flow in brains of ind w/ schiz when completing cog tasks
1 Weakness…
Critics say that cog approach is reductionist because it only explains cognitive symptoms and cannot explain issues with movement.
Although cog deficits linked to current symptoms (proximal causes) are often described within approach, the origins (distal causes) of these are not always explained
=Limits the possibility of this being a single explanation of schz
1 Weakness…
Cog explanations are reductionist- becoming clear that schz needs to be viewed in a more hollistic way.
Howes & Murray: suggested integral model where genes/ early life factors are combined with life events/social stressors to influence increases in dopamine.
Leads to problems in cognitive processing and therefore stress.
