Cognitive Explanations

Question 1

What is dysfunctional thinking as a cognitive explanation of Sz?

Answer 1

• Sz characterised by disruption to normal thought processing
• reduces thought processing in the ventral striatum (associated w negative symptoms), reduces processing in temporal and cingulate gyri (associated w hallucinations)

Question 2

What is Metarepresentation dysfunction as a cognitive explanation of Sz?

Answer 2

• Frith et al identified 2 kinds of dysfunctional thought processing.
  Metarepresentation is the ability to reflect on thoughts and behaviours, allows insight into intentions and goals and to interpret the actions of others
• dysfunction of this would disrupt ability to recognise own actions and thoughts as being carried out by ourselves rather than someone else
• explain hallucinations of hearing voices and delusions like though insertion

Question 3

What is Central control dysfunction?

Answer 3

• Frith identified 2 kinds of dysfunctional thought processing (this and metarepresentation)
• speech poverty and thought disorder results from inability to suppress automatic thoughts and speech triggered by other thoughts
• each word triggers associations and the person cannot suppress automatic responses to these

Question 4

Research support for cognative explanation?

Answer 4

• Stirling performance on cognitive task in 30 people with Sz and a control group of 30 without Sz, stroop task pps have to suppress tendency to read words aloud, people with Sz took twice as long

Question 5

How are the cognitive explanations only proximal?

Answer 5

• They only explain what is happening right now to produce symptoms - as distinct from distal explanations which focus on what initially caused the condition, e.g genetic and family dysfunction explanation. What is unclear is how genetic variation or childhood trauma might lead to problems with Metarepresentation or control