biological

Question 1

Assumptions of the biological approach?

Answer 1

-Everything psychological is at first biological
-Genes affect behaviour and influence individual psychological differences between people
-Much of human behaviour has psychological cause which may be genetically or environmentally altered
-Much of our thought and behaviour relies on chemical transmission in the brain which occurs using neurotransmitters
-some behaviours are evolved

Question 2

What is the genotype?

Answer 2

Genotype refers to an individual’s genetic make-up.

Question 3

What is the phenotype?

Answer 3

Phenotype- the observable characteristics of an individual

Question 4

What is the phenotype influenced by?

Answer 4

Genotype + Environment= Phenotype

Question 5

What are twin studies?

Answer 5

Twin Studies are used to show how likely it is that these characteristics are inherited by comparing concordance rates between the twin pairs. If MZ twins are found to have higher concordance rates than DZ twins, it would suggest a genetic basis.

Question 6

What is an MZ twin?

Answer 6

Monozygotic twins- identical genotypes
have the same predisposition to develop a characteristic unless environmental factors intervene

Question 7

What is a DZ twin?

Answer 7

Dizygotic Twin- non-identical genotype

Question 8

What did Nesdadt (2010) find from his twin studies on OCD?

Answer 8

-a 68% concordance rate in MZ twins compared to 31% in DZ twins if ther co-twin also had OCD

Question 9

Examples of evolved behaviours?

Answer 9

-Social Releasers- babies are born with a set of innate ‘cute’ features and behaviours that encourage attention from adults who will then become attached to and care for them. This enhances the chance of survival for the infant
-Aggression- men are at risk of cuckoldry and so displaying aggression acts as a deterrent so that a partner is less likely to cheat. It may also make them more attractive to females, so will enhance the men’s reproductive success so the behaviour becomes more widespread in the population.

Question 10

Define evolution?

Answer 10

• the genetic make-up of a particular population changes over successive generations. Individuals within a species vary in terms of their physical characteristics and behaviour. Some of the behaviour is intertied, making this therefore biological

Question 11

Strengths of the biological approach?

Answer 11

-Real-world applications
-Uses scientific methods

Question 12

Limitations of the biological approach?

Answer 12

-Biological determinism
-Reductionist

Question 13

Explain the strength of the biological approach that it has real world applications?

Answer 13

-This is because it has promoted treatment of clinical depression using antidepressant drugs that increase levels of serotonin.
-This is because due to the biological approach we know that low levels of serotonin are linked to depression.
-This is a strength because people with depression may be better able to manage their condition and live their lives in the community rather than remain in hospital.

Question 14

Explain the strength of the biological approach that it uses scientific methods?

Answer 14

-This is because it uses a range of precise and highly objective methods including scanning techniques such as fMRls and EEGs.
-These methods/ technology mean that we can find out more than other approaches would allow us to
-For example, scans of London taxi drivers’ brains showed enlarged hippocampi, which are involved in social recognition.
-This is a strength because it means that much of the biological approach is based on objective and reliable data.

Question 15

Explain the limitation of the biological approach that it is deterministic?

Answer 15

-This is because it sees human behaviour as governed by internal genetic causes over which we have no control.
-However we have already seen the way in which an individual’s genotype is expressed is heavily influenced by the environment - not even identical twins who share the same genes think and look the same.
-This is a limitation because it suggests that the biological view is often too simplistic and ignores the mediating effects of the environment.

Question 16

Explain the limitation of the biological approach that it is reductionistic?

Answer 16

-This is because it believes complex behaviour can be broken down to the action of genes, rochemicals and hormones
-For example depression is explained as a result of low levels of serotonin
-This is a limitation because we cannot fully understand a behaviour without also taking into account other factors that influence it, such as cognitive, emotional and cultural factors.
-So, in the case of depression, the role of negative or irrational thinking is overlooked,
-This means that the approach is not appropriate on its own to explain behaviour.