biological approach

Question 1

what does the biological approach suggets?

Answer 1

everything psychological is at first biological, so to understand behaviour we must look at biological structures, emphasises the importance of physical processes such as genetic inheritance and neural function.

Question 2

what is the neurochemical basis of behaviour?

Answer 2

refers to the action of chemicals in the brain. much of out thoughts and behaviour relies on chemical transmission in the brain. this occurs using neurotransmitters. an imbalance of neurochemicals in the brain has been implicated as a possible cause of mental disorders eg; low levels od serotonin in ocd and overproduction of dopamine in schizophrenia.

Question 3

explain the genetic basis of behaviour

Answer 3

psychological characteristics such as intelligence re inherited the same way as height and eye colour.

Question 4

explain the effect on twin studies

Answer 4

they are used to investigate wether certain psychological characteristics have a genetic basis. this is achieved by analysing concordant rates- the extent to which twins share the same characteristic. if a characteristic is genetic we would except all identical twins(monozygotic) to be concordant (they share 100% of the same gene) the same would not be true for non-identical twins (dyzygotic) who share 50% of the same dna . in both cases the environment is assumed to be constant.

Question 5

what are genotypes and phenotypes?

Answer 5

geneotype- their actual genetic makeup
phenotype- the way the genes are expressed through physical, behavioural and psychological characteristics.

Question 6

what do phenotypes illustrate about behaviour?

Answer 6

much of human behaviour depends upon an interaction between inherited factors (nature) and the environment (nurture)

Question 7

what is the theory of natural selection?

Answer 7

any genetically determined behaviour that enhances an individuals survival + reproduction will continue in future generations. in nature this selection takes place naturally, the selection occurs simply because some traits give the possessor certain advantages . if the possessor survives but doesnt reproduce, the traits do not remain in the gene pool for successive genertations.

Question 8

evaluate the cognitive approach

Answer 8

s- real world applications- understanding of neurochemicals is associated with the use of pschoactive drugs to treat certain mental disorders, promoted the treatment of clinical depression using anti-depressants which increase levels of serotonin at synapses in the brain .
counterpoint-
although anti depressants are successful for many, they dont work for everyone. brain chemistry alone may not account for all cases.
s- scientific methods, biological approach makes use of a range of precise and highly objective methods, including scanning techniques such as fmris eegs. with advances technology, it is possible to accurately measure psychological and neural processes in ways that are not open to bias.
c- biological determinism, it sees human behaviour as governed by internal genetic causes over which we have no control. a purely genetic argument becomes problematic when we consider things such as crime. could a violent criminal really excuse their actions by claiming their behaviour was controlled by a crime gene? biological view is often too simplistic and ignores the mediating effect of the environment.