Psychological explanations of SZ

Question 1

What is schizophrenia a result of?

Answer 1

Dysfunctional Thought Process

Question 2

What is it when a SZ person believes they are the centre component of events?

Answer 2

Egocentric bias

Question 3

What is impaired insight?

Answer 3

unable or unwilling to accept that they might be wrong or recognize the cognitive distortions

Question 4

What error does a SZ make as an explanation for hallucinations?

Answer 4

Attributional error

Question 5

What is the ability to suppress automatic responses to perform deliberate actions?

Answer 5

central control

Question 6

What is one explanation to disorganized speech?

Answer 6

lack of central control

Question 7

What are 2 supporting researches for the explanation of disorganized thought?

Answer 7

Sarin and Wallin (2014)
Stirling et al (2006)

Question 8

What did Sarin and Walling (2014) find?

Answer 8

delusional patients showed bias in information processing
e.g jumping to conclusions and lack of reality testing

Hallucinational patients had impaired self monitoring and experiences their own thoughts as voices

Question 9

What did Stirling et al (2006) find?

Answer 9

SZ took twice as long to complete the stroop test than the control group
Because…
SZ had to suppress automatic responses or they just said the word rather than the colour
lack of central control

Question 10

What research supports the explanation for hallucinations?

Answer 10

Johns et al (2001)

Question 11

What did Johns et al (2001) find?

Answer 11

SZ struggle with self monitoring (being aware of their actions)
Ps heard one of 4: their own voice, voice distorted, alien voice, alien voice distorted
SZ more likely to think their voice distorted was alien voice
links to attributional error

Question 12

What is a strength of the cognitive approach?

Answer 12

CBT combined with biological treatments (drug therapy) is very effective, supports the diathesis stress model in relation to SZ

Question 13

What are some limitations to the cognitive approach?

Answer 13

• Hereditary bias
• Cannot explain aetiology (underlying cause) assuming its psychological so accepts biological influence
• SZ cause cognitive deficits? or CD cause SZ?
• cannot explain negative symptoms
• undeniable biological explanation.

Question 14

What are the 3 main characteristics high expressed emotion?

Answer 14

Hostility
Criticism
Emotional over-involvement

Question 15

Does high expressed emotion cause SZ?

Answer 15

no, it is a maintaining factor

Question 16

What are 2 supporting studies to high EE?

Answer 16

Kavanagh (1992)
Whalberg et al’s review of Tienari’s study

Question 17

What did Kavanagh (1992) find?

Answer 17

Relapse rates for SZ was 48% for high EE and only 21% for low EE

Question 18

What did Tienari find?

Answer 18

genes are not the only factor, children became SZ in high EE households more often

Question 19

What are some limitations of high EE?

Answer 19

• correlational studies - having a SZ child may cause family dysfunction, explains why sibling may not develop it
• Butzlaff and Hooley 1998 found that relapse rates were high in EDs and depression, so isn’t exclusive to SZ

Question 20

What is the double bind theory?

Answer 20

Parents are contradictory which leads to false sense of reality (delusions of persecution) and inability to communicate effectively (guilt and over protective)

Question 20

What research supports the double bind theory?

Answer 20

Bateson et al (1956) observed SZ families
Berger (1965) SZ higher recall of double bind statements
Mothers communicated normally with non SZ child, causality