Cognitive Explanations (OCR A-Level Psychology): Revision Notes
12.3.3 Cognitive Explanations
Cognitive explanation
Cognitive explanation -The symptoms of schizophrenia are caused by dysfunctional thought processing.
Types of dysfunctional thought processing:
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Impaired meta-representation: Being unable to recognise actions and thoughts as your own. This can lead to positive symptoms of schizophrenia such as auditory hallucinations by hearing voices, and delusions such as thought insertion.
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Impaired central control: Being unable to suppress automatic thoughts and speech triggered by other thoughts. Can help to explain disorganised speech and the development of thoughts as each word triggers associations which can't be suppressed.
Evaluation:
(1)
P: There is practical application in the form of CBT
E: This has been found to have a significant impact on reducing both positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia through brief intervention programmes
Therefore, the cognitive explanation is likely to be valid as treatments based on cognitive assumptions are effective at improving symptoms of schizophrenia
(2)
P: The cognitive explanation does not account for the role of biological factors in schizophrenia.
E: For instance, drugs such as antipsychotics which decrease dopamine activity have been successful in reducing schizophrenia symptoms.
E: This suggests biological factors are involved in the development of schizophrenia presenting a weakness of the cognitive explanation as it is unable to explain how biological factors contribute