Psycho explanations of schizo Cognitive explanations

• Cognitive explanation of schizophrenia

  The cognitive explanation of schizophrenia proposes that two types of dysfunctional thought processing can cause schizophrenia:

  1.Dysfunctional metarepresentation

  2. Dysfunctional central control
• What is metarepresentation?

  Metarepresentation refers to the cognitive ability to reflect on one’s own thoughts and behaviour.
• How does a dysfunction (Dysfunctional metarepresentation) in this cognitive ability affect an individual?

  A dysfunction in metarepresentation can result in an individual being unable to recognize their own thoughts and actions as being carried out by themselves. They may therefore mistakenly think that their own thoughts have come from someone else.
• How can Dysfunctional metarepresentation be used to explain the development of schizophrenic symptoms?

  Dysfunctional metarepresentation can explain the development of auditory hallucinations (whereby people with schizophrenia propose they can hear things that are not there [possibly their own thoughts?]) and delusions of thought insertion (whereby people with schizophrenia believe thoughts

  are being inserted into their mind by other people).
• What is central control

  Central control refers to the cognitive ability to suppress automatic responses.
• How does a dysfunction (Dysfunctional central control) in this cognitive ability affect an individual?

  A dysfunction in central control can result in an individual being unable to suppress their automatic thoughts and, in turn, their speech. As a result, they can experience derailment of thought and spoken sentences. This is because each word triggers associations that they cannot suppress their

  response to.
• How can Dysfunctional central control be used to explain the development of schizophrenic symptoms?

  Dysfunctional central control can explain the development of disorganized speech whereby individuals with schizophrenia might speak incoherently, respond to questions with unrelated answers, or shift topics frequently due to their inability to suppress their automatic thoughts and, in turn, their speech.
• Evaluating the cognitive explanation of schizophrenia

  • is supporting evidence of the Stroop test to suggest the proposal that people with schizophrenia process information differently
  • that it is difficult to establish cause and effect
  • that it lacks explanatory power
  • it has resulted in effective therapies for the disorder