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A Level Psychology > biological approach > Flashcards

biological approach Flashcards

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1
Q

What are the three basic assumptions of the biological approach?

A

Human behaviour can be explained by looking at biological stuff such as hormones genetics evolution and the nervous system

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2
Q

What is the second basic assumption of the biological approach?

A

In theory if we can explain all behaviour using biological causes unwanted behaviour could be modified or removed using biological treatments such as medication for mental illness

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3
Q

What does research using animals tell us in the biological approach?

A

Experimental research conducted using animals can inform us about human behaviour and biological influences because there are a lot of biological similarities

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4
Q

What is the genetic material at conception?

A

At conception the egg and sperm join up to give a total of 46 chromosomes

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5
Q

What does a chromosome consist of?

A

Each chromosome is made up of a coil of DNA which in turn is made up of loads and loads of genes

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6
Q

What information do genes contain?

A

Genes contain the information that makes us unique in appearance e g hair skin and eye colour

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7
Q

Why are genes relevant in psychology?

A

Genes are relevant as they are important in the development of the brain and therefore have a role in our behaviour

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8
Q

What does Darwin’s theory of evolution suggest?

A

It suggests that over time individuals who are better adapted to their environment through having better genes are more likely to survive to reproduce and pass on their useful genes

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9
Q

What is the genotype of a person?

A

The genotype of a person is the genes they have

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10
Q

What is the phenotype of a person?

A

The phenotype of a person is the characteristics their genes produce for example hair colour eye colour etc

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11
Q

What does the biological approach suggest about psychological traits?

A

It suggests that genes can explain psychological traits such as differences in intelligence personality and sexual orientation

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12
Q

What do twin studies suggest about schizophrenia?

A

Identical twins share 100 percent of their genes so if schizophrenia has a purely genetic basis and if one twin suffers from schizophrenia then the other twin will too

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13
Q

What did Gottesman 1991 find?

A

It was found that having an identical twin with schizophrenia gave you a 48 percent chance of developing the condition

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14
Q

What does the result of Gottesman 1991 suggest?

A

It suggests that schizophrenia has a strong genetic basis

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15
Q

What did Heston 1966 study?

A

Heston studied 47 adopted children whose biological mothers had schizophrenia

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16
Q

What did Heston 1966 find?

A

Of the experimental group 5 of the 47 became schizophrenic compared to 0 in the control group

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17
Q

What did Heston 1966 conclude?

A

The study supports the view that schizophrenia has a genetic basis

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18
Q

What made it tricky to investigate brain structure and function before brain scanning technologies?

A

Psychologists relied on case studies of people who had experienced a brain injury or had brain operations

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19
Q

What was the importance of the case of Phineas Gage?

A

Phineas Gage had damage to his frontal lobe and experienced personality changes including increased aggression

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20
Q

What are five brain scanning techniques?

A

PET scans CAT scans MRI scans Functional MRI scans SQUID magnetometry

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21
Q

What did Maguire et al 2000 study?

A

They studied MRI scans from 16 licensed male London taxi drivers compared with a control group

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22
Q

What did Maguire et al 2000 find?

A

The size of the right posterior hippocampus was significantly larger in the taxi driver group compared to the control group

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23
Q

What does neurochemistry investigate?

A

Neurochemistry investigates the role neurotransmitters have on behaviour

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24
Q

What are two strengths of the biological approach?

A

The approach can provide evidence to support or disprove a theory it is a very scientific approach Biological treatments can be developed to help individuals

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25
Q

What are two weaknesses of the biological approach?

A

It does not take into account the influence of people’s environment their family childhood experiences or their social situation It can lead to individuals avoiding taking personal or social responsibility for their behaviourQuestion

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26
Q

What are some examples of how genetics can explain psychological traits?

A

Huntington’s disease can lead to deterioration of mental abilities and genes might make some people more likely to develop mental illnesses or addictions

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27
Q

What does Darwin’s process of natural selection suggest about early humans?

A

Early humans became better adapted to their environments because of survival advantages given by useful genes

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28
Q

What do twin studies and adoption studies highlight?

A

They highlight the possible role of genetics in mental illnesses

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29
Q

What did the meta-analysis by Gottesman 1991 involve?

A

It involved approximately 40 twin studies and examined the genetic basis of schizophrenia

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30
Q

What is the importance of family environment in Gottesman 1991?

A

The fact that both twins developed schizophrenia might also suggest the family environment may play a large role

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31
Q

Why is interview data from adoption studies unreliable?

A

It is because they rely on the adoptive child whose mothers didn’t suffer from any conditions might not have shown symptoms of schizophrenia yet

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32
Q

How do psychologists study brain structure and function in humans?

A

By using scanning technologies to look at people’s brains and try to link structures and activity to various behaviours

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33
Q

What do PET scans show?

A

They show which parts of the brain are active during different tasks

34
Q

What does a CAT scan detect?

A

It detects damage to parts of the brain tumours and blood clots

35
Q

What does an MRI scan show?

A

It shows structure and provides detailed information about brain structure

36
Q

What does functional MRI do?

A

It provides structural and functional information such as blood flow

37
Q

What does SQUID magnetometry measure?

A

It measures magnetic fields generated when neurons are activated

38
Q

What did Bard and Mountcastle 1948 investigate?

A

They found that lesioning the brains of cats led to changes in levels of aggression linked to the hypothalamus and amygdala

39
Q

What role does the hippocampus play according to Maguire et al 2000?

A

The hippocampus is responsible for storing a spatial representation of the environment

40
Q

What happens if there is too much or too little of a neurotransmitter?

A

It may produce psychological disorders such as an increased level of dopamine being linked to schizophrenia

41
Q

What do biological psychologists investigate regarding neurotransmitters?

A

They investigate the impact of neurotransmitters on behaviour

42
Q

What is one criticism of using animals to study brain structure and function?

A

Results may not be useful when applied to human behaviour as humans and animals are still different

43
Q

What did Milner et al 1957 find about HM?

A

HM was unable to use his long-term memory effectively suggesting the hippocampus is important for memory

44
Q

What did Szesko et al 1995 compare?

A

They compared the prefrontal cortex in people with and without schizophrenia suggesting a relationship between themQuestion

45
Q

What do non-human animals offer in brain structure studies?

A

They allow brain structure studies to be carried out ethically since it is less ethical to conduct controlled brain injury studies on humans

46
Q

What limitation does using non-human animals in brain studies have?

A

The results may not always apply to human behaviour because humans and animals are still different

47
Q

What was the effect of damaging the hippocampus and amygdala according to Bard and Mountcastle 1948?

A

It was found to lead to changes in levels of aggression

48
Q

What did Milner et al 1957 find about memory and the hippocampus?

A

The case of HM suggested that the hippocampus has an important role in long-term memory

49
Q

What relationship did Szesko et al 1995 identify regarding schizophrenia?

A

They found differences in the prefrontal cortex between people with and without schizophrenia

50
Q

What is neurochemistry all about?

A

It is about the nervous system and neurotransmitters and how they might play a role in explaining behaviour

51
Q

What is an example of a neurotransmitter linked to psychological disorders?

A

Dopamine is linked to schizophrenia when its levels are increased

52
Q

What does the biological approach fail to consider about individuals?

A

It does not take into account people’s environment their family childhood experiences or their social situation

53
Q

What is a potential downside of biological explanations for negative behaviour?

A

They can lead to individuals avoiding taking personal or social responsibility for their behaviour

54
Q

What is one strength of the biological approach?

A

It can provide evidence to support or disprove a theory making it a very scientific approach

55
Q

What did the case of Phineas Gage demonstrate about brain injury?

A

His accident led to personality changes including increased aggression and impulsive behaviour due to frontal lobe damage

56
Q

Why are case studies of brain injuries not always generalizable?

A

They are based on single cases and don’t represent the general population

57
Q

What are PET scans used for?

A

To see which parts of the brain are active during specific tasks

58
Q

How do MRI scans differ from CAT scans?

A

MRI scans show detailed structural information whereas CAT scans detect damage to parts of the brain

59
Q

What unique ability does functional MRI have?

A

It can provide structural and functional information such as blood flow

60
Q

What does SQUID magnetometry measure?

A

It produces accurate images of brain activity by measuring magnetic fields generated when neurons are activated

61
Q

Why might Maguire et al 2000 not be generalizable?

A

The study focused only on male taxi drivers in London so results cannot be generalized to other areasQuestion

62
Q

What does the biological approach aim to explain?

A

It looks at how genes neurotransmitters and other squiddy bits cause behaviour

63
Q

How can unwanted behaviour be modified according to the biological approach?

A

By using biological treatments such as medication for mental illness

64
Q

Why are genes important in the biological approach?

A

They play a role in the development of the brain which influences behaviour

65
Q

What is Darwin’s theory of natural selection based on?

A

Better-adapted individuals are more likely to survive and pass on their genes

66
Q

What behaviours might have evolved because of survival advantages?

A

Phobias and aggression

67
Q

What is the role of twin studies in schizophrenia research?

A

They examine the genetic basis by comparing identical and non-identical twins

68
Q

What percentage of genes do identical twins share?

A

100 percent

69
Q

What percentage of genes do non-identical twins share?

A

50 percent

70
Q

What conclusion did Gottesman 1991 reach about schizophrenia?

A

Schizophrenia has a strong genetic basis

71
Q

What did Heston 1966 find in their adoption study?

A

5 out of 47 children with biological mothers who had schizophrenia developed schizophrenia compared to none in the control group

72
Q

Why is it important to consider the family environment in genetic studies?

A

Because shared environments may also contribute to the development of mental illnesses

73
Q

What is the significance of functional MRI in brain studies?

A

It shows both structural and functional information such as blood flow

74
Q

What is one limitation of brain scans?

A

They show structure but not function except for certain types like functional MRI

75
Q

Why are animal studies less scientific when studying brain structure?

A

Animals and humans differ making the results harder to apply to human behaviour

76
Q

What is a criticism of biological explanations for mental illnesses?

A

They may not account for environmental influences like family or social situations

77
Q

What is the role of neurotransmitters in the biological approach?

A

They influence behaviour and can be linked to psychological disorders

78
Q

What happens with increased dopamine levels?

A

They are linked to schizophrenia-like symptoms

79
Q

What is one reason biological treatments can be helpful?

A

They can reduce unwanted behaviours such as aggression and help individuals with mental health problems

80
Q

What does the hippocampus store according to Maguire et al 2000?

A

A spatial representation of the environment

81
Q

What did Bard and Mountcastle 1948 suggest about aggression?

A

The hypothalamus and amygdala are involved in aggressive behaviour

A Level Psychology (19 decks)

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