Schizophrenia (Cognitve) Flashcards
What is the cognitve approach?
Product of internal mental processes
Schizophrenia could be explained by using cognitive ideas and can be associated with problems at all stages of cognition
Seek to connect the cognitive deficits of schizophrenics with biological changes in the brain (Cognitive neuroscience)
Are hallucinations exclusive to people with schizophrenia?
No, hallucinations can occur in other mental illnesses and even in healthy individuals.
What are some common triggers for hallucinations?
Stress, lack of sleep, and drug use.
What did Claiborn (2009) estimate about hallucinations in the general population?
Around 2.5–4% of the general population have experienced hallucinations.
According to Morrison (1998), how can hallucinations develop in certain individuals?
Triggers like stress may cause them to hear voices in maladaptive ways, which are then inappropriately appraised.
What are some examples of inappropriate appraisal of hallucinations?
Believing the voices belong to the devil or have sinister intentions.
What behaviours can result from hallucinations appraised in maladaptive ways?
Social withdrawal, feelings of shame or sadness, and reinforcement of the hallucinations’ messages.
What did Frith (1992) propose about our inner voice?
We all have an inner voice that we use to think, and normally we are in control of it.
How do schizophrenics experience their inner voice differently, according to Frith (1992)?
They fail to monitor their own thoughts and misattribute them to external sources.
What are cognitive deficits in schizophrenia linked to?
Irregularities in the brain’s neural pathways.
What does Beck (2008) say about negative symptoms?
Cognitive triad
The person has dysfunctional beliefs about their ability to experience pleasure so they hold a gloomy view of the future, their mental filter only allows negative messages and deficits in
How does the brain manage environmental information?
All information enters the preconscious, but only the most relevant enters conscious awareness—the rest is filtered out.
What is Frith’s (1979) “attention deficit theory” of schizophrenia?
It suggests schizophrenia results from a breakdown in the thought-filtering process, leading to disorganized thought and possibly hallucinations and delusions.
How does the thought-filtering process differ in schizophrenics according to Frith?
Irrelevant environmental stimuli are perceived as significant, entering conscious awareness inappropriately.
What causes this filtering failure in schizophrenia?
Brain abnormalities, especially in areas that use dopamine, and reduced blood flow in those regions.
What did Bentall (1994) suggest about attentional bias in schizophrenia?
Schizophrenics have a bias toward threatening stimuli, making them more likely to misinterpret neutral events as threatening (paranoid delusions).
What is Theory of Mind (ToM)?
The ability to understand that we and others have distinct, separate minds with unique thoughts and knowledge.
When does ToM typically begin to develop?
Around 2–3 years old, but it is not fully formed until later in childhood.
How do young children demonstrate a lack of ToM?
They believe others know what they know and cannot distinguish their thoughts from others’.
Why is ToM important?
It helps us understand our own minds and recognize that our actions and thoughts originate from ourselves.
How does Frith (1992) link ToM deficits to schizophrenia?
He argues that cognitive impairments in schizophrenia stem from a faulty ToM, leading to confusion between self-generated and external actions or thoughts.
What is the result of an inability to generate willed action in schizophrenia?
It may lead to difficulty planning and carrying out behavior, explaining avolition.
What happens when a schizophrenic cannot monitor willed action?
They may not recognize their own intentions and misattribute actions to external forces.
What might a schizophrenic’s inability to monitor others’ beliefs lead to?
Difficulty interpreting others’ behavior, potentially resulting in delusions.
