Psychology A Level Essay Plans – Schizophrenia
Discuss reliability and validity in relation to the diagnosis and classification of
schizophrenia
AO1
DSM-5 - 1 positive system , ICD-10 - 2 negative symptoms
positive - hallucinations, delusions ; negative - speech poverty, avolution
AO3
strength - reliability, inter rater (+.97) and test restest (+.92), consistent since DSM-5
limitation - validity, criterion validity, 100 clients, 39 diagnosed under DSM-5 vs 68
under ICD, either under or over diagnosed, low validity
strength - validity, excellent agreement between clinicians when both used DSM,
criterion validity good with single diagnostic system
Describe and evaluate biological explanations for schizophrenia
AO1
genetic basis - family studies (48% twins), candidate genes, polygenic, aetiologically
heterogenerous (combination of genes)
neural correlates - original dopamine hypothesis (hyperdopaminergia, result of high
dopamine levels in subcortical areas), updated DH (hypodopaminergia, low DA in
cortex, can lead to hyper so both included)
AO3
strength - genetic research support, Gottesman family studies, Tieneri adoption
studies, Hilker twin studies, vulnerable to SZ due to genetic makeup
limitation - (genetic) environmental factors, biological influences eg birth
complications, cannibis in teenage years, etc, psychological influences eg childhood
trauma
strength - evidence for dopamine, amphetamines increase DA and worsen
symptoms, antispychotocs reduce DA and lessen symptoms
limitation - glutamate, post mortems and scans, raised levels of neurotransmitter
glutamate in brain regions of SZ patients, other NTs have role
Describe and evaluate psychological theories of schizophrenia
AO1
Discuss reliability and validity in relation to the diagnosis and classification of
schizophrenia
AO1
DSM-5 - 1 positive system , ICD-10 - 2 negative symptoms
positive - hallucinations, delusions ; negative - speech poverty, avolution
AO3
strength - reliability, inter rater (+.97) and test restest (+.92), consistent since DSM-5
limitation - validity, criterion validity, 100 clients, 39 diagnosed under DSM-5 vs 68
under ICD, either under or over diagnosed, low validity
strength - validity, excellent agreement between clinicians when both used DSM,
criterion validity good with single diagnostic system
Describe and evaluate biological explanations for schizophrenia
AO1
genetic basis - family studies (48% twins), candidate genes, polygenic, aetiologically
heterogenerous (combination of genes)
neural correlates - original dopamine hypothesis (hyperdopaminergia, result of high
dopamine levels in subcortical areas), updated DH (hypodopaminergia, low DA in
cortex, can lead to hyper so both included)
AO3
strength - genetic research support, Gottesman family studies, Tieneri adoption
studies, Hilker twin studies, vulnerable to SZ due to genetic makeup
limitation - (genetic) environmental factors, biological influences eg birth
complications, cannibis in teenage years, etc, psychological influences eg childhood
trauma
strength - evidence for dopamine, amphetamines increase DA and worsen
symptoms, antispychotocs reduce DA and lessen symptoms
limitation - glutamate, post mortems and scans, raised levels of neurotransmitter
glutamate in brain regions of SZ patients, other NTs have role
Describe and evaluate psychological theories of schizophrenia
AO1
