biological✅

Question 1

what does this theory suggest?

what do they say about the mind?

Answer 1

everything psychological is first biological so to fully understand human behaviour, we must look into biological structures

the mind lives in the brain, meaning all thoughts, feelings and behaviour have a physical basis.

Question 2

the neurochemical basis of behaviour:

• what is neurochemistry?
• how does this occur?
• what has an imbalance of neurotransmitters been assosiated with?

Answer 2

• the action of chemicals in the brain, much of our thought and behave amour relies on chemical transmission in the brain.
• occurs by neurotransmitters
• a possible cause for some mental disorders for example, low serotonin = OCD
  high dopamine = schizophrenia

Question 3

the genetic basis of behaviour:

• what are twin studies used for? how do they carry this out?
• if a characteristic is genetic what would we expect to see?

Answer 3

• investigate whether certain psych. characteristics have a genetic basis → they analyse concordance rates (the extent at which twins share the same characteristic)
• expect all monozygotic twins to be concordant (share 100% of the same genes)

Question 4

genotype and phenotype:

• what is a genotype?
• what is a phenotype?

Answer 4

genotype = persons actually genetic makeup

phenotype = the way genes are expressed through physical, behavioural and psychological characteristics

• despite having the same genes, the way identical twins genes are expressed is different

Question 5

evolution and behaviour:

• what they did Darwin propose?

Answer 5

• natural selection → genetically determined behaviour enhances an individuals survival and puts them at an advantage will continue in future generations
• same with farmers, they choose the animals that have the most described characteristics and choose the to reproduce.

Question 6

AO3:
✅ 2 strengths

❌weakness

Answer 6

✅ real world application - has promoted the treatment for mental disorders such as using antidepressant drugs to treat clinical depression, increases serotonin in the brain

✅ uses scientific methods for investigations, uses a range of highly precise and objective methods to investigate genetic and biological basis of
behaviour.

❌ too deterministic, see’s human behaviour as governed by internal, genetic causes that we have no control over. however, evidence shows some ones phenotype is heavily influenced by the environment. not even identical twin look exactly the same and think the same so this view is too simplistic and ignores environmental factors.