EXPLANATIONS

Question 1

What are the 3 cognitive explanations to schizophrenia?

Answer 1

• Lack of theory of mind: inability to monitor own thoughts –> attributed to external sources = persecutory delusions
• Inability to monitor thoughts of others = misconceptions = persecutory delusions
• Misattributed internal speech: inability to monitor own thoughts –> failure to recognise own internal speech - attribute voice to external source - auditory hallucinations

Question 2

What is Frith’s study regarding to how the lack of theory of mind can lead to schizophrenia?

Answer 2

46 schz patients vs control group

Result:
Patients with delusions: impaired when trying to assess another person’s mental state

Question 3

Evaluate the cognitive explanation in terms of its strengths

Answer 3

• Free will: own thought process - individuals have control of their own thinking - eases treatment
• Cause and effect relationship: cognition and symptom - if faulty in thinking can be identified = symptom can be treated

Question 4

Evaluate the cognitive explanation in terms of its limitations

Answer 4

• Individual exp.: Places blame on client → increases distress, counterproductive to recovery
• Not suitable clients with severe cases: requires high cognitive functioning to know their own thoughts, emotions and past experiences

Question 5

What is the biochemical explanation of schizophrenia?

Answer 5

Dopamine hypothesis (lindstrom) : over activity of dopamine in the limbic system = positive symptoms
- decrease of activity in the prefrontal cortex = negative symptoms

Question 6

Evaluate the biochemical explanation in terms of its strengths

Answer 6

• Removes blame from client: reduces distress - helps with treatment
• Validity: usage of scientific methods - ensure objectivity
• Usefulness: paves way for pharmaceutical (drugs) treatment for client → increase hope

Question 7

Evaluate the biochemical explanation in terms of its limitations

Answer 7

• Population validity: post mortem study - results and brain conditions may not generalize/ representative of living individuals - lowers population validity
• Reductionist: neglect other underlying causes - past experiences

Question 8

What is the genetic explanation of schizophrenia?

Answer 8

• Gottesman and shields
  Results: 50% MZ (identical) vs 9% DZ (fraternal)
  –> higher concordance rate: suggests that individuals share more of the same genes - increase risk of other twin to obtain the same disorder

Question 9

Describe the genetic explanation study by Gottesman and Shields

Answer 9

→ comparing concordance rate between MZ and DZ twins

Question 10

Evaluate the genetic explanation in terms of its strengths

Answer 10

• Practicality: nature - twins with the tendency to develop the disorder can take precautionary measures
• Usage of scientific equipments - increases internal validity of the study

Question 11

Evaluate the genetic explanation in terms of its limitations

Answer 11

• Reductionist: neglects other factors

- Individual: genes out of their control and due to factors within the client’s body