PSYCHOLOGICAL EXPLANATIONS: COGNITIVE AO1 & AO3

Question 1

The cognitive approach

Answer 1

• argues schizophrenia is due to faulty thought processes. Frith identified 2 types of
• cognitive dysfunctions: metarepresentation is the ability to reflect on our thoughts and behaviour. Dysfunction to this affects our ability to recognise our own actions and thoughts.
• Central control is the ability to suppress automatic responses while we perform deliberate actions instead.
• Dysfunction to this
  affects our ability to suppress our thoughts and say whatever comes to mind. This may cause SZ symptoms such as delusions as patients are unable to reflect on their thoughts and so causes irrational beliefs

Question 2

One strength of cognitive approach is that there is supporting research.

Answer 2

• Sterling et al found that
  schizophrenic patients take longer than control groups to perform cognitive tasks such as the Stroop effect.
• This suggests they had more difficulty suppressing the automatic response to name the colour over the word.
• However cognitive explanations don’t really explain the origin of the condition, such as what causes cognitive dysfunction.
• This is better explained from a biological perspective, for instance, too much dopamine abnormalities.
• Without the biological aspect it is unclear what would cause these
  cognitive impairments

Question 3

One limitation of the cognitive approach is that it’s reductionist

Answer 3

• For example, it focuses on SZ being developed as a result of faulty thinking, and ignores all other factors.
• For instance, the dopamine hypothesis suggests that SZ is caused due to excessive dopamine / oversensitivity of the brain to dopamine.
• This is not accounted for by psychological explanations which means it provides a limited explanation, as it cannot explain all instances of SZ.
• This is a disadvantage as psychologists are not able to gain a holistic understanding of SZ, and so limits the treatments that can be developed.