Approaches : The Biological Approach Flashcards
What are the three assumptions of the biological approach?
- Everything psychological is at first biological
- Behaviour has a genetic basis
- Evolution influences psychology
Outline the first assumption of the biological approach.
EVERYTHING PSYCHOLOGICAL IS AT FIRST BIOLOGICAL:
CNS: brain and spinal cord, controls involuntary actions such as breathing and heart beat.
PNS: sends and receives information to/from the CNS,
collects information from the environment (pain and temp), autonomic system affects reaction to threat and controls homeostasis, somatic system receives information from the skin (e.g. temperature), and is important to movement.
ENDOCRINE SYSTEM: Main job is to maintain levels of hormones in the blood and other bodily fluids. This is done by using glands. E.g. the pituitary gland instructs the other glands to secrete hormones when necessary. It is located in the brain.
NEUROTRANSMITTERS: neurotransmitters (chemicals) are transmitted in the brain via the cerebral fluid. They affect behaviour. E.g. high levels of dopamine are related to schizophrenia.
NEURONS: are nerve cells that transmit information between the nervous system.
Outline the second assumption of the biological approach.
BEHAVIOUR HAS A GENETIC BASIS
GENOTYPE: the genetic makeup of an individual, determined at conception, inherited from parents, unique to individual (unless they are an identical twin).
PHENOTYPE: the characteristics shown by someone due to the interaction between genes and their environment. Genetics may give an individual the predisposition for a particular psychological trait, but the environment may cause it to be show/ not shown in behaviour.
TWIN STUDIES: Psychologists use twin studies to look at the influence of genes/ environment on behaviour. Monozygotic (identical )twins share 100% of their DNA.
Dizygotic (non-identical) twins share only 50% of their DNA.
CONCORDANCE RATES: Psychologists look at concordance rates between twins - the extent to which twins share the same characteristics
If a behaviour (e.g. musical ability) is caused by genetics, then MZ twins should show a higher concordance rate that DZ twins as they share more of their genetics. Concordance rates are rarely 100% between Mz twins, so although they can tell us whether genetics cause a predisposition, genetics are not the only influence on behaviour.
Define the terms ‘monozygotic twins’ and ‘dizygotic twins’
Monozygotic twins - Identical twins - Share 100% of their DNA
Dizygotic twins - Non identical twins - Only share 50% of their DNA
Outline the third assumption of the biological approach.
EVOLUTION INFLUENCES PSYCHOLOGY
EVOLUTION: Evolution is the process by which different kinds of living organisms are believed to have developed from earlier forms during the history of the earth.
PROCESS: Variation through mutation means that some individuals in a species were more likely to survive and reproduce. Mutations passed onto the next generation who inherit the adaptive characteristics. Gradually, the adaptive characteristic becomes more common in the population, leading them to change over time. E.g. giraffes with longer necks were more likely to survive as they could reach food at the top of the trees whereas giraffes with shorter necks could not. Characteristic of having a longer neck was passed on through generations.
NATURAL SELECTION: The process in which organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce offspring.
ADAPTIVE AND MALADAPTIVE CHARACTERISTICS: An organism’s fitness depends on its ability to survive. This depends on how well an individual’s characteristics allow it to avoid or deal with threats, or exploit the opportunities available in its environment. However, the environment can change, meaning a characteristic/ gene that is adaptive at one time may become maladaptive during another time.
Suggest two strengths of the biological approach.
STRENGTH 1:
(P) Approach is scientific.
(E) Uses methods such as brain scans, lab experiments and animal studies to study and explain behaviour.
(E) This shows that this approach attempts to be as scientific as possible as it uses scientific and objective methods to obtain results.
STRENGTH 2:
(P) Approach has practical applications.
(E) Treatments for mental health disorders have been made. For example, antidepressant drugs have been developed to treat clinical depression.
(E) This is a strength as we have been able to create drug therapies that influence neurotransmitters and alter behaviour. Also, people with metal health disorders are able to better cope with their condition and live within the community, rather than in the hospital.
Give three limitations of the biological approach.
LIMITATION 1:
(P) Approach relies heavily on animal studies.
(E) As it is unethical to study on human brains, many psychologists experiment on animals and try to apply their findings to human beings.
(E) This can make research hard to generalise as humans are much more complex than animals.
LIMITATION 2:
(P) Approach ignores the role of nurture.
(E) Although this approach acknowledges the influence of phenotype and the effect of the environment on a person’s behaviour, it still puts heavy emphasis on the role of nature.
LIMITATION 3:
(P) This approach is reductionist.
(E) The biological approach explains mental health disorders that are complex and frightening into a genetic mutation.
(E) This is a limitation as behaviours are broken down into their small constituent parts, which loses the complexity of what the behaviour actually is.
