BIOLOGICAL Flashcards
Assumption of the biological approach
everything psychological is first biological, so to understand human behaviour we have to look at biological structures
what is neurochemistry
refers to the action of chemicals in the brain. much of out thoughts and behaviours rely on chemical transmissions
how are chemicals transmitted in the brain
neurotransmitters
what is an imbalance of neurotransmitters a possible cause of
mental illness
what are twin studies used to investigate
wether certain psychological characteristics have a genetic basis
what is the term for identical twins
monozygotic twins
what is a genotype
a persons actual genetic makeup
unobservable anf fixed
what is a phenotype
physical characteristics of a person determined by both genes and the environment
monozygotic twins genotypes and phenotypes
share the same genotypes
phenotypes can be different - depend on the environment
what is concordance rate
the percentage of similarity between two people for a trait
strengths of the approach
it is scientific - higher validity as there is a higher control of variables therefore we can repeat a study - precise methods - fMRI’s
has real world application
weakness of the study
lacks ecological validity -
experiments take place in a lab so less likely to relate to real world conditions
it is determinist - suggests that behaviour is all driven by internal processes which simplifies humans and ignores the environment - some things that we can’t blame on genetics such as crime
how do adoption studies work
MZ twins raised in different environments
if they share the same behaviour it suggests its genetic
if they don’t share a behaviour it suggests it isn’t genetic
examples of real world applications
increased understanding of neurochemical processes in the brain
developed over time psychoactive drugs that are used to treat mental illnesses
e.g. antidepressants used to treat clinical depression
