biological approach Flashcards
what does the biological approach assume about human behaviour?
it emphasises the importance of the physical processes in the body (e.g. genetic inheritance and neutral function)
what does the biological approach say about everything psychological?
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
what are genes?
they make up chromosomes
what are genes made out of?
they consist of DNA which codes the physical features of an organism and psychological features
how are our genes formed?
they are inherited and are transmitted from parents to offspring
what does this approach say about how we inherit behavioural and physical characteristics?
behavioural characteristics such as your personality are inherited in the same way as physical characteristics such as your eye colour
what are twin studies used for?
they are used to determine the likelyhood that certain traits have a genetic basis
how are twin studies used to determine if a trait is genetic or not?
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
what are monozygotic twins?
identical twins
what are dizygotic twins?
non-identical twins
how much DNA does monozygotic twins share?
100%
how much DNA does dizygotic twins share?
50%
what is a genotype?
the particular set of genes an individual possesses
what is a phenotype?
the characteristics of an individual determined by both genes and the environment in which they live
what influences the expression of a gene?
environmental factors
what does most of human behaviour depend on?
interactions between inherited factors and the environment
what is natural selection?
when any genetically determined behaviour that will increase the likelihood of survival, and reproduction will continue in future generations
why does natural selection happen?
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
AO3: how is ‘scientific status’ a strength to the biological approach?
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
AO3: how is ‘real life application’ a strength to the biological approach?
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
AO3: how is ‘free will versus determinism’ a limitation to the biological approach?
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.
AO3: how is ‘nature of the evidence to support the approach’ a limitation to the biological approach?
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.
