Cognitive explanations

Question 1

What is the cognitive explanation?

Answer 1

it looks to dysfuncitonal thought processes to explain Sz and the inability to interpret their own thoughts and perceptions
Sz is characterised by disruption of normal thought processing which is shown in may of its symptoms

Question 2

What causes impaired cognition?

Answer 2

Lower than usual levels of info processing

Question 3

What does the ventral striatum do?

Answer 3

It’s a gateway which guides behaviour and mediates cognitions/ rewards

Question 4

What causes negative symptoms?

Answer 4

reduced processing in the ventral striatum

Question 5

What part of the brain processes emotions/ auditory info?

Answer 5

The temporal and cingulate gyri

Question 6

What causes hallucinations?

Answer 6

Reduced processing of information in the temporal and cingulate gyri

Question 7

What did Firth et al (1992) introduce?

Answer 7

Metarepresentation
Central control dysfunction

Question 8

Explain metarepresentation

Answer 8

the cognitive ability to reflect on thoughts and behaviour
dysfunction in MR would cause an inability to recognise out own actions and thoughts
it’s argued that this is what leads to hallucinations and delusions as theres too much info in the conscious mind at one time
was though that Sz patients lack a filter between their preconscious and conscious levels of awareness

Question 9

Explain central control dysfunction

Answer 9

this is where individuals are unable to suppress automatic thoughts which result in speech poverty and thoughts disorders
speech is triggered by other thoughts
e.g., people with Sz tend to experience derailment of thoughts because each word triggers associations and the person cannot suppress automatic responses to this

Question 10

What is a strength of cognitive explanations? (research support)

Answer 10

Stirling (2006) compared 30 ppl with Sz on cognitive tasks to a control group of 30
Stroop task = name font colours of colour words do they had to suppress the tendency to read the words aloud
Found that ppl with Sz took over twice as long to name the font colours
This means that cognitive processes of people with Sz are impaired

Question 11

What is a limitation of the cognitive explanation? (proximal explanation )

Answer 11

only explains the proximal origins of symptoms
they only explain what is happening now to produce symptoms- not distal (what initially caused it e.g., genetics or FD)
its unclear and not well addressed about how genetic variation or childhood trauma might lead to problems like MR or CRD
this means that cognitive theories on thier own only provide partial explanation for Sz