biological approach Flashcards
what are the main assumptions of the biological approach
- all thoughts, feelings and behaviours have a physical basis/cause. this is because the mind “lives” in the brain
- the biological approach assumes that a number of biological factors can influence thoughts, feelings and behaviours
—-> genes, biological structures, neurochemistry and evolution
what do biological psychologists assume
behaviour can be explained using biological processes
what can be considered to be passed down genetically
things like intelligence, personality and mental illness are considered to be biological so potentially passed on genetically
what are genes
part of a chromosome that contains DNA coding for physical and psychological features inherited from parents
give one way researchers explore the role of genetics in behaviour
by studying twins
what is a monozygotic twin
identical twins from one fertilised egg. they share 100% DNA
what is a dizygotic twin
non identical twins from two separate fertilised eggs. they share 50% DNA
which twins are more genetically similar
monozygotic twins
what is compared in twin study research
concordance rates
what is a concordance rate
degree of genetic similarity for a particular trait
if ocd was genetic, in which type of twin would the concordance rate be higher and what does this suggest
monozygotic twins and this would suggest OCD may have a genetic component to it
what is a genotype
refers to the particlar set of genes that a person possesses (genetic makeup). it is the information that is contained in their genes
what is a phenotype
refers to the expression of the genotype and its interaction with the environment
what can the phenotype be influenced by
environmental factors
give an example of where the environment influences the phenotype
for e.g you can have the genotype for developing dementia or the phenotype can be influenced. processed foods and lack of sleep link to dementia
why does processed foods link to dementia
amyloid plaque builds up in the brain and hinders the brain communication between neurones if the quality and amount of sleep is deprived
which biological structure has the most influence on our behaviour
the brain
what is the outer surface of the brain called
the cerebral cortex
what are the two halves of the cerebral cortex called
right and left hemisphere
what is each hemisphere of the brain divided into
lobes
what are each hemisphere and each lobe thought to be responsible
different functions
what is localisation of function
the theory that specific parts of the brain are responsible for specific functions
what is the frontal lobe
involved in personality characteristics, decisions making and movement. the motor area (responsible for controlling movements) is found towards the back of the frontal lobe
what is the parietal lobe
the somatosensory area responsible for processing information from our senses is in this lobe
what is the occipital lobe
the visual area responsible for receiving and processing visual information is in this lobe
what is the temporal lobe
the auditory area responsible for analysis of speech related information is in this lobe
which side of the body does the right hemisphere control
the left side
which side of the body does the left hemisphere control
the right side
which side of the body is language thought to be processed
on the left side
where is the hippocampus located and what is its function
deeper in the brain
thought to play a significant role in memory and learning
how many neurones is the nervous system thought to be contain
around 100 billion neurons with the brain containing 80% of them. these nerve cells transmit signals electrically and chemically between one another
what are neurotransmitters
chemical messengers that transmit or pass information between neurons
why are the mind and the brain considered to be the same thing
the chemical processes going on in the brain are behind what is going on in the mind
how do neurotransmitters influence our mental state
if there is an imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain, it can cause certain changes in behaviour and certain types of mental disorders
what is an imbalance of serotonin associated with
depression
what is an imbalance of dopamine associated with
schizophrenia
what is evolution
the gradual change in inherited traits of a species over many generations through adaptation to the environment, natural selection and survival of the fittest
what is meant by survival of the fittest
those who possess certain advantages because of their genetics are more likely to survive due to natural selection
what is the rooting reflex
babies will turn their heads towards anything that strokes or touches their cheek or mouth which aids breastfeeding and hence survival
what does the theory of evolution propose
humans are descendants of other animals, therefore the biological approach takes the view that its possible to study human behaviour through studying animals
what are some supporting evidence for the role of brain structures on behaviour
the case study of Phineas Gage in 1948
what happened to Phineas Gage in 1948
he was working on the building of a railroad when explosives went off and an iron rod went through his left cheek up through his left eye and out of his skull on the top of his head. this damaged his left frontal lobe. he survived the incident but reported to have changes in his personality. he went from being a calm and reserved man to lacking social inhibition.
how does the case study of Gage give evidence about the role of brain structures on human behaviour
shows that his frontal lob is thought to be involved in our personality, emotion processing and decision making
what did Tulving research to provide supporting evidence for this approach
reported data in studies that use PET scans to monitor the blood flow of the brain. when participants thought of episodic memories, it activated the right prefrontal cortex whereas semantic memories activated the left prefrontal cortex.
what did tulvings research suggest
demonstrates that different parts of the brain may be responsible for specific functions for e.g. memories
what do both the case study and the brain scanning research provide illustrate
how biological structures can influence behaviour
what did Nestadt et al (2010) do to study the influence of genetics
he conducted a twin study research. in their review of OCD in the role of genetics they showed that of all the twin study research published, the concordance rates in monozygotic twins were higher than dizygotic twins.
what do higher concordance rates for MZ twins for OCD suggest
if OCD was genetic, there should be a higher concordance rate for MZ twins than DZ twins as MZ twins are more genetically similar. If one twin has OCD, the likelihood that the other twin has OCD should be higher for MZ twins than DZ twins
what are the concordance rates for OCD for both MZ and DZ twins
MZ - 68%
DZ - 31%
what do the concordance rates studied by Nestadt et al suggest
shows potential role for genetics in behaviour further supporting the biological approach
why are the research methods in the biological approach considered to be objective
advances in technology with brain scanning techniques like fMRIs that measure blood flow in the brain make it possible to accurately measure biological and neural processes in ways that arent open to bias
what do the highly controlled experiments enable b.psychologists to do
enable cause and effect to be established. the high control allows for the standardisation of the procedures which means the way the study is conducted is kept the same way. this enables research into the biological processes to be replicated to check the reliability of the findings.
how do the research methods add credibility to the biological approach
adds credibility to the biological approaches explanation of human behaviour because its based on highly scientific evidence
why do the use of case studies have limitations
they are investigations into individual case studies. this means the findings from such research may not apply to the wider population. for e.g what happened to Phineas is a rare and unusual set of circumstances. these findings are harder to generalise to others
what do biological psychologists conduct research on animals
they consider the role of evolution in human behaviour and therefore the similarities between animals and humans. therefore, they conduct research into the brains of animals in order to learn about human behaviour
what is the problem with studying animals
animal behaviour is rather different to human behaviour. human behaviour is more complex and different in areas such as emotion, consciousness, language and morality.
what have slt and the cognitive approach emphasised the importance of
mental processes during learning so don’t study animal behaviour.
why is studying animals a limitation
its difficult to generalise the results from animals to humans
how has the biological approach been applied to real life situations
in treatments for mental disorders
which neurotransmitter can have an impact on OCD and why
low levels of serotonin can cause OCD due to the mutation of the cert gene.
what can the knowledge of neurotransmitters affecting behaviour lead to
drugs being prescribed to correct this imbalance
what are SSRIs
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors - have been selectively used to reduce OCD symptoms
what is the affect of knowing what drugs to prescribe for certain mental disorders
its shows the value that the biological approach has in helping to improve lives of people suffering from mental conditions
what is the difference between nature and nurture
nature - behaviour is the result of innate biological processes
nurture - behaviour is learned from the environment
what is the debate between nurture and nature in relations to the BA
its not about whether its nature or nurture. in fact, research points to how nature and nurture interact together. its about the relative contribution of both
how does the BA make reference to both nature and nurture
through genotypes and phenotypes with the expression of genes being influenced by the environment in some ways
what is the BA criticised for overemphasising
criticised for overemphasising the nature side of the debate and fails to consider the importance of environmental factors in human behaviour to the extent that other approaches do
how does the BA focus on the nature side of the debate
for e.g in regards to OCD the BA explains such behaviour in terms of gene mutations and imbalance of neurotransmitters.
how can OCD also be influenced by ‘nurture’
it may be common for people who have been bullied, abused or neglected to have OCD. it sometimes starts after an important life event such as childhood or bereavement
what did Cromer et al (2007) find out about OCD and what does this suggest
over 50% OCD patients had past trauma
this suggest the BA alone is not sufficient to fully explaining human behaviour
what is the difference between free will and determinism
free will - behaviour is the result of our own choices and actions
determinism - behaviour is caused by internal or external forces outside our control
why is the BA criticised for being deterministic
they suggest human behaviour is caused or determined by internal biological factors such as genetic or neural factors.
give an example of where the BA is overly deterministic and why its a bad thing
they suggest that people with OCD are stuck with the condition and their obsessive thoughts and compulsive disorders are inevitable. it could be argued that a biologically deterministic view could further add to the anxiety that those suffering with OCD already experience making it worse.
why is biological determinism criticised
for how it removes moral responsibility. this has implications for the legal system and wider society where people could blame their behaviour on their biology. for e.g someone who has committed criminal acts could blame their actions on their genetics or abnormal brain structures
what does a biological deterministic view of behaviour suggest
the biological explanation for human behaviour is rather limited because of the implications it has for people if their behaviour is beyond their control
