approaches - the biological approach

Question 1

what are the assumptions of the biological approach?

Answer 1

everything psychological is at first biological - to fully understand human behaviour we must look at biological structures and processes

all thoughts feelings, and behaviour ultimately have a physical basis in the brain

Question 1

what is neurochemistry?

Answer 1

the action of chemicals in the brain

Question 2

what is the neurochemical basis of behaviour?

Answer 2

much of our thought and behaviour relies on the transmission of neurotransmitters

imbalance of neurochemicals has been implicated as a cause of disorders such as OCD (low serotonin) and Sz (overproduction of dopamine)

Question 3

how is the genetic basis studied?

Answer 3

twin studies used to investigate whether certain psychological characteristics have a genetic basis

use concordance rates as a measure of similarity, and thus indicator of genetic basis

Question 4

what is a genotype?

Answer 4

the person’s genetic make-up

Question 5

what is a phenotype?

Answer 5

the way the genes are expressed

Question 6

why may monozygotic twins not have a 100% concordance rate

Answer 6

despite having the same genotype, their phenotype may be different
- this illustrates the interaction between nature and nurture

Question 7

how does Darwin’s theory of evolution link to the biological approach?

Answer 7

genetically determined behaviour that enhance survival will continue in future generations

Question 8

strength - real-world application

Answer 8

understanding of neurochemical processes has led to drug therapy (e.g antidepressants for depression) and have been proven effective

counterpoint - antidepressants aren’t effective for everyone
- Cipriani et al (2018) compared 21 antidepressant drugs and researchers concluded their effects were ‘mainly modest’

Question 9

strength - scientific methods

Answer 9

highly precise and objective (e.g fMRIs and EEGs) allow researchers to accurately measure physiological and neural processes in ways not open to bias

Question 10

limitation - biological determinism

Answer 10

sees behaviour as governed by internal causes over which we have no control

a purely genetic argument is problematic when considering crime as it implies the offender can’t be held responsible