cognitive explanation of SZ Flashcards
Schizophrenia could be caused by problems with information processing. Not being able to process information properly could cause disorganised thoughts.(AO1)Maher (’68) explains that the use of bizarre language could also be the result of faulty information processing.(AO3)
Schizophrenics may have a disruption to an attention filter mechanism, which means there is an inability to filter out unnecessary cognitive ‘noise’. This could cause the symptom of thought disturbance as sufferers are overloaded with incoming information / noise. (AO1) Research supports the idea that schizophrenics have cognitive deficits, e.g. Gold & Harvey ’93 report that schizophrenics score lower on tests of attention, memory and problem solving, compared to similar people without the disorder.(AO3)
This disruption might also explain the symptom of catatonic stupor; due to being overloaded with sensory information, they ‘shut-down’.(AO1) Corcoran ’95 found schizophrenics show deficits in tasks requiring a ‘theory of mind’ which is a cognitive skill linked to the ability to read and interpret the intentions of other people, suggesting that problems with cognition may be a cause.(AO3)
The cognitive explanation acknowledges that positive symptoms might be due to biological factors (e.g. excess dopamine ) and that whilst trying to make sense of such symptoms, the sufferer then experiences other symptoms of the illness.(AO1) Research has found that relatives of schizophrenics without the disorder, often show similar cognitive deficits suggesting a genetic element underlying the cognitive deficits but that the disorder is triggered in some and not others. (AO3)
Schizophrenics may have problems with their central monitoring system which is having the ability to label actions and thoughts ‘as mine’; this can cause positive symptoms. For example, auditory hallucinations could be the result of not recognising that inner speech is self-generated.(AO1) There is some evidence that reduced dopamine causes the brain to struggle more in processing information which means the explanation may be rooted in biology.(AO3)
Schizophrenics may have a deficit in the supervisory attention system which is the process responsible for generating self-initiated actions; this may cause negative symptoms. For example, social withdrawal could be due to not being able to initiate contact.(AO1) The explanation has been criticised for being descriptive rather than explanatory. It describes the different symptoms caused by problems with cognition but doesn’t explain why these cognitive deficits occur.(AO3)
in conclusion It is likely that schizophrenia could be caused by the interaction of different factors (e.g. genes / biochemistry and cognition or environmental factors); this can be linked to the diathesis-stress model of mental illness which explains how a genetic predisposition may be triggered by an environmental factor.
