Approaches - The Biological Approach Flashcards
Outline the biological approach
This approach assumes that all psychological aspects of a person (their behaviour, personality) has a physical cause located somewhere in the body. This may be determined by genes, biochemistry (levels of hormones and neurotransmitters) and neuroanatomy (brain structure).
How are twin studies used to investigate inheritance of charateristics?
Twin studies are used to investigate whether personality characteristics are inherited in the same way as physical features. If monozygotic (MZ- identical) twins are found to be more similar in regards to a particular trait than dizygotic (DZ- non-identical) twins, this suggests a genetic influence, as both sets of twins would share an environment but MZs would share 100% of genes, compared to 50% on average for DZs. This rate of similarity is known as a concordance rate.
Genotype vs phenotype
Genotype is the particular set of genes a person inherits. Identical twins share 100% of their DNA, so they have the same genotype.
Phenotype is the characteristics of an individual, which will be affected by genes and the environment. For example, MZ twins have the same genotype, but will lead different lifestyles, leading to changes in physical appearance and perhaps personality.
E.g. tooth decay may be inherited in the DNA of twins, but one may brush their teeth more than the other, so the gene is expressed differently.
Describe the theory of natural selection in the biological approach
The process of natural selection explains how changes in an organism happen over time. If a characteristic is helpful to survival (for example, results in better access to food or a greater mate choice/opportunity to mate) then this characteristic becomes ‘naturally selected’, and is passed down to the animal’s offspring. Over time, these characteristics are shared by all of a species, as those animals not suited to their environments die out. This is true for behaviour as well as physical characteristics, for example the preference in males for youthfulness and physical attractiveness in a female partner means that they are more likely to have healthy offspring, to that preference becomes naturally selected.
Evaluate the biological approach - scientific
An advantage of the biological approach is that it uses highly scientific methods, such as brain scans and twin studies, which are much less prone to bias than methods such as interviews. Therefore, the assumptions of the biological approach are supported by strong evidence.
Evaluate the biological approach - practical
An advantage of the biological approach is that it has resulted in the development of effective drug therapies for many psychological disorders. For example, narrowing down the causes of OCD to a lack of serotonin uptake has led to the development of SSRIs, which have been proven to be effective for a number of sufferers. These drugs can help sufferers to live a more normal life, go back to work etc. Therefore, the approach has very useful practical benefits.
Counterargument - medication has side effects, reductionist view means holistic approach of medication + therapy is not discussed.
Evaluate the biological approach - highly deterministic
This approach is highly determinist, suggesting that there is little or no free will over behaviour. This could have serious consequences, for example for criminal responsibility, as it could be claimed that a person is not responsible for their actions in committing a serious crime. The criminal justice system does assume that people are able to exercise free will over their behaviour. Therefore, the biological approach may have limited application in a `real-life setting.
