Cognitive Explanation

Question 1

Dysfunctional thinking?

Answer 1

Cognitive model of depression; cognitive triad, faulty information processing, negative self schemes

Cognitive triad; automatic negative cognitions depressed people emphasise about themselves. These thinking patterns predispose people to depression.
the self - self critical and helpless thoughts affect mood and behaviour
the world, the future - no point doing anything, both bleak

Information processing is cognitively biased, people selectively attend to negative interpretations, overgeneralise and magnify. Errors occur because they rely on pre-existing beliefs and schemas.

Negative self-schemas make people selectively perceive information that fits in with the dysfunctional schema. Will only take in info that confirms negative beliefs. Negative beliefs probably acquired in childhood due to criticism or rejection. LINK

However, critical event (fired, divorced) is what triggers faulty info processing and dysfunctional beliefs, leading to depression.

Question 2

Learned helplessness?

Answer 2

Selling an based theory on previous research. Dogs exposed to uncontrollable shocks led to inability to learn to control shocks in different, future situation, having learned to act passively and helplessly.

Motivation - no point trying, I have no control
Cognitive - I have no control, so I passively accept that
Emotional - my passivity is a form of depression

Later proposed that the things people place blame on are important to whether they come depressed or not.

Pessimistic, at risk of depression when combined with negative life event: Internal (I caused it), global (this will affect all situations), stable (will never change)

Positive, less at risk: External (other factory), specific (only affecting this situation), unstable (can change)

Question 3

Define learned helplessness?

Answer 3

In operant conditioning, if punishment is too harsh or difficult to escape from, individuals passively accept they have no control over events and do nothing about punishment.

Question 4

Dysfunctional thinking AO2

Answer 4

• pessimistic blame goes away when depression isn’t present, so could be an effect rather than a cause
• ongoing research project on college students with dysfunctional thoughts. High risk group, sevenfold increase in depression over l risk group in two years, supports theory
• neuroimaging techniques have suggested that emotions control cognitions, meaning the dysfunctional thinking model needs to take them into account, incomplete atm
• doesn’t take into account social context, only critical events