Schizophrenia - Psychological Explanations

Question 1

No support for specific theories

Answer 1

Evidence for childhood family based stress is associated with Sz in adulthood. But no support for schizophrenogenic mother or double-bind theory. They are based on clinical observations and informal assessments of personality with no systematic evidence. Family explanations cannot account for link between trauma in childhood and Sz.

Question 2

Dysfunctional thinking

Answer 2

Sz is categorised by disruption to normal though processing. Reduced processing in the ventral striatum is associated with negative symptoms. Reduced processing in the temporal and cingulate gyri are associated with hallucinations. Lower levels of information processing suggest that cognition is impaired in people with Sz.

Question 3

Metarepresentation dysfunction

Answer 3

Frith et al
Disrupts our ability to recognise our own actions and thoughts as being carried out by us rather than others. Explains hallucinations of hearing voices and delusion. Having thoughts projected into the mind by others.

Question 4

Central control dysfunction

Answer 4

Fritch et al

Issues with supressing automatic responses while performing deliberate actions. Speech poverty

Question 5

supporting evidence-cognitive

Answer 5

sterling et al

did cognitive tasks-stroop test
30 Sz and 30 control group
-found that Sz and took twice as long to name font-colours.

Question 6

Proximal explanation

Answer 6

only explain proximal origins of symptoms