EXPLANATION 1: CONGNITIVE APPROACH/THOUGHT DISORDER - EVALUATION AO3

Question 1

SUPPORTING EVIDENCE:
BARCH ET AL

Answer 1

1. HE USED THE STROOP TEST AND FOUND RESULTS REFLECTED THAT INDIVIDUALS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA WERE SLOWER AND MADE MORE MISTAKES THAN THE CONTROL GROUP.
2. THEREFORE THIS SUGGESTS THAT THE ATTENTION FILTERS OF SCHIZOPHRENICS ARE DEFECTIVE

Question 2

SUPPORTING EVIDENCE:
LYSAKER ET AL

Answer 2

1. HE USED THE METACOGNITIVE AWARENESS TEST AND THE DELIS KAPLAN EXECUTIVE FUNCTION SYSTEM TEST TO ASSESS THE METACOGNITIVE FUNCTION OF 49 MALE SCHIZOPHRENICS.
2. HE FOUND THAT SCHIZOPHRENIC SYMPTOMS WERE LINKED TO AN INABILITY TO HAVE AWARENESS OF ONES THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS AND OTHER PEOPLE’S NEEDS.

Question 3

SUPPORTING EVIDENCE:
BRUNE ET AL

Answer 3

1. HE REVIEWED 20 YEARS OF EVIDENCE
2. THE FINDINGS REFLECTED MANY SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA AND THE CONSEQUENT IMPAIRMENTS IN SOCIAL FUNCTIONING RESULT FROM POOR METACOGNITION AND ESPECIALLY THE ABILITY TO SELF-REFLECT AND EMPHASISE WITH OTHERS.
3. THIS REFLECTS THE IDEA THAT METACOGNITION DYSFUNCTION IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF SCHIZOPHRENIA.

Question 4

SUPPORTING EVIDENCE:

Answer 4

A STRENGTH OF THE COGNITIVE EXPLANATION IS THAT IT CAN ACCOUNT FOR BOTH POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS

Question 5

SUPPORTING EVIDENCE:

Answer 5

ANOTHER STRENGTH OF THE COGNITIVE EXPLANATION IS THAT IT CAN BE COMBINED WITH OTHER EXPLANATIONS SUCH AS BIOLOGICAL ONES TO GIVE A FULLER UNDERSTANDING OF THE CAUSES AND MAINTENANCE OF THE DISORDER

Question 6

SUPPORTING EVIDENCE:

Answer 6

1. CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) AIMS TO CHALLENGE A PATIENT’S INTERPRETATIONS OF EVENTS BY ASKING THEM TO DISCUSS THE EVIDENCE OF THEIR BELIEFS.
2. BASED ON CONSISTENT, SUPPORTING EVIDENCE OVER A 15-YEAR PERIOD, IN 2002 THE NICE (NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR CLINICAL EXCELLENCE) RECOMMENDED THAT CBT BE ROUTINELY OFFERED TO INDIVIDUALS WITH RECENT ONSET OF SCHIZOPHRENIA OR INDIVIDUALS WITH RESIDUALS SYMPTOMS

Question 7

WEAKENING EVIDENCE:

Answer 7

1. A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH MANY SCHIZOPHRENIA STUDIES IS THAT THE MAJORITY OF SCHIZOPHRENICS THAT TAKE PART IN THEM ARE ALREADY TAKING ANTIPSYCHOTIC MEDICATION.
2. THIS IS AN ISSUE AS THESE CAN HAVE A BIG EFFECT ON THE HUMAN BRAIN.
3. THEREFORE, IT COULD BE ARGUED THAT STUDIES WHICH INCLUDE SCHIZOPHRENICS THAT ARE ON ANTIPSYCHOTICS LACK POPULATION VALIDITY, AS IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO GENERALISE THE FINDINGS TO SCHIZOPHRENICS WHO ARENT TAKING MEDICATION.
4. FURTHERMORE, ANY COGNITIVE DEFECTS IDENTIFIED IN THESE RESEARCH STUDIES COULD BE THE RESULT OF THE ANTIPSYCHOTIC MEDICATION.

Question 8

METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES:

Answer 8

SOME RESEARCHERS CRITICISE THE COGNITIVE EXPLANATIONS AS ONLY BEING ABLE TO EXPLAIN COGNITIVE SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA. OTHER SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA, SUCH AS ISSUES WITH MOVEMENT, ARENT EXPLAINED WELL BY COGNITIVE EXPLANATIONS.

Question 9

METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES:

Answer 9

1. COGNITIVE EXPLANATIONS ARE CRITICISED FOR ONLY DESCRIBING THE COGNITIVE DEFICITS THOUGH TO CAUSE SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA, BUT DONT ALWAYS EXPLAIN THE ORIGIN OF THE DEFICITS.
2. IN OTHER WORDS, COGNITIVE THEORIES CAN EXPLAIN THE PROXIMAL CAUSES OF SCHIZOPHRENIA (WHAT CAUSES THE CURRENT SYMPTOMS) BUT NOT THE DISTAL CAUSES (THE ORIGINS OF THE CONDITION)
3. THIS SUGGESTS THAT WE SHOULD BE CAUTIOUS ABOUT THE CLAIMS MADE BY THE COGNITIVE APPROACH AS A SINGLE EXPLANATION FOR THE DISORDER OF SCHIZOPHRENIA

Question 10

REDUCTIONIST:

Answer 10

SOME CRITICS SUGGEST THAT FRITH IS BEING REDUCTIONIST BECAUSE THIS EXPLANATION REDUCES A COMPLEX EXPERIENCE TO THE FUNCTIONING OF BRAIN CIRCUITS. IT IGNORES THE ROLE OF SOCIAL FACTORS WHICH CONTRIBUTE TO SCHIZOPHRENIA

Question 11

DETERMINISTIC:

Answer 11

ANOTHER ISSUE WITH THE COGNITIVE EXPLANATION IS THAT IT IS DETERMINISTIC AS IT SUGGESTS THAT COGNITIVE DYSFUNCTIONS SUCH AS LACK OF PRECONCIOUS FILTERS OR METACOGNITION WILL LEAD TO SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA. THIS WEAKENS THE COGNITIVE EXPLAINATION AS NOT ALL INDIVIDUALS WITH COGNITIVE DYSFUNCTIONS WILL HAVE SCHIZOPHRENIA