Biological Approach Flashcards
Give the four main assumptions of the biological approach
• everything psychological is at first biological
• must look at biological structures and processes within the body (e.g genes, neurochemistry and the nervous system)
• understanding of brain function and structure can explain our thoughts and behaviour
• mind is in the brain, therefore thoughts, feelings and behaviour have a physical basis
Who are behavioural geneticists?
They study whether behavioural characteristics, such as intelligence, personality, mental disorders etc. are inherited in the same way as physical characteristics such as hair and eye colour.
These are our genotype and form the basis of our development.
Describe the two different types of twins.
Monozygotic (MZ or identical) that have 100% the same genes.
Dizygotic (DZ or non-identical) have 50% the same genes.
What is the concordance rate?
What appears in both twins; similar traits or characteristics. The percentage gives an indication of how much of the behaviour may be genetic.
What is neurochemistry?
Neurochemistry refers to the action of chemicals in the brain. It’s believed that much of our thoughts and behaviour relies on chemical transmission in the brain through neurotransmitters.
Give two examples of neurochemicals effecting the brain.
Dopamine is related to pleasure seeking and rewarding behaviour. An imbalance of these neurochemicals in the brain has been considered a possible cause of mental illness. For example, low levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin in OCD and Depression.
What is ‘Localisation of Function’ ?
Biological Psychologists also being interested in how different parts of the brain appear to be implicated in different functions.
For example, the left hemisphere has been implicated in language production (left frontal lobe) and language comprehension (left temporal lobe)
The prefrontal cortex is linked to personality.
