Biological approach Flashcards
Aim draganski 2004
To investigate whether structural changes in the brain occur as a result of learning and practicing a simple juggling routine
Sample Draganski
a self-selected sample of volunteers with no prior experience of juggling
Method and design Draganski
Laboratory experiment
Mixed design; independent and repeated measures
Procedure Draganski
randomly divided participants into two groups; jugglers and non jugglers
brain scans were conducted on both groups at 0 months, 3 months and 6 months to assess the grey matter in the brain
Jugglers spent 3 months practicing a simple juggling routine and then after 3 months they were told to stop practicing it.
Non-jugglers never practiced any routine.
Results Draganski
At the beginning, there were no differences in the brain structure of the jugglers and non-jugglers
After 3 months, they found that there was significantly more grey matter in the mid-temporal area of the cortex in both hemispheres in the jugglers than the non jugglers. The area responsible is movement and coordination.
After six months, the scan showed a reduced amount of grey matter in the brain, however, there was still more grey matter in the brains of jugglers than non jugglers.
Conclusion Draganski
Grey matter grows in responses to environmental demands (learning) and shrinks in the absence of stimulus.
This shows a cause and effect relationship between learning and brain structure
What brain scan did Draganski use
MRI - Magnetic reasoning imaging
Aim Antonova 2011
to investigate whether scopolamine effects the acquisition of spatial memory in the brain
Sample Antonova
20 healthy males with a mean age of 28
Method and design of Antonova
? experiment (double blind procedure)
Repeated measures design
Procedure Antonova
Randomly allocated one of two conditions; scopolamine and placebo (control) and were injected 70-90 minutes before completion the task
Participants were put into a FMRI whilst playing a virtual reality game in an ‘Arena task’ where they had to find a pole within an arena. Once they found it, the screen of the virtual reality game would turn blank for 30 seconds and they were told to actively rehearse how to get to the pole. After 30 seconds the screen came back from a different starting position and they were told to find it. They had to use their spatial memory to find where the pole is. The participants brain activity was measured for 6 trials and they returned 3-4 weeks later and completed the opposite condition.
Results and Conclusion of Antonova
Participants injected with scopolamine demonstrated a significantly reduced activation of the hippocampus compared to when they received a placebo.
It appears that acetycholine could play a key role in the encodin of spatial memories in humans, as well as in rats.
What brain scan was used in Antonova study
FMRI - functional magnetic imaging reasoning
What area of the brain was investigated in Draganski
the mid temporal area of the cortex in both hemisphere
What area of the brain was investigated in Antonova’s study
Hippocampus - spatial memory and the cortex and well
Aim of Newcomer (1999)
to investigate whether high levels of the stress hormone (cortisol) would interfere with verbal declarative memory
Sample of Newcomer
Participants at the Washington University medical centre
Method and design of Newcomer
Laboratory experiment (double blind control)
Matched pairs design
Procedure of Newcomer
Participants were split into three conditions; control, condition 1 (low levels of cortisol 40mg) and condition 2 (high levels of cortisol 160mg) for four days of the experiment.
Participants were asked to listen and recall parts of a prose paragraph, testing their verbal declarative memory
Results of Newcomer
Results showed that participants performed worse on the verbal declarative the memory test than the low level group which showed no memory decrease.
Conclusion of Newcomer
These results demonstrate a clear link between stress and remembering as when levels of cortisol are high, it interferes with the transfer of short-term memory into long-term memory in the hippocampus and this makes sense as there are many cortisol receptor cells in the hippocampus.
The negative effect of taking high dosages of cortisol was reversible so no harm was done
Aim of Zhou et al 2014
to investigate chemosensory communication of gender in a sex specific manner by testing male and female reactions to the two human steroids AND and EST
Sample of Zhou et al
96 self reported homosexual and heterosexuals
24 male heterosexuals
24 female heterosexuals
24 male homosexuals
24 female homosexuals and Bi’s
Method of Zhou et al
Quasi experiment
Procedure of Zhou et al
AND, EST and a controlled substances were all present in a small identical jars that participants had to inhale during the experiment.
A light point display was employed with 15 light points positioned at major joints. These were taken from 50 men and 50 females.
Participants were asked to rate the gender of the walker while inhaling different substances
Results of Zhou et al
Smelling AND biased heterosexual males and homosexual females to view the walker as more masculine whilst smelling EST biased heterosexual males towards perceiving the walkers as more feminine. Homosexual females and Bi females remained unaffected.
Conclusion of Zhou et al
This is direct evidence that the two human steroids communicate opposite gender information that has a differential effect on the two sex groups, based on their sexual orientation. They also show that human visual gender perception is the result of subconscious chemosensory biological cues.
Aim of caspi et al 2003
to investigate the role of the 5HTT gene in developing depression in response to experiencing stressful life events
Sample of Caspi et al
1,037 children aged 3-26 in New Zealand
Method of Caspi et al
Longitudinal case study
Procedure of Caspi et al
Genetic mapping was used to divide participants into three groups; s/s allele, s/l allele and l/l allele
A life history calendar was used to assess any stressful life events and an interview to assess symptoms of depression.
Results of Caspi et al
Participants who had s/s or s/l allele were more likely to develop depression as a response to experiencing stressful life events than l/l alleles
And hey reacted with more depressive symptoms. They also found that participants who had a major stressful life event at the age of 12 tended to develop depression by the age of 26 but only if the carried the short allele.
Conclusion of Caspi et al
5HTT gene is responsible for modulating an individual’s vulnerability to stress
Aim of Mcguffin et al 1996
to investigate the contribution of genes and shared family environment on the tendency to having major depressive disorder
and to examine the influence of characteristics of one twin suffering from the disorder on the likelihood of the other suffering from it
Sample of McGuffin
177 twins (probands) same sex
one of them was suffering from major depressive disorder between 1948 and 1986
medical records were taken from the hospital
Method of McGuffin
Corelational Study
Procedure of McGuffin
The interviewers were blind as to whether the twin was one of identical (MZ) or fraternal (DZ)
One twin was interviewed by another researcher and they were asked about their shared environment, for how long they lived together, whether they are still in contact and whether they shared a bedroom. The were asked to which the degree to which as children, friends and parents treated them alike to examine the equal environment assumptions.
Doctor reports from the hospital and from family doctors were also investigated
Results of McGuffin
The concordance rate for major depressive disorder of MZ twins was 46% and for non-identical twins DZ was 20%.
Conclusion of McGuffin
Durations of depressive episodes that were less than 13 months were correlated more strongly with depression in the other twin. When researchers compared the incidence of depression in the identical twins at ages 65 years with the expected incidence of depression in the general population at that age, they found that the heritability factor rose to 70%
Aim of Clarke and Hatfield 1989
to investigate differences in male and female choosiness when approached by a stranger offering sex
Sample of Clarke and Hatfield
opportunity sample of 48 males and 48 females students at the University of Florida
Method of Clarke and Hatfield
Opportunity sample
Procedure Clarke and Hatfield
Five females and four male confederates places themselves around campus around 22 years old. They then approached people they were attracted to and asked them one of the following requests
” Will you go out with me tonight” or “ would you come back to my apartment tonight” or “would you go to bed with me tonight?”
Results Clarke and Hatfield
The request for a date was met with around a 50% agreement from both men and women whereas the request to go to the apartment produced 70% yes from men and 0-6% yes from women. However 75% of men said yes to having sex with the confederate compared to 0% of the women in both studies.
Conclusion Clarke and Hatfield
Women do appear to operate a system of increased choosiness when it comes to sexual behaviors whereas men seem to be less bothered by a possibly risked sexual encounter with a stranger, supporting the evolutionary theory of mate selection.
Research method brain and behaviour
Draganski - Laboratory experiment
Draganski et al used a lab experiment to investigate whether structural changes in the brain would occur in response to environmental demands.
Draganski used a lab experiment because he required a controlled environment where he could manipulate variables establish the cause and effect of the iv and the DV, such as random allocation of participants of each condition.
A lab experiment is effective because there were minimal extraneous variables, it was a random sampling design and a self selected sample meaning it is a highly controlled environment. They can be sure that there was a change in brain structure as a result of the lab experiment.
Research method Hormones and behaviour
Newcomer - Newcomer’s aim was to investigate how levels of cortisol infers with verbal declarative memory. It was a double blind stopping researcher bias.
The independent measures design to eliminate practice and order affect, increasing the validity of the experiment.
Using an independent measures design made it more difficult for participants to discover the true aim of the study therefore reducing demand characteristics and this is important as if not they could try harder on one test and not as much on the other, therefore reducing the validity of the results. It was a self selected sample that makes it a higher controlled.
The lab experiment allowed them to use a placebo as the control variable.
Research method Genetics and behaviour
Twin studies are correlational studies conducted on identical or fraternal twins that aim to reveal the importance of environmental and genetic influenced for traits, phenotypes and disorders.
McGuffin’s study estimated the contribution of genes and shared family environment on the tendency to having major depressive disorder, and to examine the influence of characteristics of one twin suffering from the disorder on the likelihood of the other suffering from it.
Two variables, he could see if there was a correlation between them he wouldn’t be able to achieve this if it was an experiment.
The effect size shows how large the correlation is 0.79 and 0.7 is a large correlation positive, and then for dizygotic twins, there was a medium positive correlation.
A correlation study allows them to see how strong the correlation. One reason could be to distinguish between the two variables.
The MZ twins had very similar shared environment therefore all the findings were statistically significant.
Features of a laboratory experiment
The aim is to Is to establish the results between two variable s and to test causality. It is used to manipulate an independent variable to see if it changes a dependent variable for example experiments and control groups.
Conducted in highly controlled environments. Lab experiments allow us to see how behaviour affects the brain and it allows for a controlled condition.
In biological psychology, lab experiments are used because it reduces the extraneous variables.
Features of a correlational study
In correlation studies, no variable is manipulated by the researcher, eliminates bias from the study.
Cause effect inferences cannot be made. Two or more variables can be measured and so the relationship between them is mathematically quantified. There can be a positive, negative or no correlation.
The effect size is the absolute value of the correlation coefficient, it shows how large the correlation island the effect size and statistical significance.
Statistical significance shows the likelihood that a correlation of this size has been obtained by chance which gives a higher credibility
