Biological approach Flashcards
What is the biological approach?
It combines psychology and biology to provide physiological explanations for human behaviours, tries to explain how we think, feel and behave in terms of physical or biological factors within the body.
What are the main assumptions of the biological approach?
The mind and the body are one
Everything psychological is at first biological
What are the methods of investigating the genetic basis of behaviour?
Twin studies- MZ vs DZ twins
Family studies
Adoption studies
What does concordance rate mean?
How similar the traits and characteristics of twins are?
What does genotype mean?
The genetic code in the DNA
What does phenotype mean?
The observable characteristics of an individual, depends on the interaction of genetic and environmental factors
What does evolution mean?
The changes in inherited characteristics in a biological population over successive generations
What is natural selection?
The way that any genetically determined behaviour that enhances the ability to survive and reproduce will continue in further generations
What are the strengths of the biological approach?
Tends to be highly scientific (counter with not always possible to establish cause and effect)
Real life applications- psychoactive drug treatments
What are the weaknesses of the biological approach?
Reductionist belief that complex behaviour can be broken down into the actions of genes, neurochemicals and hormones
Biological determinist- determined by our biological factors
Methodological weakness is difficulty of separating nature and nurture
