Question 1

If a person receives the chemical L-dopa, a precursor of dopamine, it reduces the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. However, L-dopa may increase symptoms of schizophrenia. What might one reasonably conclude from this?

Accepted Answer

The fact that L-dopa may increase symptoms of schizophrenia suggests that excessive dopamine production may be linked to the development of schizophrenia. This is supported by other research that has found higher levels of dopamine in the brains of individuals with schizophrenia.

Question 2

According to Frieda Fromm-Reichmann (1948), schizophrenia is caused by:

Accepted Answer

Frieda Fromm-Reichmann introduced the concept of the "schizophrenogenic mother" in 1948, suggesting that schizophrenia could be caused by a certain type of cold, domineering, and rejecting mother. This theory has since been largely discredited in favor of more complex, multifactorial understandings of schizophrenia that include genetic, biological, and environmental factors.

Question 3

The finding that the highest rates of schizophrenia are found among people who are born during the winter supports which theory of schizophrenia?

Accepted Answer

The viral theory proposes that exposure to viruses during prenatal development can increase the risk for developing schizophrenia. The finding that the highest rates of schizophrenia are found among people who are born during the winter months, when there is greater exposure to viruses like influenza, supports this theory.

Question 4

The viral explanation for schizophrenia suggests that brain abnormalities, and therefore schizophrenia, result from viral exposure:

Accepted Answer

The viral explanation suggests that exposure to viruses before birth can lead to brain abnormalities and increase the risk of developing schizophrenia.

Question 5

The behavioral view of schizophrenia:

Accepted Answer

The behavioral view of schizophrenia provides a partial explanation for the origins and symptoms of schizophrenia. It suggests that the disorder can result from a combination of environmental factors and learned behaviors, such as maladaptive responses to stress or communication difficulties. However, it does not account for biological or genetic factors that may also contribute to the development of schizophrenia.

Question 6

A person begins exhibiting early symptoms of schizophrenia-for example, hearing voices. Family members decide to discuss the voices with the person to try to understand what is going on. This action by family members should:

Accepted Answer

According to the behavioral viewpoint, discussing the symptoms with the person may reinforce the behavior and make it more likely to occur in the future. This is known as the principle of operant conditioning, where behaviors that are followed by positive outcomes are more likely to be repeated. However, the cognitive viewpoint would argue that discussing the symptoms with the person could potentially help them to better understand and cope with their experiences, leading to a reduction in symptoms over time. Overall, it's difficult to predict with certainty what effect discussing the symptoms will have, but based on the principle of operant conditioning, it's possible that it could make the symptoms worse over time.

Question 7

According to Freud, people with schizophrenia:

Accepted Answer

According to Freud, people with schizophrenia regress to a pre-ego state of primary narcissism. This means they become fixated on their own selves and are unable to fully recognize other people or reality outside of themselves. This regression happens due to a failure in the development of the ego during early childhood.

Question 8

"If one receives a good deal of attention for unusual behaviors, is it any surprise those behaviors are strengthened?" is a question MOST likely asked by what kind of theorist?

Accepted Answer

This question is most likely asked by a behavioral theorist as it relates to the concept of operant conditioning in which behaviors are strengthened or weakened based on the consequences they receive. The attention received for unusual behaviors can serve as a reinforcing consequence, thus strengthening the behavior.

Question 9

If people with schizophrenia make at least modest gains when they receive behavioral therapy, this would indicate that:

Accepted Answer

The fact that people with schizophrenia make gains with behavioral therapy suggests that at least some symptoms of schizophrenia may be learned, and therefore, that learning may play a role in the maintenance of the disorder. This does not necessarily mean that learning is the cause of schizophrenia or that other forms of therapy are inappropriate. Operant conditioning may be involved in the maintenance of certain symptoms, but this is not necessarily the only or primary cause.

Question 10

People with schizophrenia have NOT been found to have:

Accepted Answer

Although there are structural abnormalities in the brains of people with schizophrenia, they have been found to have larger amounts of cortical gray matter compared to healthy individuals. Reduced blood flow to the brain, smaller frontal lobes, and enlarged ventricles are all commonly observed in individuals with schizophrenia.

Question 11

Occasionally, you see or hear things. Your friends tell you it's your imagination, but eventually, you come to think your friends are hiding something and you develop delusions of persecution to explain their behavior. This thinking leads you down the "rational path to madness." This scenario is consistent with the:

Accepted Answer

This scenario is consistent with the cognitive view, which emphasizes a person's thoughts and beliefs as the basis for their behavior and emotions. In this case, the individual's belief that their friends are hiding something from them is a delusion that has developed as a result of their interpretation of their experiences. This interpretation is consistent with the cognitive view's emphasis on cognitive distortions or errors in thinking that contribute to mental health problems like delusions.

Question 12

Since 1950, interest in psychological explanations for schizophrenia, as opposed to genetic and biological explanations, have:

Accepted Answer

The answer of Since 1950, interest in psychological explanations for...

Question 13

A psychodynamic theorist of the twenty-first century is MOST likely to say:

Accepted Answer

Modern psychodynamic theorists recognize the role of biological factors in mental disorders, suggesting that biological abnormalities can influence psychological states, such as regression.

Question 14

The cognitive view of schizophrenia is based on the assumption that those with schizophrenia experience strange and unreal sensations:

Accepted Answer

The cognitive view suggests that individuals with schizophrenia experience unusual sensations and when they share these experiences with others, they are often met with skepticism or denial, which can exacerbate their symptoms.

Question 15

During a postmortem analysis on a sample of brain tissue, you found enlarged ventricles. This is MOST likely to be evidence of:

Accepted Answer

Enlarged ventricles are often a sign of brain atrophy or shrinkage, which has been associated with schizophrenia involving mainly negative symptoms. This is because negative symptoms of schizophrenia are often linked to reduced brain volume in certain regions, such as the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, which can cause the ventricles to appear enlarged on brain scans.

Question 16

According to Freudian psychodynamic interpretation, people who develop schizophrenia regress to a state of:

Accepted Answer

According to Freudian psychodynamic interpretation, people who develop schizophrenia regress to a state of primary narcissism, where they become primarily focused on themselves and their own needs and desires. This is thought to occur due to unresolved conflicts during childhood development.

Question 17

Most contemporary psychodynamic theorists would agree with which statement?

Accepted Answer

Most contemporary psychodynamic theorists do not believe in the concept of schizophrenogenic mothers, as this theory has been largely discredited by research. They would agree with option B, which suggests that even if such mothers did exist, they do not create children with schizophrenia.

Question 18

Recently, the dopamine hypothesis for schizophrenia has been challenged because it has been discovered that:

Accepted Answer

The dopamine hypothesis has been challenged by the discovery that effective new drugs target both serotonin and dopamine, indicating that neurotransmitter activity beyond just dopamine is involved in schizophrenia.

Question 19

The link between dopamine and schizophrenia is supported by the finding that:

Accepted Answer

Antipsychotic drugs, which help reduce schizophrenic symptoms, often work by lowering dopamine activity, supporting the link between dopamine and schizophrenia.

Question 20

A new medication for schizophrenia appears to work because it blocks dopamine from binding to a receptor. The new medication functions as:

Accepted Answer

The medication blocks dopamine from binding to a receptor, which means it is an antagonist (opposite of an agonist, which would enhance the effect of dopamine).

Quiz 14: Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders