Notes from Dr. Aaron Beck’s Current Research
Our President Emeritus, Dr. Aaron Beck and colleagues recently published an article on their current research: What accounts for poor functioning in people with schizophrenia: a re-evaluation of the contributions of neurocognitive v. attitudinal and motivational factors.
They found that individuals with schizophrenia who are at a relatively low level of functioning perform significantly better in both laboratory tests and real-life situations when their performance is rooted in a positive socio-affective context. The researchers have identified seven non-neurocognitive factors that have a significant effect on neurocognitive test performance:
- Avolition
- Dysfunctional Attitudes
- Effort
- Stress
- Negative Emotions
- Asociality
- Disorganized Symptoms
Beck Institute provides training in recovery-oriented cognitive therapy (CT-R) for individuals with schizophrenia, developed by Aaron Beck and his research team. We offer workshops, supervision, and consultation for mental health professionals and specialized training programs for staffs at a variety of organizations and institutions. We have recently added a new workshop to our current offerings: Group Therapy for Schizophrenia. It provides a foundational understanding of CT-R and ways to use it most effectively for clients with severe mental illness.
If you are interested in reading Dr. Beck’s new article, download it here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29501072.
References
Beck, A. T., Himelstein, R., Bredemeier, K., Silverstein, S. M., & Grant, P. (2018). What accounts for poor functioning in people with schizophrenia: a re-evaluation of the contributions of neurocognitive v. attitudinal and motivational factors. Psychological medicine, 1-10.