it's a mood disorder which causes depressive states of emotion as well as manic ones- 5% of getting depression (1% unipolar)
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What did McGuffin et al (1996) find? What does this research suggest?
concordance rates among MZ twins are 46% and DZ twins 20%- suggests that genetics play some role in causing depression
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What did Gershon (1990) find?
the rates of depression for individuals with a first degree relative with depression is two-three times higher than in the general population
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What is the major issue with drawing conclusions from family and twin studies?
the concordance rates are not 100% so there must be other factors- environmental factors may contribute to the concordance rates & it ignores social factors
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What did Wender's (1986) study find?
a biological relative of adopted sufferers of depression are seven times more likely than the adoptive relatives to get depression
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Are adoption studies generalisable to the general population?
no- because to be adopted is a stressful situation that can trigger depression
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How do neurotransmitters cause depression?
symptoms of depression can be linked to individuals with low levels of serotonin (he 'feel good' neurotransmitter)- anti-depressant drug prozac confirms this relationship
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What did Delgado et al (1990) find?
gave ppts a special diet which lowered their levels of serotonin, found that this caused them to show signs of depression
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How does Freud (1917) explain depression?
says that it is a type of grief e.g. losing a job or a loved one can trigger depression- you aim your anger at yourself which causes the feelings of worthlessness- can appear after every stressful life event
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Is there any supporting evidence for Freud's theory?
Shah and Waller (2000) found that many people who suffer from depression describe their parents as affectionless
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Why might Shah and Waller's study lack reliability and validity?
memories can sometimes be false (reconstructive) and their answers may be biased due to demand characteristics e.g. social desirability bias
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What weaknesses are there to Freud's theory?
not falsifiable- can't be proven right or wrong, ignores any biological explanations
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What are Beck's negative schemas?
Beck's theory involves negative thoughts about yourself which are the reinforced by other people e.g. your parents- this negative schema then stays with you and makes you think negatively about yourself
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What is Beck's cognitive triad?
a continuous cycle where you have negative thoughts about yourself, negative views about the future and negative views of the world- this is a very hard cycle to break and this is what he thinks causes depression
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Is there any supporting evidence for Beck's theory?
Nolen-Hoeksma et al (1992) said that negative attribution style in older children can be used to predict depression in the future- only if they suffer from stressful life events- diathesis stress model
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Is there any evidence against Beck's theory?
Lewisohn (1981) found that there was no relationship between negative thoughts and future depression
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What is the diathesis stress model?
a combination of biological, psychological and social factors
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Other cards in this set
Card 2
Front
What did McGuffin et al (1996) find? What does this research suggest?
Back
concordance rates among MZ twins are 46% and DZ twins 20%- suggests that genetics play some role in causing depression
Card 3
Front
What did Gershon (1990) find?
Back
Card 4
Front
What is the major issue with drawing conclusions from family and twin studies?
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