Individual Differences Of Schizophrenia - Cognitive Approach Evaluation Flashcards
Research to support
S- strong evidence to support the idea that information is processed differently in the mind of those with SZ
E- Barch et al compared individuals with and without schizophrenia based on their performance in a stroop test in a lab and found that those with SZ were slower and made more mistakes in the stroop test
E- difficulties with the stroop test was evidence of people with SZ having defective attentional filters therefore supporting the ‘attention deficit theory’
W- this follows the scientific principles of research and is strong enough and supported to be credible
Not a comprehensive theory
S- it doesn’t explain what causes cognitive malfunctions
E- cognitive explanations can however explain proximal causes of schizophrenia but not the distal causes. This suggests we should be cautious about the explanations for schizophrenia.
E- as a result, these theories, cannot be seen as explaining the causes of the disorder. It’s therefore possible that the dysfunctional thought processing could be caused by other explanations such as the biological explanation of the role of dopamine.
W- therefore dysfunctional thought processing may be better understood as another symptom of the disorder rather than a singular explanation
Practical applications of the theory
S- this has resulted in real life applications and treatments for patients
E- CBTp has been shown to be an effective therapy for some patients with schizophrenia. The aim of CBTp is to identify and alter irrational thought processing, in turn helping patients understand the nature of their symptoms. This supports the idea that dysfunctional thought processes may play some role in leading to the symptoms of the disorder
C- however CBTp is the most effective when combined with biological treatments
W- this suggests that cognitive explanations cannot be a complete explanation for schizophrenia, we must wait also consider biological factor
