Psychological explanations for schizophrenia

Question 1

Psychologists have attempted to link schizophrenia to childhood and adult experiences of…

Answer 1

living in a dysfunctional family

Question 2

Who proposed the schizophrenogenic mother explanation for schizophrenia?

Answer 2

Freida Fromm-Reichmann

Question 3

The schizophrenogenic mother explanation for schizophrenia is a _____________ explanation

Answer 3

psychodynamic

Question 4

Freida Fromm-Reichmann’s proposal of the schizophrenogenic mother is based on what?

Answer 4

The accounts she heard from her patients about their childhoods

Question 5

True/False: Freida Fromm-Reichmann was a psychiatrist

Answer 5

True

Question 6

Freida Fromm-Reichmann noted that many of her patients spoke of a particular type of parent. What did she call them?

Answer 6

The ‘schizophrenogenic mother’

Question 7

Schizophrenogenic

Answer 7

schizophrenia-causing

Question 8

What did Freida Fromm-Reichmann say were the key traits of the schizophrenogenic mother?

Answer 8

Cold, rejecting, controlling, and tends to create a family climate characterised by tension and secrecy

Question 9

Freida Fromm-Reichmann said that the schizophrenogenic mother creates a family climate characterised by tension and secrecy, which leads to what?

Answer 9

distrust

Question 10

Freida Fromm-Reichmann said that the schizophrenogenic mother creates a family climate characterised by tension and secrecy, which leads to distrust and later develops into what?

Answer 10

paranoid delusions

Question 11

Freida Fromm-Reichmann said that the schizophrenogenic mother creates a family climate characterised by tension and secrecy, which leads to distrust and later develops into paranoid delusions and ultimately what?

Answer 11

schizophrenia

Question 12

Beliefs of being persecuted by another person is an example of what trait of schizophrenia?

Answer 12

paranoid delusions

Question 13

Bateson et al. agreed/disagreed that family climate is important in the development of schizophrenia

Answer 13

agreed

Question 14

Bateson et al.’s double-bind theory emphasised the role of what within a family?

Answer 14

communication style

Question 15

What was Bateson et al.’s theory called in regards to developing schizophrenia?

Answer 15

Double-bind theory

Question 16

Bateson et al.’s double-bind theory said that the developing child regularly finds themselves _______ in situations where they fear doing the wrong thing

Answer 16

trapped

Question 17

Bateson et al.’s double-bind theory said that the developing child regularly finds themselves trapped in situations where they fear doing the wrong thing, and they receive…

Answer 17

mixed messages about what this is

Question 18

Bateson et al.’s double-bind theory says that the child feels unable to do what?

Answer 18

Comment on the unfairness of the situation or seek clarification

Question 19

If a child ‘gets it wrong’ and is punished by the withdrawal of love, this is an example of what theory?

Answer 19

Double-bind theory

Question 20

Bateson et al.’s double-bind theory suggests that when children ‘get it wrong’ the child is punished by what?

Answer 20

The withdrawal of love

Question 21

Bateson et al.’s double-bind theory suggests that punishment by the withdrawal of love happens rarely/often

Answer 21

often

Question 22

Bateson et al.’s double-bind theory says that regularly being punished by the withdrawal of love leaves children with an understanding of the world as…

Answer 22

confusing and dangerous

Question 23

An understanding of the world as confusing and dangerous as a result of frequent punishment by the withdrawal of love (Bateson et al.’s double-bind theory) is reflected in which symptoms of schizophrenia?

Answer 23

Disorganised thinking and paranoid delusions

Question 24

Bateson et al. was clear that what is not the main type of communication in the family?

Answer 24

Children regularly finding themselves trapped in situations where they fear doing the wrong thing and get punished by the withdrawal of love when they ‘get it wrong’

Question 25

True/False: Bateson et al. said that his double-bind theory was the only factor in developing schizophrenia

Answer 25

False: just a risk factor

Question 26

Expressed emotion

Answer 26

The level of emotion expressed towards a person with schizophrenia by their carers

Question 27

Expressed emotion refers to the level of emotion expressed towards a person with schizophrenia by their carers, in a particular positive/negative emotion

Answer 27

negative

Question 28

Expressed emotion refers to the level of emotion expressed towards a person with schizophrenia by their carers, often...

Answer 28

family members

Question 29

Give 2 examples of elements of expressed emotion

Answer 29

Any 2 from verbal criticism of the person, hostility towards the person and emotional overinvolvement in the life of the person

Question 30

Expressed emotion contains verbal criticism of the person, occasionally accompanied by...

Answer 30

violence

Question 31

Expressed emotion contains hostility towards the person including _____ and _________

Answer 31

anger, rejection

Question 32

Expressed emotion contains emotional overinvolvement in the life of the person, including...

Answer 32

needless self-sacrifice

Question 33

High levels of expressed emotion towards someone with schizophrenia are a serious source of what for them?

Answer 33

Stress

Question 34

High levels of expressed emotion towards someone with schizophrenia causing stress is primarily an explanation for what in people with schizophrenia?

Answer 34

relapse

Question 35

It has been suggested that expressed emotion may be a source of stress that can trigger what in someone who is vulnerable?

Answer 35

The onset of schizophrenia

Question 36

It has been suggested that expressed emotion may be a source of stress that can trigger the onset of schizophrenia in someone who is already vulnerable, e.g. due to their...

Answer 36

genetic makeup (diathesis-stress model)

Question 37

True/False: One strength of explanations linking living in a dysfunctional family to schizophrenia is that there is evidence to support them

Answer 37

True

Question 38

Indicators of family dysfunction include which type of attachment?

Answer 38

Insecure

Question 39

Insecure attachment is caused by exposure to what?

Answer 39

Childhood trauma, especially abuse

Question 40

Read et al. found that adults with schizophrenia are disproportionately likely to have which type of attachment?

Answer 40

insecure attachment

Question 41

Read et al. found that adults with schizophrenia are proportionately/disproportionately likely to have insecure attachment

Answer 41

disproportionately

Question 42

Read et al. found that adults with schizophrenia are disproportionately likely to have insecure attachment, particularly which types?

Answer 42

C or D

Question 43

Read et al. reported that __% of women and __% of men with schizophrenia have a history of physical/sexual abuse

Answer 43

69, 59

Question 44

What did Mørkved et al.'s study into the link between childhood trauma and schizophrenia find?

Answer 44

Most adults with schizophrenia reported at least one childhood trauma: mostly abuse

Question 45

Mørkved et al. found that most adults with schizophrenia reported at least one childhood trauma: mostly _____

Answer 45

abuse

Question 46

Read et al.'s review strongly suggests that family dysfunction...

Answer 46

makes people more vulnerable to schizophrenia

Question 47

True/False: There is lots of evidence supporting the idea that family-based stress is associated with adult schizophrenia

Answer 47

True

Question 48

True/False: There is lots of evidence supporting the importance of traditional family-based theories such as the schizophrenogenic mother and double-bind

Answer 48

False: there is almost no evidence to support these

Question 49

The schizophrenogenic mother and double-blind are examples of traditional family-based/childhood family-based theories

Answer 49

traditional family-based theories

Question 50

Both the schizophrenogenic mother and double-bind are based on what?

Answer 50

Clinical observation of people with schizophrenia and informal assessment of their mother's personalities

Question 51

Both the schizophrenogenic mother and double-bind are based on what clinical observation of people with schizophrenia and informal assessment of their mother's personalities, and not...

Answer 51

systematic evidence

Question 52

The poor evidence base for any traditional family-based explanations of schizophrenia mean that family explanations may not have been able to...

Answer 52

account for the link between childhood trauma and schizophrenia

Question 53

Although early explanations for the family-schizophrenia link have no support, research in this area may be useful in showing that…

Answer 53

insecure attachment and experience of childhood trauma affect individual vulnerability to schizophrenia

Question 54

Why is research linking family dysfunction to schizophrenia highly socially sensitive?

Answer 54

It can lead to parent-blaming

Question 55

Mothers/fathers seem to be particularly blamed for their child having schizophrenia

Answer 55

Mothers

Question 56

What is the problem with parent-blaming?

Answer 56

For parents already having to watch their child experience the symptoms of schizophrenia and take responsibility for their care, to be blamed adds insult to injury

Question 57

Cognitive explanation

Answer 57

An explanation that focuses on the role of mental processes

Question 58

Schizophrenia is associated with several types of _____________ thought processing

Answer 58

dysfunctional

Question 59

True/False: Types of dysfunctional thought processing can provide possible explanations for schizophrenia as a whole

Answer 59

True

Question 60

Schizophrenia is characterised by the disruption of what?

Answer 60

Normal thought processing

Question 61

Reduced thought processing in the ventral striatum is associated with positive/negative symptoms

Answer 61

negative

Question 62

Reduced processing of information in the temporal and cingulate gyri is associated with which positive symptom of schizophrenia?

Answer 62

hallucinations

Question 63

The lower-than-usual level of information processing in people with schizophrenia suggests that...

Answer 63

cognition is likely to be impaired

Question 64

Frith et al. identified ___ kinds of dysfunctional thought processes

Answer 64

two

Question 65

Frith et al. identified two kinds of what?

Answer 65

Dysfunctional thought processes

Question 66

Metarepresentation

Answer 66

The cognitive ability to reflect on our thoughts and behaviour

Question 67

Metarepresentation allows us insight into...

Answer 67

our own intentions and goals

Question 68

Metarepresentation allows us to interpret the...

Answer 68

actions of others

Question 69

Frith et al. suggested that dysfunction in metarepresentation would disrupt our ability to recognise...

Answer 69

our own actions and thoughts as being carried out by ourselves rather than someone else

Question 70

Frith et al.' suggestion that dysfunction in metarepresentation would disrupt our ability to recognise our own actions and thoughts as being carried out by ourselves would explain some symptoms of schizophrenia such as...

Answer 70

Hallucinations of hearing voices and delusions like thought insetion

Question 71

Thought insertion

Answer 71

The experience of having thoughts projected into the mind by others

Question 72

Frith et al. also identified issues with the cognitive ability to suppress what in schizophrenic people?

Answer 72

Automatic responses while we perform deliberate actions

Question 73

Frith et al. suggested that speech poverty and thought disorder could result from...

Answer 73

the inability to suppress automatic thoughts and speech triggered by other thoughts

Question 74

True/False: People with schizophrenia tend to experience derailment of thoughts

Answer 74

True

Question 75

People with schizophrenia tend to experience derailment of thoughts because...

Answer 75

each word triggers associations

Question 76

People with schizophrenia tend to experience derailment of thoughts because each word triggers associations, and the person cannot...

Answer 76

suppress automatic responses to these

Question 77

What did Stirling et al. do?

Answer 77

Compared performance on a range of cognitive tasks in 30 people with schizophrenia

Question 78

Stirling et al. compared performance on a range of _________ tasks in 30 people with schizophrenia

Answer 78

cognitive

Question 79

Stirling et al. compared performance on a range of cognitive tasks in __ people with schizophrenia

Answer 79

30

Question 80

Who did Stirling et al. compare the performance of 30 people with schizophrenia with?

Answer 80

30 people without schizophrenia

Question 81

What was Stirling et al.'s Stroop task?

Answer 81

Participants had to name the font-colours of colour-words and suppress the tendency to read the words aloud

Question 82

As predicted by Frith et al.'s central control theory, how did people with schizophrenia perform in Stirling et al.'s Stroop task?

Answer 82

It took them over twice as long on average compared to the control group without schizophrenia

Question 83

It took people with schizophrenia over _____ as long on average to complete Stirling et al.'s Stroop task compared to the control group

Answer 83

twice

Question 84

The fact that people with schizophrenia took over twice as long on average to complete Stirling et al.'s Stroop task means that the cognitive processes of people with schizophrenia are ________

Answer 84

impaired

Question 85

What does it mean when we say a limitation of cognitive explanations of schizophrenia are proximal explanations?

Answer 85

They explain what is happening now to produce the symptoms, but not what initially caused the condition (distal explanations)

Question 86

Distal explanations focus on...

Answer 86

what initially caused the condition

Question 87

What are possible distal explanations for schizophrenia?

Answer 87

Genetic and family dysfunction explanations

Question 88

True/False: How genetic variation or childhood trauma may lead to problems with metarepresentation or central control is clear and well-addressed

Answer 88

False, it is unclear and not well-addressed

Question 89

Cognitive theories on their own provide partial/full explanations for schizophrenia

Answer 89

partial

Question 90

The cognitive approach provides an excellent/poor explanation for the symptoms of schizophrenia

Answer 90

excellent

Question 91

As a result of the cognitive approach providing an excellent explanation for the symptoms of schizophrenia, there is an argument for seeing schizophrenia primarily as a...

Answer 91

psychological condition

Question 92

What is the argument against schizophrenia being primarily a psychological condition?

Answer 92

It appears that the abnormal cognition associated with schizophrenia is partly genetic in origin - the result of abnormal brain development

Question 93

It appears that the abnormal cognition associated with schizophrenia is partly genetic in origin - this would suggest that schizophrenia is a psychological/biological condition

Answer 93

biological

Question 94

Who argued that abnormal cognition associated with schizophrenia is partly genetic in origin as its a result of abnormal brain development?

Answer 94

Toulopoulou et al.