(part of the psychological explanations)
Any behavioural explanation of schizophrenia has to incorporate fundamentals of conditioning
(classical and operant) and/or social learning theory. Is it possible to make sense of the many and varied symptoms of this disorder within that behavioural framework?
Preliminary Activity
Try to explain in 2-3 sentences each of the following symptoms in terms of a) classical conditioning (learned association) OR b) operant conditioning (learning through reinforcement and rewards) OR c) social learning theory ( learning through observation and imitation)
Auditory hallucinations
Delusions
Bizarre behaviour
Catatonia

The behavioural explanation suggests that schizophrenia is a consequence of faulty learning.
Children who do not receive reinforcement early in their lives will put larger attention into irrelevant environmental cues. For example: paying attention to the sound of a word rather than its procedural meaning. This behaviour will eventually appear ‘weird’ or strange to others and so will generally be avoided. These strange behaviours may be rewarded by attention and sympathy and so they are reinforced. This can continue until the behaviour becomes so strange that they are then labelled as schizophrenic. Eventually the behaviour and psychological state deteriorates into a psychotic state.
The principles of operant conditioning are used to explain the schizophrenic’s bizarre behaviour. The behavioural explanation claims that abnormality is learned dysfunctional behaviour. Punishment may lead the child to withdraw and consequently they are labelled as odd. The bizarre behaviour is rewarded with attention and this positive reinforcement encourages them to conform to the label according to Scheff’s labelling theory (1966). Consequently, more exaggerated versions of the disorder are displayed and so schizophrenia develops. Although this has some face validity it lacks conviction as a causal explanation. It is probably more relevant to the maintenance rather than the cause of the disorder as it does not explain how the bizarre behaviour originates. Nor does it account for the severity of the disturbance. Genetic and cognitive explanations may better account for the severity of schizophrenia, and these are ignored as the behavioural explanation is reductionist and environmentally deterministic, only accounting for nurture.
Summarise the above basic explanation in two A01 sentences and two A02 sentences.
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According to behavioural psychologists abnormality is caused by maladaptive learning, through operant and classical conditioning. In addition Social Learning Theory explains that people learn through
observation, imitation and vicarious reinforcement.
(Make sure you know what all the above terms mean)
Behaviourists argue that learning plays a key role in the development of schizophrenia. One suggestion is that early experience of punishment may lead the child to retreat into a rewarding inner world. Others then label them as ‘odd’ or ‘strange’.
Scheff’s (1966) labelling theory suggests that individuals labelled in this way may continue to act in ways that conform to this label. Bizarre behaviour is rewarded with attention, and becomes more and more exaggerated in a continuous cycle before being labelled as ‘schizophrenic’:
Punishment
Withdrawal
Reinforced by attention
Labelled as odd
Conforming to label
Liberman (1982) suggests that if a child receives little or no social reinforcement early on in life (e.g. because of parental neglect), the child will, instead of focussing on social stimuli in the normal way, attend to inappropriate and irrelevant environmental cues (e.g. the sound of a word rather than its meaning).
As a result, the child’s verbal and other behavioural responses will eventually appear to be bizarre. Those who observe the child’s behaviour will either avoid it or respond erratically. This will reinforce the bizarre behaviour, eventually deteriorating into a psychotic state.
Behaviourists explain the fact that schizophrenia runs in families as a function of social learning.
Bizarre behaviour by parents is copied by children. Parents then reinforce this behaviour and the behaviour becomes progressively more unusual, until eventually the child acquires the label of being
‘schizophrenic’.

Ullman and Krasner (1969) observed mental health nurses in their interactions with patients and concluded that staff actually reinforce schizophrenic behaviour by giving more attention to these patients.
The validity of the behavioural model is moderately supported by the success of behavioural therapies used with schizophrenic patients. Social skills training techniques have been used to help schizophrenics acquire useful social skills (Rodger et al.,2002). Allyon & Azrin (1968) have shown that schizophrenics have learned to make their own beds, comb their own hair etc. when given rewards for doing so.
Finally Roder et al. (2002) has demonstrated that social skills training techniques have been used to help schizophrenics acquire social skills. The success of such programmes in teaching new skills and reintegrating schizophrenics back into the community suggests that these are skills that schizophrenics failed to learn in the first place.
Overall this research can explain how schizophrenia symptoms are maintained but it does not adequately explain where they came from in the first place. Critics claim that labelling theory ignores strong genetic evidence and trivialises a serious disorder.
Read the Scheff’s Labelling Theory handout.
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