4.2. The Biological Explanation

Question 1

What are chromosomes?

Answer 1

Biochemical units of heredity that govern development

Question 2

Which chromosome determines sex?

Answer 2

23rd pair

Question 3

Which chromsomes determine female sex?

Answer 3

XX

Question 4

Which chromosomes determine male sex?

Answer 4

XY

Question 5

What does the SRY gene determine?

Answer 5

Causes the androgen-testosterone to develop testes in the womb

Question 6

What is the role of hormones?

Answer 6

Shape our behaviour and physical characteristics

Question 7

What do hormones do prenatally?

Answer 7

Prenatally, hormones work on brain development and reproductive development.

Question 8

What do hormones do at puberty?

Answer 8

A secondary burst of hormones occur (secondary characteristics)

Question 9

What does testosterone do?

Answer 9

Controls male sex organ development and linked to aggression in both genders

Question 10

AO3: Van de Poll

Answer 10

• injected female rats with testosterone
• led to increased aggression in both genders

Question 11

What does oestrogen do?

Answer 11

Controls female sex organs and menstruation

Question 12

What does PMT do?

Answer 12

Leads to increased emotion, irritability and aggression

Question 13

What does oxytocin do?

Answer 13

• Controls lactation and bending
• Women stimulate higher levels than males -> explains female need for intimacy

Question 14

What is Congenital Adrenal Hypoplasma

Answer 14

• A rare prenatal condition
• Increased levels of testosterone in females lead to ambiguous genitalia in new born girls
• Referred to as ‘Tom Boys’

Question 15

Strength: Bruce/ Brenda study

Answer 15

• Dr Money - theory of neutrality
• Believed nurture overrides nature
• This case proved nature overrides nurture for our gender
• Penis burned off, brought up as female and then at puberty changed back to male, committed suicide art 38

Question 16

Strength: Van Goozen

Answer 16

• Male -> female transexuals have decreased levels of aggression
• Female -> male transexuals have higher levels of aggression
• Demonstrates testosterone is linked to aggression and male ‘behaviour’

Question 17

Weakness: Tricker

Answer 17

• Gave male pets 10 weekly injections of testosterone or a placebo.
• No significant differences were found in behaviour.
• Suggests that testosterone doesn’t post-natally lead to aggressive behaviour.

Question 18

Weakness: deterministic

Answer 18

• Ignores SLT, the biological approach is 100% nature and ignores SLT explanations.
• There’s research to suggest our sex related behaviour is caused by observing and imitating role models in our environment.
• Therefore, this explanation cannot explain cultural differences in gender related behaviour.

Question 19

Weakness: Reductionist

Answer 19

• This approach reduces the complexities of our gender down to genes, hormones and chromosomes.
• It ignores any thought processes as well as the influence our environment can have in shaping our behaviour.