Biological Approach

Question 1

what are the assumptions for the biological approach?

Answer 1

Everything psychological has a biological basis (not learnt)
• Our biology is determined by evolution and genetics.
aTo investigate the mind, we must investigate the physical brain.
• To understand human thoughts and behaviour a must investigate biological structures (physiology) and processes (e.g. biochemistry) within the brain and body.

Question 2

what is the genetic basis of behaviour refer to?

Answer 2

the idea that specific, genes can be responsible for our behaviour.

Question 3

What is an example explaining the genetic basis of behaviour?

Answer 3

-compulsive behaviour, as seen in people with obsessive-compulsive disorder, has been linked to the SERT gene.
-faulty SERT gene affects the transport of serotonin, which can create lower levels of this. If this occurs in certain networks of the brain, it can lead to unwanted thoughts and repetitive behaviours, which are key symptoms of the condition.

Question 4

What is genotype?

Answer 4

the genetic make-up of an individual that is inherited.

Question 5

What is phenotype?

Answer 5

the observable characteristics of an individual that are expressed and is a result of the interaction between their genotype and their environment.

Question 6

what is an example explaining genotype and phenotype?

Answer 6

an individual inherits a faulty SERT gene as part of their genotype which makes Inch them vulnerable to developing anxiety. They also experience high levels of stress during a particular period of their life. The interaction between their genotype (genetic vulnerability) and environment (stress) leads to OCD being expressed as their phenotype.
(describes diatheisis stress model)

Question 7

how are twin studies used to investigate the genetic basis of behaviour?

Answer 7

-These involve the calculation of a concordance rate.
-e.g. if 10 pairs of twins are investigated and in 9 of the pairs, they both have symptoms of schizophrenia, the concordance rate would be 90% (or 0.9 as a decimal).

Question 8

What is concordance rate?

Answer 8

the chance that two individuals share a characteristic.

Question 9

What do twin studies usually compare?

Answer 9

the concordance rates of monozygotic (MZ) twins (who share 100% of their DNA) and dizygotic (DZ) twins (who share 50% of their DNA).

Question 10

What was the general findings be for twin studies?

Answer 10

• If a characteristic is purely genetic, we would therefore expect the concordance rate for MZ twins to be 100% and 50% for DZ twins.
• If the concordance rate is significantly higher for MZ twins this suggests a characteristic is mainly genetic.
• If the concordance rate for MZ and DZ is similar this suggests a characteristic is determined by the environment.

Question 11

What are the specific areas of the brain?

Answer 11

1. Frontal Lobe
2. Parietal Lobe
3. Occipital Lobe
4. Temporal Lobe

Question 12

What is the frontal lobe associated with?

Answer 12

associated with reasoning, emotions and decision making

Question 13

what is the parietal lobe associated with?

Answer 13

Perception of stimuli and attention

Question 14

what is the occipital lobe associated with?

Answer 14

Visual processing

Question 15

What is the temporal lobe associated with? (speech based part of brain)

Answer 15

with memory and speech

Question 16

What is been shown in individuals that suffer with schizophrenia?

Answer 16

The relationship between biological structures and behaviour

Question 17

What has been linked to negative symptoms (speech poverty) of schizophrenia?

Answer 17

Enlarged ventricles (fluid-filled gaps between brain areas) in central brain areas and the prefrontal cortex.

Question 18

What are neurotransmitters?

Answer 18

are chemical messengers that travel across the synaptic gap during the process of synaptic transmission allowing neurons to communicate.

Question 19

What are imbalances and neurotransmitter levels often associated with?

Answer 19

Atypical behaviour

Question 20

what is an example of how neurotransmitters work?

Answer 20

-too little serotonin has been found in patients with OCD, suggesting that serotonin has a role in preventing the repetition of tasks.
-A lack of serotonin appears to result in the loss of a mechanism that inhibits task repetition.

Question 21

What is evolution?

Answer 21

the process by which successive generations of organisms change.

Question 22

what does the process of natural selection proposed by Charles Darwin suggest?

Answer 22

if an organism is able to adapt to its environment, it will be more able to survive and therefore have a greater chance to reproduce

Question 23

how may the adaptive characteristic in natural selection occur?

Answer 23

due to mutation (random variation) when genes are copied from the parents.

Question 24

what happens to the adaptive characteristic when the offspring reproduces itself?

Answer 24

-will then be genetically transmitted to its own offspring which will then benefit from the same characteristic. -This continues for each successive generation.
-Over time, an adaptive characteristic will become more common throughout a species. Although this adaptive characteristic is biological, it may underlie a particular way of behaving which helps the organism to survive.

Question 25

What happens to those without the adaptive characteristic?

Answer 25

Those without the adaptive characteristic (behaviour) will gradually die out.

Question 26

What is an example of an adaptive behaviour?

Answer 26

-attachment
-Human infants are helpless and require adult assistance for a number of years in order to ensure survival. Creating an emotional bond to an adult who will subsequently care for it therefore confers a survival advantage.