Biological Approach Flashcards
What does the biological approach combine?
The biological approach combines biology and psychology to provide a nature explanation for human behaviour.
“All that is psychological is first biological”
To fully understand human behaviour we need to look at?
What might these include?
We need to look to biological structures and processes within the body.
The brain (both its structure and its neurochemistry)
Genes
Hormones
The nervous system
What is neurochemistry?
Neurochemistry refers to the actions of chemicals in the brain and much of our thought and behaviour relies on chemical transmission in the brain.
Different neurotransmitters have different effects on?
Behaviour, as do disrupted levels of neurotransmitters.
What are serotonin and dopamine linked with?
Serotonin is linked with mood and arousal and low levels are associated with depression.
Dopamine is involved in learning, arousal and feelings of pleasure. High levels of dopamine are associated with addictions and the positive symptoms of schizophrenia such as delusions and hallucinations.
What are genes?
Genes are short sections of DNA which act as a code for a particular physical characteristic (e.g. hair colour, curly / straight hair, skin colour, eye colour, height, shape of earlobe etc.).
What do biopsychologists suggest?
Biopsychologists suggest that psychological characteristics, such as being introverted or musical or your intelligence or mental health conditions etc., are inherited in the same way as physical characteristics
What is a good way to study the genetic basis of behaviour?
Through the use of twin studies.
What types of twins are there?
In a twin study, monozygotic , or MZ, (identical) and dizygotic, or DZ, (non-identical) twins are compared
What percentage of genes do MZ and DZ twins share?
MZ twins share 100% of the same genes.
DZ twins share about 50% of the same genes.
What is assumed about twins?
It is assumed that both types of twin pair grow up in identical environments, so the only real difference here is in their genetics.
What do twin studies look at?
Twin studies look at the concordance rates (similarity) of twins with respect to the psychological characteristic being considered. These are expressed as a percentage. The percentage is the probability of one twin having the characteristic if the other already has it
What is genotype?
Our genotype refers to our genetic make-up.
What is phenotype?
Our phenotype refers to the observable expression of characters and traits coded for by those genes.
What are genotype and phenotype based on and what does this show us?
And while our phenotype is based upon the content of the underlying genes comprising the genotype, the expression of those genes in our phenotype is also, to varying degrees, influenced by environmental factors.
This does show us that the biological approach does accept that there is an interaction between inherited factors (nature) and the environment (nurture).
