Approaches - Biological (PAPER 2) Flashcards
What does the biological approach argue?
Behaviour should be argued in terms of biology - everything psychological was first biological
What is the endocrine system?
A body wide system of glands that release chemical messengers called “hormones”
What does the adrenal gland do?
Release adrenaline (hormone) during “fight or flight”
What is the brain?
The organ in the skull - the centre of all conscious and unconscious thought
What are the four lobes of each hemisphere?
- Frontal lobe
- Occipital lobe
- Parietal lobe
- Temporal lobe
Where is the frontal lobe?
The front of the brain
Where is the parietal lobe?
The back of the brain
Where is the temporal lobe?
The bottom of the brain beneath the frontal lobe
Where is the occipital lobe?
The back of the brain beneath the parietal lobe
What is localisation of function?
The idea that specific brain areas are responsible for specific functions
What are some positive evaluations of the biological approach? (AO3)
- Modern replicable brain scanning shows traditional case studies were accurate
- Understanding of neurotransmitters lead to drug treatment (i.e. practical application) (SSRIs)
- Scientific, objective, direct observations
What is a synapse?
The gap between the axon terminal of a presynaptic neuron and the dendrite of a postsynaptic neuron.
What are the features of the presynaptic neuron?
Contains neurotransmitters in vesicles that are triggered to release by an electrical signal (action potential)
What are the features of the postsynaptic neuron?
Contain receptors for neurotransmitters that can be either excitory or inhibitory
What happens when excitory signals outweigh inhibitory signals?
The action potential continues
