Instruction
Topic:
What effects does schizophrenia have on cognition? Are people with schizophrenia cognitively impaired? Critically evaluate the literature and, based on research evidence, present a strong argument that justifies your conclusions.
FOCUS ON FACE PERCEPTION, ATTENTION, MEMORY. ONE FOR EACH PARAGRAPH
The word limit is strict: any essays going over the prescribed 1500 word limit will be penalised. You should
aim to write clearly and simply, providing a logical and well-structured answer to the essay question.
The topic ask you to evaluate the impact of schizophrenia on cognition to determine whether people who have the disorder are
cognitively impaired.
As 1500 words is not enough to offer an in-depth analysis of all cognitive functions, your essay should focus on 2 or 3 different cognitive functions (face perception, attention, memory) by focussing on 2 or 3 cognitive functions you can generalize to cognition more broadly and answer the question clearly and confidently.
starting references:
- Megreya, A.M. (2016). Face perception in schizophrenia: A specific deficit. Cognitive Neuropsychiatry, 21(1), 60-72. doi: 10.1080/13546805.2015.1133407 Willits, J.A., Rubin, T., Jones, M.N., Minor, P.S., & Lysaker, P.H. (2018).
- Evidence of disturbances of deep levels of semantic cohesion within personal narratives in schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research, 197, 365-369. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2017.11.014
Evidence of having read (and understood!) at least five original experimental papers is expected for this essay.
Your answer to the question may be ‘yes’ or ‘no’, depending on the research evidence and argument you
present (i.e., there’s not one single ‘correct’ answer) – it’s possible to gain an equally high mark with either
answer, as long as the argument presented is logical and evidence-based.
Depth of understanding, clarity of argument and economy of expression will be rewarded. Remember, your
job is to provide a clear, evidence-based answer the essay question – do not just summarise the research
papers/textbook/lectures/tutorials! (And of course, be very careful to avoid academic
misconduct/plagiarism).
Make sure your essay is on topic, i.e., that it really speaks to the issue you have chosen as your essay
question. It is important to write a coherent argument – the opening paragraphs should tell your reader
where the essay is heading, brief pointers along the way should clearly indicate what the evidence implies
and how it relates to the essay question, and a concluding paragraph should make your answer to the
question and position on the issue clear. Only include research evidence that is relevant to the topic, and
thus builds a compelling answer to the essay question.
Evidence of having read (and understood!) at least five original experimental papers is expected for this
essay. In addition you may choose to include information from reviews and meta-analyses to support your
interpretations of the original experimental articles, however reviews and meta-analyses are not counted as
part of the “five original experimental papers”. Focus on providing a detailed, in-depth explanation and
analysis of a smaller number of papers rather than citing lots of papers but offering only a superficial
overview (i.e., when you’re choosing references, aim for quality over quantity!).