Biological explanations of schizophrenia part 1

So far we have discussed the genetic component of schizophrenia and the dopamine hypothesis. These biological explanations have received much more research support than the psychological explananations, but neither the genetic nor dopamine hypotheses can fully explain the origins of the disorder. It is likely that the diathesis-stress model is at work.

The powerpoint containing the concordance rates and dopamine slides is here. 

Schizophrenia intro

We started the topic with a look at the clinical characteristics of schizophrenia. 

We then started to discuss why diagnosing schizophrenia can be difficult. Reliability (whether or not two psychiatrists agreee) and validity (whether schizophrenia is a correct label for the person's symptoms) are both relevant here, and I suggest you separate your essay into sections on reliability and validity. 

The essay title is:

'Discuss issues associated with the diagnosis and classification of schizophrenia' (8+16 marks)

This is due on Monday 7th January.

We also watched a short video on 'Being sane in insane places' - a classic psychology experiment from 1969. Please do have a read of the original article by Rosenhan - the link is here. The powerpoint on reliability and validity is here.

Evolutionary theories of relationships

Prepare for a test on 'Sexual Selection and Human Reproductive Behaviour' on Thursday 13th:
Here is the presentation on Sexual Selection and Human Reproductive Behaviour.

Write a homework essay for Monday17th:
'Discuss theories relating to parental investment' 8 + 16 marks
Here is the presentation on PIT and Sexual Strategies Theory

For your research task for Wednesday 19th (completed) and Thursday 13th (data gathered):
Alternative hypothesis and null hypothesis
Theories / studies for your introduction
Research method / design
Outline of procedure
Table for results
Statistical test (with justification)
Level of significance