explanations of schizophrenia

Question 1

What are the 2 key features of the biological explanation?

Answer 1

Genetic
Neural

Question 2

What is the genetic explanation of schz?
Give research support

Answer 2

Schz is inherited- runs in the family
Gottesman found that if a person has schz, these are the concordance (similarity) rates:
Identical twins (share 100% DNA)= 48% concordance rate
First cousins (share 3% DNA)= 2% concordance rate
The more genes you share with sufferer, more likely you are to develop shchz

Question 3

Schz has candidate genes, what is this? E.g.

Answer 3

Individual genes seem to be associated with risk of schz
E.g. PCM1

Question 4

Schz is polygenic, what is this? E.g.

Answer 4

Several genes are involved, as opposed to 1 ‘schizogene’
E.g. psychologists found 108 separate genetic variations associated with the ^ risk of schz

Question 5

Schz is aetiologically heterogenous, what is this? E.g?

Answer 5

Different combinations of genes cause different types of shcz in different people
E.g. the genes of schizotypal* disorder are different to the genes for schizoaffective* disorder
*different variations of schz

Question 6

There is research support for the genetic explanation
PET

Answer 6

E: Psychologist found that adopted children of biological mothers with schz were more likely to develop the disorder themselves than adopted children of mothers without schz
T: Supports there is a genetic cause, if it was purely nurture, the adoptees wouldn’t develop schz

Question 7

What is the neural explanation? (3)
Give research support

Answer 7

Evidence that shcz is down to abnormalities in the brain.
Structure of the brain is correlated with positive and negative symptoms
Enlarged ventricles are associated with shcz
Toney found that the ventricles of a person with schz are 15% bigger than normal

Question 8

What are the 2 features of the dopamine hypothesis?

Answer 8

Hyperdopaminergia- high levels of dopamine in subcortex, high number of dopamine receptors>over-activity of dopamine, linked with positive symptoms
Hypodopaminergia- low levels of dopamine in cortex, less dopamine transmitted across synapses, linked with negative symptoms

Question 9

One strength of the neural explanation is that there’s real world application
PET

Answer 9

E: Anti-psychotics- drugs taken as a treatment of schz as they relieve symptoms by decreasing dopamine activity
T: ^ QoL, no longer bound with symptoms, boosts economy

Question 10

One weakness of the neural explanation is that it’s hard to establish cause and effect
PET

Answer 10

E: May be abnormal levels of dopamine is the consequence of shcz
T: Maybe we haven’t found a cause, just a symptom, decreases explanatory power

Question 11

One weakness of the neural explanation is that there are other neurotransmitters involved in schz that the dopamine hypotheis doesn’t account for
PET

Answer 11

E: Studies have found high levels of glutamate in several brain regions of people with shcz
T: Incomplete explanation

Question 12

One weakness of the biological explanation is that there’s alternative explanations
PET
* can use for psychological and cognitive

Answer 12

E: There’s psychological and cognitive explanations for schz that are both also credible
T: Biological explanation is not sole

Question 13

One weakness of the biological explantion is that it ignores the role of nurture, biologically reductionist and biologically deterministic
PETF

Answer 13

E: strictly nature, reduces complex phenomena of schz to dopamine, we’re controlled by our genes
T: incomplete explanation, too pessimistic
F: *determinism, doesn’t align with therapy that empowers patients to overcome their schz

Question 14

What is the psychological explanation also known as?
What is it characterized by?

Answer 14

Family dysfunction
High levels of interpersonal conflict and poor communication

Question 15

What is the psychological explanation’s 3 features?

Answer 15

Schizophrenogenic mother
Double-bind theory
Expressed emotion

Question 16

What led to the proposal of the schizophrenogenic mother?
Give 3 characteristics of this

Answer 16

Psychologist noted that many of her patients with schz described a particular type of parent
Uncaring
Cold
Controlling

Question 17

What type of atmosphere does a schizophrenogenic mother create?
What does this lead to?

Answer 17

Distrust
Paranoid thoughts which becomes delusions

Question 18

What is the double-bind theory? (2)
Example?

Answer 18

Children who frequently receive contradictory messages from their parents are more likely to develop schz
Because this prevents them from developing an internally coherent construction of reality
E.g. father makes big deal about birthday party for son, but never attends it
Child is receiving conflicting messages about relationship

Question 19

In STEM questions for the double-bind theory, what words should you label behaviour as? (2)

Answer 19

Animosity
Love

Question 20

What are the 3 main characteristics of ‘expressed emotions’
Define
How does this lead to schz?

Answer 20

Criticism- constant negative comments
Hostility- lot’s of arguments and tension
Emotional over-involvement- parents mood relies of childs outcomes
Negative emotional climate arouses the patient and leads to stress beyond their impaired coping mechanisms

Question 21

One strength of the psychological explanation is that there’s research supporting the idea of family dysfunction
PETC

Answer 21

E: Berry found individuals with insecure attachments to primary caregiver were more likely to develop schz
Berger found that schzphrenics reported a higher recall for double bind statements by their mothers, compared to non schz
Read found a link between family history of abuse and schz
T: large body of evidence supporting
C: Evidence was gathered after the development of patients schz>can’t rely on their word e.g. delusions>decreases validity

Question 22

One weakness of the psychological explanation of schz is that it’s socially sensative
PETF

Answer 22

E: Blames parents, they already have the burden of having a mentally ill child, and already feel guilty, takes ownership away from child, this doesn’t align with the goals of therapy
T: Unethical
F: Gender biassed, blames parents, specifically mother

Question 23

One weakness of the psychological approach is that there’s limited scope of change
PETC

Answer 23

E: Family is causing schz, not much a psychologist can do about this
T: Limits usefulness of explanation
C: Family therapy has been developed- reduced high expressed emotions by educating family on schz, ^ QoL (real world application)

Question 24

One weakness of the psychological explanation is that we cannot establish cause and effect
PET

Answer 24

E: schz>family dysfunction or vv?
T: cannot establish direction of causation, only know association, reducing explanatory power

Question 25

What are the 4 features of the cognitive explanation?

Answer 25

Cognitive deficits (gaps in thinking) Cognitive bias (inclination toward certain ideas e.g. persecution delusion) Metarepresentation Central control

Question 26

What causes schz according to the cognitive approach?

Answer 26

Faulty thought processes 'cognitive deficits'

Question 27

Briefly explain the Stroop test? *Don't need to know

Answer 27

Colours on a screen as words Condition 1- read out the colour not the words Condition 2- read out the words not the colour

Question 28

One strength of the cognitive approach is that there's research support PET

Answer 28

E: Stirling compared patients with schz to a control group without schz to do the Stroop test Schz patients took 2x as long to name the ink colours T: Support increases credibility of cognitive explanation

Question 29

What is metarepresentation? *they lack this, not have What could dysfunction in this area mean? E.g?

Answer 29

The ability to reflect on, and have insight into our own intentions and the actions of others The individual is unable to recognise that their own thoughts are actually theirs e.g. hallucinations and delusions

Question 30

What is central control? What does dysfunction in this area? E.g.?

Answer 30

The ability to suppress automatic responses or triggers, in response to stimuli Individuals cannot suppress automatic thoughts that get triggered by other thoughts E.g. disorganised speech and disordered thinking

Question 31

One weakness of the cognitive explanation is that it's subject to machine reductionism PETF

Answer 31

E: reduces complex phenomena of schz down to the role of thought processes T: way too simplistic of an explanation or such a complex mental illness F: interactionist approach is better- accounts for all of the influences and how they interact *must define interactionist and contextualise

Question 32

One weakness of the cognitive explanation is that there's issues with causation PET

Answer 32

E: Assumes thoughts causes schz, could be the other way! T: Dysfunctional thought processes are not an explanation of schz, but just another symptom Reduces explanatory power

Question 33

One strength of the cognitive approach is that there's real world application PET

Answer 33

E: Led to CBT- identifies and challenges thoughts, substitutes them with non-delusional ones T: ^ QoL and economy