The cognitive approach to depression

Question 1

What does the cognitive approach to depression suggest is the reason for developing depression?

Answer 1

mental disorders suggested to be caused by faulty thinking and maladaptive thoughts

Question 2

Summarise Beck’s negative triad (1967)

Answer 2

People are thought to become depressed as they are developing negative schemas (mental representations) which come to dominate their thinking.
They tend to exaggerate the seriousness of issues.

Question 3

what are the three negative schema that form the triad?

Answer 3

1. negative views about the world
2. negative views about the future
3. negative views about oneself

Question 4

What did Clark and Beck (1999) conduct a review on and what did this conclude?

Answer 4

-They conducted a review on different research studies into depression and the triad
-Concluded that the cognitions were more common with depression and that the thoughts often preceded the development of depression.

Question 5

what did Cohen et al. (2019) do and find out from this study?

Answer 5

they tracked the development of 473 adolescents
they found that cognitive vulnerability predicted the development of later depression.

Question 6

What is the only issue with Cohen et al.’s study regarding tracking adolescents?

Answer 6

it isn’t an experiment with an IV/ DV so we cannot say that the cognitive factors caused the depression.

Question 7

What did Cohen et al. (2019) conclude?

Answer 7

There is an advantage for treatment in screening young people for cognitive vulnerabilities as they are most likely to need support later. The earlier treatment is implemented, the better the overall outcome of the patient.

Question 8

What did Boury et al. (2001) test/find, regarding Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI)?

Answer 8

Tested and found that depressives negatively interpret facts and experiences. This supports the cognitive approach as the way we interpret things is influenced by our thought processes.

Question 9

What does Ellis’ ABC model stand for? (1962)

Answer 9

An Activating event
Triggers a Belief
That leads to a consequence.

Question 10

What is the order to the ABC model?

Answer 10

The activating event is the trigger that leads to either a rational or irrational belief. This then leads to a consequence.

Question 11

If the belief is irrational, what will the consequence be?

Answer 11

An unhealthy emotion

Question 12

What was Ellis’ ABC model evolved into?

Answer 12

Turned into rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT) which is the original form of CBT.

Question 13

What did David et al (2018) suggest about REBT?

Answer 13

concluded that it is effective in treating negative beliefs which helped to reduce symptoms of depression.

Question 14

What did Beevers et al. (2010) evaluate with the cognitive approach?

Answer 14

They found that people with depression responded to sad faces more than people without depression. This suggests that thought processes are more focussed on sad / negative stimuli when having depression.

Question 15

What did Koster et al. (2005) evaluate with the cognitive approach?

Answer 15

Found that depressed ppts found it harder to disengage their attention from negative stimuli, meaning, they were focussing their attention more + longer on these stimuli.

Question 16

What did Saisto et al. (2001) find with the cognitive approach, regarding expectant mothers?

Answer 16

Found that expectant mothers who engaged in negative thinking patterns were more likely to experience increased depression. This study is important due to how pregnant women are more at risk at developing depression post-natally.

Question 17

What is the alternative explanation to depression instead of the cognitive approach?

Answer 17

That depression is caused by low levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain.

Question 18

What did Zhang et al. (2005) find out regarding the alternative explanation (biological) to depression?

Answer 18

found that a gene that causes low levels of serotonin is x10 more common in depressed people than in the general population.

Question 19

What do antidepressants do?

Answer 19

Increases the levels of serotonin within the synapses in the brain.

Question 20

What is used instead rather than sticking just to the cognitive approach?

Answer 20

A diathesis stress model

Question 21

What is the diathesis stress hypothesis?

Answer 21

Someone can be born with the gene for developing depression, but they’ll only develop it if a stressor triggers the illness. This combines both a biological cause + stressful trigger for the illness.

Question 22

What is the other part to the diathesis stress model (biological/ cognitive)?

Answer 22

It may be that people with depression have a genetic vulnerability for depression that influences their serotonin levels. Then if they experience a stressful event, they’re more likely to have reoccurring negative thoughts that slowly get worse until depression.

Question 23

What is Endogenous depression?

Answer 23

When people develop depression without experiencing an event that would trigger it.
This suggests that the person’s genetics might be a strong contributing factor in developing depression.

Question 24

What did McIntosh and Fischer (2000) refute against Beck’s triad?

Answer 24

They investigated it but only found support for one type of the negative schema – ‘The negative thoughts about oneself’

Question 25

What did Alloy and Abramson (1979) propose instead of the cognitive approach?

Answer 25

They proposed the ‘Sadder but wiser effect’

Question 26

What is the sadder but wiser effect?

Answer 26

someone who has suffered from an experience but also learnt from it. This suggests a failure to demonstrate mood influences judgments of control.

Question 27

What are the three things within the Biopsychosocial Approach?

Answer 27

an interaction between:
biology
psychology
social