Cognitive Explanations Flashcards
Cognitive explanations for schizophrenia
-Suggest schizophrenia is the result of maldaptive cognitions and cognitive deficits which can be challenged and changed using DBT-Dysfunctional thought processes cause schizophrenia
Firth-dysfunctional thought processes
Schizophrenics have issues with metarepresentation and central control leading to positive and negative symptoms
What is metarepresentation
-The ability to recognise our own thoughts, feelings etc as our own and in our own control and others intentions-issues with metarepresentation can lead to auditory ‘hallucinations’ where internal thoughts are mis-interpreted as external, and delusions of external control or persecution
How does faulty metarecognition lead to positive symptoms
-The sufferer is unable to recognise their own thoughts and emotions as their own-leads to misinterpreting inner voice as external or their thoughts as implanted or being persecuted by other people.
What is central control?
We have the automatic ability to control and supress our speech and thoughts, schizophrenics have issues with central control leading to disorganised speech and thoughts
Attention deficit theory
Schizophrenics have difficulty automatically filtering precocious thoughts resulting in information overload.
Research support
Lysaker et al found that schizophrenic patients have issues with metacognition
Who found schizophrenics have issues with metarecognition
Lysaker et al
Reserch support-CBT
Research by Singh et al found CBT was effective at treating auditory hallucinations in schizophrenics suggesting the idea has validity.
Limitation-Reductionism
-Reduces all behaviour to the environment without looking at biological or other factors-Gaetry suggests cognitions cant solely explain the disorder-too simplistic
-Contradicted by the biological approach
-Dopamine hypothesis-Schizophrenia is due to higher levels of dopamine-May be that biological factors create a predispostion
