cognitive explanations

• cognitive explanations of schiz view schizophrenia as a disorder caused by dysfunctional thought processes
• cognitive impairments such as memory and attention have been found in those with schiz (O'Carroll 2000)
• frith et al identified 2 types of dysfunctional thought processes that could underlie symptoms of schiz:

  • dysfunction in metarepresentation
  • dysfunction in central control
• metarepresentation refers to the cognitive ability to consciously reflect on thoughts and behaviour
• metarepresentation allows us to have insight into our own intentions and goals, as well as interpreting the actions of others
• dysfunction in metarepresentation would disrupt the patient's ability to recognise thoughts and actions as their own. this could explain auditory hallucinations of hearing voices and delusions of control/ thought insertion
• central control is the ability to suppress automatic responses while we perform deliberate actions
• dysfunction in central control could lead to symptoms such as disorganised speech and thought because the person cant suppress automatic thoughts and speech triggered by other thoughts
• one cognitive explanation is that delusions are caused by cognitive biases

  e.g. egocentric bias
• with an egocentric bias, the person will see themselves as central component in events
• the egocentric bias may play a role in delusions of reference and delusions of grandeur
• ALEMAN 2001 suggests that those with schiz find it difficult to distinguish between imgainary and sensory-based perception, so they'll experience imagined events as real events
• BAKER and MORRISON 1998 found that patients with hallucinations were more likely to misattribute a self-generated auditory experience to an external source

  Supporting the view that hallucinations are due to inability to distinguish between imagined events and real events
• negative symptoms can be seen as occurring due to the individual trying to control the high level of mental stimulation being experienced
• it has been shown that schiz ppl often experience a greater level of emotion than they display so flat effect may be an attempt to control the overwhelming emotions experienced internally