cognitive explanations Flashcards
what are cognitive explanations
focus on the idea the schizophrenic has developed maladaptive thought processes that resulted in schizophrenia
what are positive symptoms thought to stem from
cognitive biases
what are negative symptoms thought to stem from
issues with cognitive coping strategies
what did beck and rector (2005) do
created a model that combines neurobiological and environmental factors
believed biological factors could increase vulnerability to stress, which leads to dysfunctional biases
predisposing factors: they believed schizophrenics had cognitive biases, cognitive deficits, and issues with cognitive strategies
what are cognitive deficits
when there are problems with attention, communication, and information overload
seen as a faulty filter meaning they can’t distinguish between internal and external stimuli
what are cognitive biases
linked to positive symptoms
irrational ways of thinking such as alien control systems, delusions and hallucinations
what are issues with cognitive strategies
linked to negative symptoms
when schizophrenics try to control stimulus overload caused by cognitive deficits and biases
means they mask emotions and are socially withdrawn
what did slade and bentall (1988) do
5 factor theory of hallucinations
hallucinators experience sensory deception, so they can’t discriminate between self generated and external sources of information
the five factors are- stress induced arousal, predisposing factors, environmental stimulation, reinforcement and expectancy
what are weaknesses of beck and rector
doesn’t explain how cognitive dysfunction occurs
what are strengths of beck and rector
frith
explains both positive and negative symptoms
combines well with other theories / explanations
what did frith (1992) study
dysfunctional thought processing
changes in cerebral blood flow when schizophrenics engage in different tasks means they have metacognition dysfunction
what is metacognition dysfunction
lose ability to generate voluntary action, monitor voluntary action, and monitor beliefs and intentions
eg alien control systems
what is a strength of frith
easy to test as patients perform tasks then identify their own responses from a set of several responses
what did Stirling (1998) study
compared 30 patients with 18 controls doing the stroop test
found patients took over twice as long to name the ink colours
also schizophrenics with reality distortions we’re consistently poorer at choosing their own shape from a range of the same shape compared to other groups
