The cognitive explanation Flashcards
What does the explanation emphasise?
The role of faulty information processing and claims the sufferers have dysfunctional thought processes, and the symptoms are due to specific cognitive deficits.
What does it claim?
Sufferers have problems with a high level cognitive process called meta representation. This is the ability to reflect upon thoughts, behaviours and feelings that gives us a sense of self-awareness.
There are several dysfunctional aspects of thought processing that patients may experience and helps explain different types of symptoms.
What is dysfunction in the central monitoring system?
Typically, this ‘process’ labels & recognises actions and thoughts as ‘being done by me’ or ‘mine’
A malfunction within the CMS could explain positive (Category A) symptoms of SZ such as
Hallucinations and delusions.
This is because of misattribution errors - misattributions of our inner speech / articulatory control process in WMM (PL/WMM)are linked to external sources such as other people’s voices rather than our own inner voice.
What is dysfunction within the supervisory attention system?
Typically this ‘process’ is responsible for generating self-initiated actions so if faulty - can affect being active
A malfunction can lead to negative symptoms
speech poverty, flat affect and avolition
E.g. Not responding to environmental stimuli with appropriate (or even any) emotions because of a faulty SAS, hence limits interaction
Problems with a person’s SAS are therefore associated with the negative symptoms of SZ such as flat affect and avolition
What is dysfunction within insight / egocentric bias?
Typically we can all see we are not a central component to all events and usually grow out of ego-centric bias as we mature.
Egocentric bias is the idea that everything relates to you specifically.
Resistant to consider possible/feasible alternatives to what you think
E.g. muffled voices = SZ perceive this as people’s criticisms
E.g. flashes of light = SZ perceive this as signals from God- delusions of grandeur
An egocentric bias can lead to DELUSIONS of grandeur because you can jump to false conclusions about what you process from input around you.
What are the types of dysfunctional thought processes?
Dysfunction in the central monitoring system
Dysfunction within the supervisory attention system
Dysfunction within insight / egocentric bias
COGNITIVE EXPLANATION - Research evidence?
Bentall asked pts to either generate category items themselves or read out category items already created. One week later they were asked if they had generated the words themselves, read them or if they were new. SZ patients with hallucinations were unable to identify the source of the words compared to the control group. Indicates that there are cognitive deficits in their CMS and attribute their own actions to outside forces.
COGNITIVE EXPLANATION - Alternative explanation?
Cognitive factors are difficult to study objectively as they are subjective. More scientific explanations like the DA hypothesis can be verified using fMRI scans. This is more scientific, so therefore more of a credible explanation.
COGNITIVE EXPLANATION - Reductionist?
Focus of the explanation is only psychological, which ignores the role of biological factors. Implies that psychologists should consider more than one level of explanation to understand such a complex disorder, meaning it is too simplistic.
COGNITIVE EXPLANATION - Practical applications?
CBT has been used to help patients identify their faulty delusionary beliefs and establish more rational constructive ways of thinking. Startup found that 60% of the CBT group showed reliable improvement in the symptoms of SZ compared to only 40% of the control group. It is therefore successful in treating this disorder.
COGNITIVE EXPLANATION - Cause and effect?
It does not specify that cognitive dysfunction causes SZ, only that patients suffer from cognitive dysfunction. This implies that we cannot isolate cognitive dysfunction as a cause of SZ, and it may be that other factors cause these symptoms.
