EVALUATION OF COGNITIVE VIEW

Question 1

FOR

Answer 1

• cognitive models proposed by beck and frith have lead to tremendous amounts of scientific research being conducted
• Barch et al compared performance on a stroop test and found those with schizo were slower and made more mistakes
• suggested this was evidence that those with schiz couldn’t filter information as effectively supporting Friths ideas of defective attentional filters

Question 2

AGAINST

Answer 2

• can only explain cognitive symptoms not others such as issues with movement
• also criticised for only describing the cognitive deficits thought to underlie symptoms of schiz but do not explain origins of these deficits meaning they can only explain proximal causes of schiz but not distal causes
• this suggests we should be cautious about claims made by cognitive approach

Question 3

APPLICATION

Answer 3

• the cognitive component is important and psychologists are now starting to see schiz needs to be considered more holistically which includes cognitive factors
• Howes and Murray have described an inter grated model of schiz which proposed genes along with factors in early life eg birth complications combined with social stressors eg poverty which provokes the dopamine system into realising dopamine
• the increase in dopamine causes problems with cognitive processing such as hallucinations
• schizo gets caught in vicious circle as stress induced by experiencing these symptoms prompts release of more dopamine so cognitive explanation alone is insufficient but can contribute to a wider theory

Question 4

ALTERNATIVE

Answer 4

• by assuming this is the only explanation for schiz this theory is reductionist and ignores other equally plausible explanations of schiz