Biological approach

Question 1

key assumptions

Answer 1

Behaviour may result from:

1) Genetics: the genes an individual possess influence their behaviour.
2) This is also means there is a belief in evolution - behaviour evolves in the same way as physical characteristics through evolutionary adaption
3) The CNS: the brain is the main element of the CNS in terms of explaining behaviour- it is the origin of how the world is seen and acted upon.
4) The chemistry of the body also has an effect on our reactions to the environment (hormones and neurotransmitters)
1) genetics
2) evolution
3) CNS
4) chemistry of the body

Question 2

what is meant by heredity?

Answer 2

refers to the passing of physical and mental characteristics to the next generation through genetic inheritance.

Question 3

how are genes involved in heredity?

Answer 3

offspring inherit genes from both parents which provide instructions about their physical/ mental development

Question 4

what is genotype?

Answer 4

the genetic make up of an individual

• occurs at conception
• genetic code for an individuals development
  e. g hair/eye colour

Question 5

what is phenotype?

Answer 5

the product of the genotype interacting with the environment.
- example: genotype detects intelligence but the environment detects actual intelligence

Question 6

what are monozygotic twins (MZ)?

Answer 6

identical twins (exactly the same genes)

Question 7

what are dizygotic twins (DZ)?

Answer 7

non-identical twins (two eggs and one sperm)

- two embryos

Question 8

why do research into the effect of genes often compare MZ and DZ twins?

Answer 8

Mz twins share 100% of their DNA
DZ twins share 50% of their DNA
(their used to study for similarity

Question 9

what is meant by concordance rate>

Answer 9

• this refers to the % chance that if one twin has a characteristic then the other will do too.
• doesn’t always have to be twins. it could be mother/daughter/uncle/nephew.

Question 10

if psychological trait was entirely up to genetics what concordance rate would we expect to see among MZ twins?

Answer 10

100% as they have the same genes

Question 11

briefly describe a piece of research that studied concordance rates?

Answer 11

Gottesman (1991) conducted research into the concordance rate of schizophrenia and found that there was a concordance rate within MZ twins of 48%, whereas it was 17% within DZ twins.

Question 12

what is meant for evolution?

Answer 12

adaptive behaviour gets passed down to our genes to help them survive (constantly reduce).

Question 13

what is meant by natural selection?

Answer 13

characteristics that help us survive are passed down.

Question 14

what is meant by sexual selection?

Answer 14

characteristics that helps us reduce

Question 15

why is aggression an adaptive behaviour for our ancestors and why it is still present in human population today?

Answer 15

• fight or flight

- fight or predators

Question 16

one biological structure is the endocrine system

briefly outline what this is?

Answer 16

a biological structure that is responsible for secretion and regulation of hormones

Question 17

where are hormones released?

Answer 17

glands

Question 18

how do hormones travel around the body to send messages?

Answer 18

your bloodstream

Question 19

what are the three biological structures?

Answer 19

• endocrine system
• nervous system
• the brain

Question 20

key facts about CNS

Answer 20

made up of a biological structure:
it has two parts brain and spinal cord.
- its key in transferring messages to and from the environment
- acts as a centre for all physiology of the individual
- most actions and reactions came from the CNS.

Question 21

ket facts about the peripheral nervous system

Answer 21

• sends and receives messages to and from the CNS and the limbs/torso which are collecting info about the environment.
• the automatic branch of the PNS affects the reaction tp threat.
• the somatic branch to the PNS includes the control of muscles attached to the skeleton and so is key for movement ( also from the skin)

Question 22

what are the four lobes of the brain and their functions?

include the brain stem + cerebellum

Answer 22

• frontal lobe : thinking, memory, behavioural + movement
• parietal lobe: language and touch
• occipital lobe : sight
• cerebellum: balance + coordination
• temporal lobe: hearing, learning + feeling.
• brain stem: breathing, heart rate + temperature.

Question 23

what are the two parts of the hemisphere of the brain?

Answer 23

• left hemisphere (which is placed on the right hand side when looking face onwards)
• right hemisphere (which is placed on the left hand side when looking face onwards)

Question 24

what is the cerebrum?

Answer 24

it is the largest part of the human brain (85%)

Question 25

what is the cerebral cortex?

Answer 25

the outer surface of the cerebrum responsible for many of the ‘higher order’ functions such as thought and language.

Question 26

what is the definition of neurones?

Answer 26

a nerve cell which transfers info between and within the nervous system.

Question 27

what is meant by neurochemisty?

Answer 27

concerns the biochemistry of the CNS- particularly the brain.

Question 28

what are neurotransmitters and what is their role in synaptic transmission?

Answer 28

they travel through cerebral fluid sending messages between neurones.
neurones turn into a chemical.

Question 29

briefly explain the process of synaptic transmission?

Answer 29

• a message travels through the length of a neurone as an electrical signal.
• it reaches a gap before the next neurone (synaptic gap)
• the electrical signal is converted to a chemical message in the form of neurotransmitters
• these are released from synaptic vesicles + diffuse across the gap
• neurotransmitter is picked up on post synaptic neurone by receptor sites + message continues down to the next neurone.

Question 30

what is an example of a specific neurotransmitters that have been implicated in mental illness?

Answer 30

dopamine - schizophrenia (too much dopamine)

serotonin - depression (too little serotonin)

Question 31

where is this debate sit in the nature/nurture debate?

Answer 31

nature debate- argues that nature is a key determinant of behaviour over nurture as genes programme our behaviour. but does acknowledge some influence of the environment eg (phenotype)