Approaches - The biological approach

Question 1

What is an outline of the biological approach?

Answer 1

• Behaviour is a result of physical processes within the body, primarily neurological brain activity but also hormone factors
• These processes are inherited genetically and are a result of evolutionary pressure

Question 2

What are the influences of genes on behaviour?

Answer 2

-Influences of genes on behaviour is demonstrated from twin and family studies which show the risk of disorders such as schizophrenia, OCD and
depression
-These disorders increase significantly the more closely related people are to a person with the disorder, as they share more genes

Question 3

What are genotypes?

Answer 3

The genetic information inherited from parents, that code for distinct observable physical and behavioural characteristics

Question 4

What are phenotypes?

Answer 4

The distinct observable physical and behavioural characteristics

Question 5

How do genes affect humans?

Answer 5

-The expression of physical and behavioural properties are caused by the inheritance if certain genes
-For example: Certain genes code for the production of
high testosterone leading to psychological characteristics such as high aggression levels being
expressed

Question 6

How do biologicals structures affect behavioural functions?

Answer 6

-Neural areas in the brain are associated with behavioural functions
-For example: The amygdala (emotional responses), orbital frontal cortex (future planning), Broca’s area (speech production)
-The development of these areas of the brain and the connections between them are coded
genetically

Question 7

How does neurochemistry affect human behaviour?

Answer 7

• Neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine can influence brain/synaptic functioning, imbalances result in changes in behaviour such as aggression and psychopathology
• Hormones such as adrenaline released in the endocrine system in response to stressors result in the “fight or flight” behavioural response

Question 8

What is evolution?

Answer 8

• The selection of certain genes (GT’s) that code for characteristics (PT’s) that provide a survival and/or reproductive advantage
• Behaviours with these advantages will become more prevalent in a population
• For example: Dominance, group co-operation and mate-guarding

Question 9

What is weakness of the biological approach?

Biological reductionism

Answer 9

-Biological psychologists reduce the explanation for complex behaviours and human experience to simple biological elements (neurotransmitters)

Question 10

What is a strength of the biological approach?

Counter-argument to biological reductionism - scientific principle of parsimony and practical applications

Answer 10

-Although the biological approach can often be reductionist, it is based on the scientific principle of parsimony
-This principle states that complex phenomena should be explained in the simplest way possible
This has lead to the development of effective drug treatments

Question 11

What is weakness of the biological approach?

Fails to explain interactions between environmental experiences and the development of biological structures

Answer 11

• The biological approach fails to explain an interaction between environmental experiences and the development of biological structures
• This interaction is shown by work on plasticity by Maguire who used MRI scans on taxi drivers who had completed a memory test called “The Knowledge”, areas of their hippocampus were significantly larger than in “control” brains

Question 12

What is a strength of the biological approach?

Practical application

Answer 12

-The effectiveness of drug treatments developed by biological psychologists, as well as biological theories have been demonstrated by highly controlled nomothetic research studies using techniques that provide objectivity such as blood
tests and FMRI

Question 13

What is a weakness of the biological approach?

Fails to explain disorders that are caused from a diathesis stress explanation

Answer 13

-Explanations for disorders such as schizophrenia that cannot be fully explained for by genetic inheritance, often take a diathesis stress explanation disorders being the result of being interaction between a pre-existing vulnerability (Genotype) and environmental stressors (Personal loss, abuse or
drug use)

Question 14

What is a weakness of the biological approach?

Biological determinism

Answer 14

• The biological approach suggests that human behaviour is as a result of biological processes outside of conscious control
• This goes against the view that our decisions are driven by free will