AQA A level Psychology- Schizophrenia 111 Real Exam
Questions With 100% Rated Answers 2025
1. What is schizo- Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness/psychotic disorder that
affects 1% of phrenia? the population. It is characterized by disorientation and
disorganized patterns of thinking, as it distorts contact with reality and impairs a
person's insight.
2. Give few key - Schizophrenia is often diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 35
points regarding - Tends to 'affect' men more than women (men are more likely to
be diagnosed schizophrenia with schizophrenia)
- More prevalent in city dwellers
- More prevalent in people of lower economic status
- *More likely to be diagnosed in black people* (link to cultural
issues)
3. What is the valid- the extent to which schizophrenia is a unique syndrome with
characteristics, signs ity in the diagno- and symptoms sis of SZ?
4. What is the relia- level of agreement on the diagnosis by different psychiatrists
across time and bility in the diag- cultures; stability of diagnosis over time given no
change in symptoms nosis of SZ?
5. What is classifi- Identifying patterns of behaviour or mental symptoms that reliably
occur together cation of schizo- to form a type of disorder. phrenia?
6. What are the Communication- Enables psychiatrists, doctors and psychologists
to identify and four purposes of talk more easily about a group of similar
individuals. classification of Diagnosis/Prediction- Prediction of how the condition
develops.
schizophrenia? Investigation- Research can be organised to determine the
causes of the disorder.
, Treatments- Allows suitable treatments to provided to help
the patient.
7. What is the Schizophrenia is a split between a persons thought processes
diagnosis of and reality.
schizophrenia, and Disorganised- Disorganised speech/behaviour.
Catatonic- Immobility/excessive activity.
the four different Paranoid- Preoccupation with delusions or frequent auditory
hallucinations.
sub-types? Undifferentiated- Variation between symptoms, not fitting in to one
type.
8. What are the pos- Symptoms which add to your psyche.
itive symptoms Hallucinations- Perceptions of stimuli that are not actually present
(Auditory/visuof schizophrenia? al).
Delusions- False beliefs which are held despite obvious
contrary evidence.
Delusion of Grandeur- E.G. I am Napoleon.
Delusion of Reference- E.G. Song lyrics directed at me.
Delusion of Persecution- E.G. You're all out to get me.
Delusion of Control- E.G. Being manipulated/controlled by
external forces.
9. What are nega- Symptoms which take away from a normal psyche. - speech poverty
and avolition tive symptoms of on spec schizophrenia? Speech poverty-
Monosyllabic, using fewer words.
Social withdrawal- Withdrawn from family/friends.
Flattening of effect- Lack of expression in face/voice.
Avolotion - lack of purposeful, willed behaviour
Disorganised thinking- By thought insertion, somebody
inserting thoughts into the mind.
Avolition- Find it difficult to keep up with goal directed
behaviour. e.g lack of motivation to keep hygiene etc.
,10. What is the The American manual for classifying schizophrenia.
DSM-5 criteria for Requires persistence of 2 or more symptoms for at least 1
month classifying schiz- including at least one positive symptom such as
hallucinations, delusions, or ophrenia? disorganised speech, with evidence of
disturbance for at least six months
11. What is the The manual for classifying schizophrenia used in the rest of the
world.
ICD-11 criteria emphasises negative symptoms, requiring at least two over a one-
month period.
for classifying schizophrenia?
12. What are the Abnormality tends to be viewed in one of two ways...
different tech- Categorical approach- Sees abnormality as either yes/no. niques
to di- Dimensional approach- Sees abnormality as stretching along a
continuum. agnosing schizo-
phrenia? There are often four ways to observing and diagnosing
somebody with schizophrenia, each possibly giving different
diagnoses:
Behavioural observation- Rating scales/ behaviour coding.
Clinical interview
Psychological tests- IQ/Personality tests.
Physiological tests- Brain scanning.
13. What is the reli- Refers to whether psychologists consistently make the same
diagnosis on patients ability of classifi- with schizophrenia.
cation of schizo- Inter- rater reliability: Two or more clinicians agree to diagnose a
patient with phrenia? schizophrenia.
Test-retest reliability- When the same clinicians reaches the
same diagnosis of SZ on the individual on two separate
occasions.
, 14. Diagnosis of - One strength of the diagnosis of schizophrenia is its high inter-rater
reliability. Schizophrenia: - For example, Flávia Osório et al. (2019) reported
excellent reliability for the supporting diagnosis of schizophrenia in 180 individuals
using the DSM-5, with an inter-rater evidence for reliability of +0.97, and test retest
reliability of +0.92.
DSM-5 - This is a strength because it suggests different clinicians reached the same
diagnosis for the same individuals, and individual clinicians
consistently meet the same conclusions.
- Consequently, diagnosis is more likely to be applied
consistently, regardless of who is making the diagnosis or
when it occurs.
This reduces the potential for misdiagnosis and ensures more
accurate treatment plans for individuals diagnosed with
schizophrenia.
15. Diagnosis of - a weakness of the diagnosis of schizophrenia is its low reliability
when considSchizophrenia: ered across cultures
cultural bias - For example, positive symptoms classified by the ICD-10 and
DSM-5 include hallucinations, but this may not be applicable to all cultures.
- Luhrman found that African and Indian patients reported the
voices to be more positive and offering advice, in comparison
to violent and hateful voices common in western cultures.
- This may be due to the fact that positive symptoms such as
hearing voices may be more acceptable in African cultures,
meaning people are more open about these experiences.
- This is an issue because diagnosis will not be consistent
across cultures, and suggests diagnosis's may be measuring
cultural discrepancies, reducing the validity of diagnosis's
Questions With 100% Rated Answers 2025
1. What is schizo- Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness/psychotic disorder that
affects 1% of phrenia? the population. It is characterized by disorientation and
disorganized patterns of thinking, as it distorts contact with reality and impairs a
person's insight.
2. Give few key - Schizophrenia is often diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 35
points regarding - Tends to 'affect' men more than women (men are more likely to
be diagnosed schizophrenia with schizophrenia)
- More prevalent in city dwellers
- More prevalent in people of lower economic status
- *More likely to be diagnosed in black people* (link to cultural
issues)
3. What is the valid- the extent to which schizophrenia is a unique syndrome with
characteristics, signs ity in the diagno- and symptoms sis of SZ?
4. What is the relia- level of agreement on the diagnosis by different psychiatrists
across time and bility in the diag- cultures; stability of diagnosis over time given no
change in symptoms nosis of SZ?
5. What is classifi- Identifying patterns of behaviour or mental symptoms that reliably
occur together cation of schizo- to form a type of disorder. phrenia?
6. What are the Communication- Enables psychiatrists, doctors and psychologists
to identify and four purposes of talk more easily about a group of similar
individuals. classification of Diagnosis/Prediction- Prediction of how the condition
develops.
schizophrenia? Investigation- Research can be organised to determine the
causes of the disorder.
, Treatments- Allows suitable treatments to provided to help
the patient.
7. What is the Schizophrenia is a split between a persons thought processes
diagnosis of and reality.
schizophrenia, and Disorganised- Disorganised speech/behaviour.
Catatonic- Immobility/excessive activity.
the four different Paranoid- Preoccupation with delusions or frequent auditory
hallucinations.
sub-types? Undifferentiated- Variation between symptoms, not fitting in to one
type.
8. What are the pos- Symptoms which add to your psyche.
itive symptoms Hallucinations- Perceptions of stimuli that are not actually present
(Auditory/visuof schizophrenia? al).
Delusions- False beliefs which are held despite obvious
contrary evidence.
Delusion of Grandeur- E.G. I am Napoleon.
Delusion of Reference- E.G. Song lyrics directed at me.
Delusion of Persecution- E.G. You're all out to get me.
Delusion of Control- E.G. Being manipulated/controlled by
external forces.
9. What are nega- Symptoms which take away from a normal psyche. - speech poverty
and avolition tive symptoms of on spec schizophrenia? Speech poverty-
Monosyllabic, using fewer words.
Social withdrawal- Withdrawn from family/friends.
Flattening of effect- Lack of expression in face/voice.
Avolotion - lack of purposeful, willed behaviour
Disorganised thinking- By thought insertion, somebody
inserting thoughts into the mind.
Avolition- Find it difficult to keep up with goal directed
behaviour. e.g lack of motivation to keep hygiene etc.
,10. What is the The American manual for classifying schizophrenia.
DSM-5 criteria for Requires persistence of 2 or more symptoms for at least 1
month classifying schiz- including at least one positive symptom such as
hallucinations, delusions, or ophrenia? disorganised speech, with evidence of
disturbance for at least six months
11. What is the The manual for classifying schizophrenia used in the rest of the
world.
ICD-11 criteria emphasises negative symptoms, requiring at least two over a one-
month period.
for classifying schizophrenia?
12. What are the Abnormality tends to be viewed in one of two ways...
different tech- Categorical approach- Sees abnormality as either yes/no. niques
to di- Dimensional approach- Sees abnormality as stretching along a
continuum. agnosing schizo-
phrenia? There are often four ways to observing and diagnosing
somebody with schizophrenia, each possibly giving different
diagnoses:
Behavioural observation- Rating scales/ behaviour coding.
Clinical interview
Psychological tests- IQ/Personality tests.
Physiological tests- Brain scanning.
13. What is the reli- Refers to whether psychologists consistently make the same
diagnosis on patients ability of classifi- with schizophrenia.
cation of schizo- Inter- rater reliability: Two or more clinicians agree to diagnose a
patient with phrenia? schizophrenia.
Test-retest reliability- When the same clinicians reaches the
same diagnosis of SZ on the individual on two separate
occasions.
, 14. Diagnosis of - One strength of the diagnosis of schizophrenia is its high inter-rater
reliability. Schizophrenia: - For example, Flávia Osório et al. (2019) reported
excellent reliability for the supporting diagnosis of schizophrenia in 180 individuals
using the DSM-5, with an inter-rater evidence for reliability of +0.97, and test retest
reliability of +0.92.
DSM-5 - This is a strength because it suggests different clinicians reached the same
diagnosis for the same individuals, and individual clinicians
consistently meet the same conclusions.
- Consequently, diagnosis is more likely to be applied
consistently, regardless of who is making the diagnosis or
when it occurs.
This reduces the potential for misdiagnosis and ensures more
accurate treatment plans for individuals diagnosed with
schizophrenia.
15. Diagnosis of - a weakness of the diagnosis of schizophrenia is its low reliability
when considSchizophrenia: ered across cultures
cultural bias - For example, positive symptoms classified by the ICD-10 and
DSM-5 include hallucinations, but this may not be applicable to all cultures.
- Luhrman found that African and Indian patients reported the
voices to be more positive and offering advice, in comparison
to violent and hateful voices common in western cultures.
- This may be due to the fact that positive symptoms such as
hearing voices may be more acceptable in African cultures,
meaning people are more open about these experiences.
- This is an issue because diagnosis will not be consistent
across cultures, and suggests diagnosis's may be measuring
cultural discrepancies, reducing the validity of diagnosis's
