biological approach Flashcards
one assumption linked to evolutionary influences
evolutionary influences have a part to play in determining our behaviour
who is the theorist behind this assumption
Charles Darwin
what did Charles Darwin propose
he proposed natural selection and explained how some individuals have traits which will allow them to respond to the demands of their environment. these individuals have a greater chance of survival and will pass on their genes to future generations
how has this evolutionary process impacted human behaviour
traits which enhance survival (heights) will become more prevalent in the gene pool, will have passed on over many generations and still affect behaviour.
what’s an example of evolutionary influences/natural selection of human behaviour
through phobias
ancestors who responded to certain environmental threats (heights, darkness, predators) with fear would have a greater chance of survival and as a result passed on these fears to their offspring.
difference between modern day phobias and ancestral fears
they are more exaggerated
what is believed about natural selection
that all species evolved naturally through this process
explain the process of natural selection
suggests that ones environment exerts pressure on an individual to separate those who do not fit into the environment and those that do.
those with advantageous traits are selected whereas traits that inhibit survival would die out. (survival of the fittest)
what happens to organisms that have advantageous genes
the will pass on their genes during reproduction
name of treatment
Drug therapy
3 types of drugs
anti-psychotics
anti-depressants
anti-anxiety
what do anti-psychotics do
they block the action of the neurotransmitter dopamine by binding to but not stimulating dopamine receptor sites
what are conventional antipsychotics used for
they are used to primarily treat the positive symptoms of schizophrenia (delusions/hallucinations)
what do conventional anti-psychotics do
they block the action if the neurotransmitter dopamine by binding to, but not stimulating dopamine receptor sites
an example of atypical antipsychotic drugs
clozaril
how do atypical anti-psychotic drugs work
act by only temporarily occupying dopamine receotir and then rapidly disassociating to allow normal transmission
what is the benefit of atypical anti-psychotics
they have reduced levels of side effects (e.g tardive dyskinsia) compared to conventional antipsychotics
what is tardive dyskinsia
involuntary movement of the mouth and tounge
how do anti-depressant drugs work
they work to either by reducing the rate of reabsorption or by blocking the action of the enzyme that breaks down the neurotransmitters. these both increase the amount of neurotransmitter available to excite neighbouring cells
most common anti-depressant drugs
SSRI’s
Prozac
how does prozac work
they work by blocking the transporter mechanism that reabsorbs seretonin. as a result, more of the seretonin is left in the synapse, prolonging it’s activity and making transmission of the next impulse easier.
what do anti-depressant drugs work to do
reduce the symptoms of depression by increasing the availability of the neurotransmitter serotonin
2 tyoes of anti-anxiety drugs
Benzodiazepines
how do benzodiazepines work
they’re used to reduce anxiety. sold under various names (valium) they slow down the activity of the central nervous system by enhancing the activity of GABA, a neurotransmitters that when released has a general calming effect on many of the neurons in the game
what do benzodiazepines do
work to reduce activity in the central nervous system by increasing the presence of GABA
how do Beta-blockers work
by reducing the activity of adrenaline and noradrenaline which are part of the flight/fight response to stress
they bind to receptors on the cells of the heart and other parts of the body that are usually stimulated during arousal
what do beta-blockers do
reduce stress by reducing activity of the heart and associated cardiovascular network
3 assumptions
- evolutionary influences have a part to play in determining our behaviour
-localisation of brain function - neurotransmitters are all important
explain how evolutionary influences have a part to play in determining our behaviour
this process has had a direct impact on human behaviour, traits which enhanced survival will have become more common in the gene pool and will have been passed on over many generations therefore will still affect behaviour
example of how evolutionary influences can be seen in human behaviour
through phobias. ancestors who responded to certain environmental threats e.g. heights with fear would have had a greater chance of survival and as a result pass on to their offspring. however modern day phobias are an exaggeration of these ancestral fears
four lobes of the brain
frontal
temporal
parietal
occipital
job of the frontal lobe
its associated with reasoning motor skills, cognition and expressive language. also judgement and problem solving
what can damage to the frontal lobe lead to
changes in socialization, attention and an increased risk-taking
what is the parietal lobe associated with
processing sensory information (pressure, touch and pain) senses
what is found in the temporal lobe
location of the primary auditory cortex important for interpreting sounds and language.
also the hippocampus which is associated with the formation of memories
what can a damage of the temporal lobe lead to
problems with memory, speech perception and language skills
what is the occipital lobe associated with
interpreting visual stimuli and information
damage to occipital lobe can lead to?
visual problems, difficulty recognising objects, inability to identify colours, trouble recognising workds
explain the localisation of brain fucntion
due to the specialist function of each lobe of the brain, if we were to experience damage we could expect this to have a direct impact on behaviour
an example of how the localisation of function links to behaviour
Phineas Gage, he had an accident when a tamping rod entered his left cheek and left through the top of his head, destroying his left frontal lobe. prior to the incident he was describes as respectful and an upstanding member of the community. prior to the accident he became impulsive and perverse
explain how neurotransmitters are work
an action potential down the pre-synaptic neuron. for this impulse to be transmitted across the synapse, neurotransmitters are released from the vesicles into the synapse. on crossing this gap, they lock into receptor sites on the post-synaptic neuron to continue the chemical message
example of how neurotransmitters are important
if neurotransmitters are produced in incorrect levels, the message will be affected. e.g the production of too much dopamine has been implicated in schizophrenia
synapse?
gap between the neurons
vesicles
holding rooms for the neurotransmitters
neurotransmitters
chemical messengers that send messages to our neurons
examples of neurotransmitters
dopamine, seretonin, GABA
receptors?
receive the neurotransmitters
action potenital
electrical impulse that kicks off the process of neurotransmitters
what is reuptake
the process where any spare neurotransmitters left in the synapse are recycled
what does seretonin play a part in
our sleep, mood and apetitie
too little seretonin
depression
how can some anti-depressant medications work
by increasing the presence of seretonin at the post-synaptic receptor sites which is effective in relieving symptoms
high levels of dopamine
schizophrenia
what could cause the lack of seretonin
not enough receptors
not enough of the seretonin is produced
Free will/ determinist
application to approach
strength/weakness
highly determinist, human behaviour is a product of internal factors over which we have no control over. the brain, biochemistry and genes as the cause of our behaviour, which cannot be altered at an individual level
weakness
example of determinism in the biological approach
schizophrenia is thought to be a product of too much dopamine, something a person cannot fix by themselves.
reductionist/ holistic
application
S/W
highly reductionist, they try to reduce complex human behaviours down to a simple set of explanations
weakness
example of reductionism
schizophrenia is very complex and like as a result of a combination of factors. the biological approach tries to explain this based on high levels of dopamine only
practice application
application
S/W
lots, it has been very successful in the development of treatments/techniques. can be used to improve the psychosocial functioning of a sufferer
example of practical applications
valium can be used to treat anxiety, it increases the presence of GABA which helps calm the body
idiographic/nomothetic
application
S/W
nomothetic, treats all individuals according to the same common laws. depression would be seen to have the same common cause
example of nomothetic
too little secretion being produced is seen as the cause of depression, a biological psychologist wouldn’t see a unique cause for this depression. problem as the same treatment doesn’t work for all individuals
nature/nurture
application
S/W
nurture
focuses on biology only (genes and neurotransmitters) completely ignores individual situations/environment
Weakness
example of nature
depression can be treated with anti-depressants rather than talking about how they feel and their interactions with their environment
scientific/ non-scientific
application
S/W
scientific, behaviour is explained by physiological systems of the body (parts of the brain/neurotransmitters) bio-psychologists can produce evidence to support claims. methods include blood tests, gene mapping, brain scans
Strength
example of practical applications
using brain scans we can see that the brains of schizophrenics have enlarged fluid-filled ventricles compared to non-schizophrenia
effectiveness strengths of Drug therapy
2
-Soomro et al. looked at 17 studies of the use of SSRIS to treat OCD patients. found them to be more effective than placebos in reducing their symptoms up to 3 months after treatment
- Kahn et al looked at nearly 250 patients for 8 weeks, found that BZs were a lot better than placebos.
what do the effectiveness strengths show about drug therapy
suggests that drug therapies are a valid physiological method of managing the symptoms of psychological ill health. some studies are only 3-4 months in duration, so little data exists as to the effectiveness of drug treatment over the longer term (Koran et al.2007)
effectiveness weakness therapy
Drug therapy is treating the symptoms, not the problem. although drugs are very effective at relieving an individual’s symptoms, this only lasts for as long as the drugs are taken. as soon as they stop taking the drugs the problems can return.
ethical issues of the therapy
-drug therapies lead to a state of physiological dependence. if the drug is stopped patient might experience withdrawal symptoms. (sweating, sleep problems, tremors) we may have reduced original symptoms but caused new ones
- side effects, BZs tiredness, sedation, impaired memory. SSRIs increased suicides
-not have full & valid consent, patients may find it difficult to retain all side effects of the drug prescribed, due to their condition might not fully understand
- using placebo
what approach links to the formation of relationships
evolutionary influences
natural selection
sexual selection
female choosiness
evidence: Davis 1990
aim of the researchers
(classic evidence)
investigate whether violent criminals had brain dysfunction in certain parts of the brain
context of the research
they compare a group of murderes with a control group of non-murderers. the murderers had pleaded ‘not guilty by reason of insanity’
they hypothesised some parts of the brain would be dysfunctional but others normal
what did the researches hypothesise to be different in the murderers brains?
prefrontal cortex
angular gyrus
amygdala
hippocampus
thalamus
corpus callosum
prefrontal cortex
what did the researchers hypothesise would not be different
caudate
putamen/globus pallidus
midbrain
cerebellum
M
what type of experiment was it
conducted a quasi-experiment which means not a true experiment as PPS. cannot be randomly allocated to conditions. either murderers or not and used a matched pairs design where pairs of PPS. are matched in terms of key variables (age…) one member of each pair in each group
M
independent variable
whether or not they are a murderer
M
dependent variable
brain activity
M
describe the experimental group
41 murderers, 39 men 2 women
mean age of 34.3 years
all charged with murder/manslaughter and pleas NGRI
6 had schizophrenia
23 organic brain damage
3 psychoactive drug abuse
2 affective disorder
2 epilepsy
3 hyperactivity
2 personality disorder
M
describe the control group
formed by matching each murderer with a normal individual of the same sex and age. the six schizophrenics were matched with six schizophrenics from a mental hospital. the other controls had no history of psychiatric illnesses in themselves or family or any significant physical illnesses. none were taking medication
P
how was the sample obtained
using opportunity sampling, means they used people who were available to them
p
how was the brain studied
a PET scan was used to study the active brain, all PPS. were given an injection of a ‘tracer’ which is taken up by active areas of the brains of the NGRI and control groups. all PPS were asked to do a continuous performance task (CPT) to activate the target areas of the brain so investigations could see how different areas function
describe the 3 procedures
- PPS given a chance to practice CPT before receiving the FDG injection
- 30 seconds before the injections PPS started the CPT so that the initial; task novelty wouldn’t be FDG labelled
- 32 minutes after the FDG injection a PET scan was done of each PPS. 10 horizontal slices of their brain were recorded. using the cortical peel and box techniques
P
why is it important the study can be replicated
article records precise details of the scanning techniques so the study can be replicated. this is important so that the study can be used with different populations in order to generalise the findings. e.g it would be important to generalise these findings to other age groups/types of violent criminals
F
what area of the brain was there reduced activity
prefrontal cortex
left angular gyrrus
corpus callosom
left hemisphere only reduced activity in the amygdala, thalamus and hippocampus
f
increased activity?
cerebellum
right hemisphere amygdala, thalamus, hippocampus
F
no difference
caudate
plutamen
globus pallidus
midbrain
biological
F
in summary
reduced activity: in some areas, areas previously linked to violence
abnormal asymmetries: reduced on left, greater on the right. applied to some of the areas being linked to violence (amygdala, thalamus, hippocampus)
C
prefrontal cortex
reduced
damage can cause impulsivity, loss of self control, unable to change behaviour
can cause aggressive behaviour
C
corpus collosum
reduced
could explain asymmetry in function, right hemisphere more active than the left. right side generates emotions
left controls them
if negative emotion isn’t regulated, leads to violence
C
angular gyrus
reduced verbal, arithmetic ability
predispose to crime and violence
C
amygdala
reduced
reduce the fear of consequences
limbic system
(amygdala, hippocampus, prefrontal cortex)
lower activity
controls expression of emotion lead to abnormal emotional responses
punishment is less effective
C
what conclusions did Raine et al make about their research
that head injury and IQ have not been rules out as contributing factors
C
what do the results not show
- that violent behaviour is determined by biology alone, social psychological, cultural and situational factors play important roles in predisposition to violence
- results don’t show murderers pleading NGRI are not responsible for their actions, or that PET scans can be used as a means of diagnosing
- do not show that violence is caused by brain dysfunction, may be other way round
- don’t show that violence can be explained by the results, results relate only to criminal behaviour
Evaluate
methodological strengths
- amount of control the researchers had over the procedures
eg. used a control group who were matched on variables such as age and sex, screened for physical/mental health - PET scans are useful, don’t have to wait for a person to die before examining their brains. wide range of non-intrusive studies also interpreted by more than one researcher so they’re reliable
biological
evaluate
methodological weaknesses
1.PET scans are still being developed, data should be treated with caution
2.validity could be questioned because general activity task has no bearing on violent acts/ even the decision to be violent
3. design of the study, quasi-experiment, means the researchers couldn’t randomly allocate PPS to either of the 2 conditions, murderers were already NGRI
unable to determine cause and effect
evaluation ethical issues
- lack of valid consent: main group of PPS were murderers who pleaded NGRI. may not have been mentally competent to provide valid consent
- possible psychological harm: may have found the performance task difficult, lower their self-esteem. eg. may have found the PET scan distressing
evaluation
social implications
we could eventually use PET scans to identify those people who have brain patterns of a potential murderer, this would be disadvantageous for people with similar brain abnormalities. they might be imprisoned without any trial or reference to any social circumstances can cause implications to the prisoner
how does the work of James Fallon contradict the idea that criminality is genetic
he analysed his own brain and found that he had the genetic and brain characteristics of a violent criminal, but he wasn’t one. he said that his positive experiences during childhood meant his potentially criminal tendencies weren’t triggered
how do biological assumptions apply to drug therapy
assumes that psychological disorders e.g depression have a physiological cause. this medical approach views psychological conditions in the same way as physical illnesses and so believes they also need to be treated in a physical way e.g drug therapy.
this approach suggests that changes in the brains neurotransmitter systems will affect our mood, feelings, perceptions and behaviours. advocates of the approach would suggest that drugs can be used to stabilise neurotransmitter action and treat mental disorder. in general drug therapy work by blocking or increasing neurotransmitter action which should correct our emotion, thoughts and behaviour.
localisation of brain function
drugs can target specific regions of the brain which are involved in psychological disorders.
formation of relationships
Darwins theory of natural selection
Darwins proposed that our environment is always exerting a pressure on us. some individuals have characteristics which allow them to respond and thrive in their relationship, others have ones that disadvantage them, these individuals will die. this cannot explain why some characteristics continued to be selected despite reducing chances of survival, these were referred to as exaggerated characteristics. Darwin proposed sexual selection, some traits were solely to improve reproductive success. males and females face different problems when seeking mates. females are the selectors males compete to be selected.
females generally seek an older mate, emotional maturity and resources. males seek youth, fecundity and attractiveness. such features are prioritised as the quality of the partner contributes strongly to the quality of the offspring.
