biological approach Flashcards
what is the biological approach?
a perspective that emphasises the importance of physical processes in the body such as genetic inheritance and neural function.
name the key assumptions of the biological approach.
genetics.
genotypes and phenotypes.
neurochemistry.
evolution.
outline the biological approach.
The biological approach suggests that everything psychology is at first biological.
to fully understand human behaviour, we must look to biological structures and processes within the body, such as genes, neurochemistry and the nervous system.
An understanding of brain structure and function can explain our thoughts and behaviour.
describe the key assumption of the biological approach - genetic basis of behaviour.
psychological characteristics, such as intelligence personality, mental disorders etc, are inherited in the same way as physical characteristics.
Twin studies are used to investigate how likely it is that these characteristics have a genetic basis, and are inherited.
this is done by comparing concordance rates between the twin pairs - to see how much the twins share the same characteristics.
If identical (monozygotic) twins are found to have higher concordance rates than non-identical twins (dizygotic) twins, it would suggest a genetic basis.
This is because MZ twins share 100% of each other’s genes, whilst DZ twins share about 50% (the same as any sibling).
name the 4 methods for investigating the extent to which psychological characteristics are affected by inheritance from parents and evolution genetic basis of behaviour.
twin studies.
family studies.
adoption studies.
selective breeding.
outline family studies.
any resemblance between family relatives could be a result of both genes and shared environment.
However, with alcoholism for example, there is a suggestion of a biological predisposition to the addiction.
outline adoption studies.
These studies involve comparing a trait or characteristic between adopted children and their biological or adoptive parents.
outline selective breeding.
This method involves artificially selecting male and female animals for a particular trait.
These animals are then put together in order to breed and produce offspring.
Selective breeding has been used to demonstrate how a number of behavioural characteristics may have a genetic basis. e.g. ‘maze bright’ rats.
describe the key assumption of the biological approach - genotype and phenotype.
genotype is the actual make-up of their genes.
phenotype is the way their genes are expressed through physical, behavioural and psychological characteristics.
these effects are the result of the combined effect of genes and the environment.
The expression of a genotype is inevitably expressed through environmental factors. For instance identical twins may look slightly different as one may have exercised more or one may have dyed their hair.
So despite having the same genes they have been expressed differently through their phenotype. This illustrates what a lot of biological psychologists would accept in that much of human behaviour depends on an interaction between the inherited factors (nature) and the environment (nurture).
outline the key assumption - evolution.
The evolution of plants and animals is a fact - Charles Darwin proposed, in the 19th century, his theory of natural selection.
The principle is that any behaviour that benefits a species, and help it to survive and reproduce will continue in future generations.
In some animals they can be bred to have certain desirable characteristics.
In nature though, the selection takes place naturally. The selection occurs because the traits are desirable and give the species an advantage. Therefore they survive and pass on these traits to their offspring.
outline the key assumption - neurochemistry.
refers to the action of chemicals in the brain.
much of our thought and behaviour relies in neurochemical transmission in the brain.
occurs using neurotransmitters. an imbalance of neurochemicals in the brain has been implicated as a cause of mental disorder - for example low levels of serotonin in OCD and overproduction of dopamine in schizophrenia.
discuss scientific methods as a strength of the biological approach.
one strength of the biological approach is that it uses scientific methods of investigation.
to investigate ideas in the approach, a number of precise and highly scientific methods are used.
these include scanning techniques, such as fMRIs and EEGs, family and twin studies and also drug trials.
with advanced techniques it is possible to accurately measure biological and neural processes in ways that are not open to bias.
this means the approach is based on reliable and objective data, giving it scientific credibility.
discuss real world application as a strength of the biological approach.
one strength of the biological approach is that it has real world application.
Increased understanding of biochemical processes in the brain, have led to the development of psychoactive drugs that can treat serious mental disorders.
for example, the approach has promoted the treatment of clinical depression using antidepressant drugs that increase levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin.
such drugs have been associated with the reduction of depressive symptoms.
These drugs have revolutionised treatment, and mean people with depression can better manage their conditions, giving value to the biological approach.
HOWEVER -
they don’t work on all patients.
research has found that even though antidepressant drugs were more effective than placebos, there were wide variations in the effectiveness of antidepressant drugs.
challenges the value of the biological approach as it suggests neurochemistry alone may not account for all, for example, depression.
discuss biological determinism as a limitation of the biological approach.
one limitation of the biological approach is that it is seen to be determinist.
it states that all behaviour is determined by internal processes that we have no control over.
however, it has been found that the way in which an individuals genotype is expressed is heavily influenced by the environment.
even identical twins with 100% of the same genes do not think and act in the exact same way.
a purely genetic argument also has implications for the legal system and wider society.
one of the rules of law is that offenders are seen to be legally and morally responsible for their actions - he discovery of a ‘criminal gene’ may complicate this principle.
this suggests that the biological view is often too simplistic and ignores the mediating effect of the environment.
outline other issues and debates in the biological approach.
Nomothetic - highly scientific methods are used to make general laws of behaviour.
Nature – behaviour is genetically predetermined, related to brain structure or biochemical changes.
HOWEVER - today they do acknowledge nurture can affect nature.
Reductionist – physiological reductionism to genes, biochemicals or brain structural explanations.
Gender bias - in evolutionary explanations.
Culture bias – the samples of ptp have been from western, industrialised, educated, rich demographic.
Socially sensitive – Lombroso led to scientific racism, IQ being genetic led to biases in education.
