biological approach

Question 1

what does the biological approach assume about human behaviour?

Answer 1

it emphasises the importance of the physical processes in the body (e.g. genetic inheritance and neutral function)

Question 2

what does the biological approach say about everything psychological?

Answer 2

the approach states everything psychological is due to biological factors , so in order to understand human behaviour we need to study biological structures. by understanding the brains structure and function we can explain our thoughts and behaviour

Question 3

what are genes?

Answer 3

they make up chromosomes

Question 4

what are genes made out of?

Answer 4

they consist of DNA which codes the physical features of an organism and psychological features

Question 5

how are our genes formed?

Answer 5

they are inherited and are transmitted from parents to offspring

Question 6

what does this approach say about how we inherit behavioural and physical characteristics?

Answer 6

behavioural characteristics such as your personality are inherited in the same way as physical characteristics such as your eye colour

Question 7

what are twin studies used for?

Answer 7

they are used to determine the likelyhood that certain traits have a genetic basis

Question 8

how are twin studies used to determine if a trait is genetic or not?

Answer 8

they are done by comparing the concordance rate between pairs of twins, if identical twins have a higher concordance rate than non-identical twins, this suggests a genetic basis

Question 9

what are monozygotic twins?

Answer 9

identical twins

Question 10

what are dizygotic twins?

Answer 10

non-identical twins

Question 11

how much DNA does monozygotic twins share?

Answer 11

100%

Question 12

how much DNA does dizygotic twins share?

Answer 12

50%

Question 13

what is a genotype?

Answer 13

the particular set of genes an individual possesses

Question 14

what is a phenotype?

Answer 14

the characteristics of an individual determined by both genes and the environment in which they live

Question 15

what influences the expression of a gene?

Answer 15

environmental factors

Question 16

what does most of human behaviour depend on?

Answer 16

interactions between inherited factors and the environment

Question 17

what is natural selection?

Answer 17

when any genetically determined behaviour that will increase the likelihood of survival, and reproduction will continue in future generations

Question 18

why does the process happen naturally?

Answer 18

some of the traits give the possessor an advantage, so they are more likely to survive, reproduce and pass on these traits. however if the possessor survives but does not reproduce, the traits do not remain in the gene pool

Question 19

AO3: how is ‘scientific status’ a strength to the biological approach?

Answer 19

the approach uses scientific methods of investigation such as scanning techniques (e.g. fMRIs, EEGs) family and twin studies and drug trials. it is then possible to measure both the biological and neural processes that are not open to bias. therefore this approach is based upon more reliable, more objective data meaning it has more scientific credibility

Question 20

AO3: how is ‘real life application’ a strength to the biological approach?

Answer 20

as we have increased understanding of biochemical processes in the brain has led to the development of psychoactive drugs that treat serious mental illnesses. these drugs have revolutionised treatment for many people and this means that the sufferers are able to manage their condition and live a relatively normal life, rather than remain in hospital

Question 21

AO3: how is ‘free will versus determinism’ a limitation to the biological approach?

Answer 21

the biological approach is deterministic, it sees human behaviour as governed by internal biological causes over which we have no control. this has implications for the wider society and legal system as one of the rules of law is that offenders are legally and morally responsible for their actions. this is in direct contrast with the cognitive approach that suggests a role for some free will.

Question 22

AO3: how is ‘nature of the evidence to support the approach’ a limitation to the biological approach?

Answer 22

much of the evidence is correlation and yet there is an assumption of causation. just because high levels of dopamine are present in those with SZ does not mean that the high levels of dopamine cause the SZ.
equally, many family/twins/adoption studies do not successfully separate out the relative influence of nature and nurture.
this means that many explanations that are put forward based on such evidence have to be treated with caution.