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biological approach Flashcards

1
Q

what are the main assumptions of the biological approach

A
  • 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
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2
Q

what do biological psychologists assume

A

behaviour can be explained using biological processes

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3
Q

what can be considered to be passed down genetically

A

things like intelligence, personality and mental illness are considered to be biological so potentially passed on genetically

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4
Q

what are genes

A

part of a chromosome that contains DNA coding for physical and psychological features inherited from parents

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5
Q

give one way researchers explore the role of genetics in behaviour

A

by studying twins

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6
Q

what is a monozygotic twin

A

identical twins from one fertilised egg. they share 100% DNA

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7
Q

what is a dizygotic twin

A

non identical twins from two separate fertilised eggs. they share 50% DNA

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8
Q

which twins are more genetically similar

A

monozygotic twins

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9
Q

what is compared in twin study research

A

concordance rates

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10
Q

what is a concordance rate

A

degree of genetic similarity for a particular trait

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11
Q

if ocd was genetic, in which type of twin would the concordance rate be higher and what does this suggest

A

monozygotic twins and this would suggest OCD may have a genetic component to it

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12
Q

what is a genotype

A

refers to the particlar set of genes that a person possesses (genetic makeup). it is the information that is contained in their genes

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13
Q

what is a phenotype

A

refers to the expression of the genotype and its interaction with the environment

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14
Q

what can the phenotype be influenced by

A

environmental factors

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15
Q

give an example of where the environment influences the phenotype

A

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

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16
Q

why does processed foods link to dementia

A

amyloid plaque builds up in the brain and hinders the brain communication between neurones if the quality and amount of sleep is deprived

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17
Q

which biological structure has the most influence on our behaviour

A

the brain

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18
Q

what is the outer surface of the brain called

A

the cerebral cortex

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19
Q

what are the two halves of the cerebral cortex called

A

right and left hemisphere

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20
Q

what is each hemisphere of the brain divided into

A

lobes

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21
Q

what are each hemisphere and each lobe thought to be responsible

A

different functions

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22
Q

what is localisation of function

A

the theory that specific parts of the brain are responsible for specific functions

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23
Q

what is the frontal lobe

A

involved in personality characteristics, decisions making and movement. the motor area (responsible for controlling movements) is found towards the back of the frontal lobe

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24
Q

what is the parietal lobe

A

the somatosensory area responsible for processing information from our senses is in this lobe

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25
Q

what is the occipital lobe

A

the visual area responsible for receiving and processing visual information is in this lobe

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26
Q

what is the temporal lobe

A

the auditory area responsible for analysis of speech related information is in this lobe

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27
Q

which side of the body does the right hemisphere control

A

the left side

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28
Q

which side of the body does the left hemisphere control

A

the right side

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29
Q

which side of the body is language thought to be processed

A

on the left side

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30
Q

where is the hippocampus located and what is its function

A

deeper in the brain
thought to play a significant role in memory and learning

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31
Q

how many neurones is the nervous system thought to be contain

A

around 100 billion neurons with the brain containing 80% of them. these nerve cells transmit signals electrically and chemically between one another

32
Q

what are neurotransmitters

A

chemical messengers that transmit or pass information between neurons

33
Q

why are the mind and the brain considered to be the same thing

A

the chemical processes going on in the brain are behind what is going on in the mind

34
Q

how do neurotransmitters influence our mental state

A

if there is an imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain, it can cause certain changes in behaviour and certain types of mental disorders

35
Q

what is an imbalance of serotonin associated with

A

depression

36
Q

what is an imbalance of dopamine associated with

A

schizophrenia

37
Q

what is evolution

A

the gradual change in inherited traits of a species over many generations through adaptation to the environment, natural selection and survival of the fittest

38
Q

what is meant by survival of the fittest

A

those who possess certain advantages because of their genetics are more likely to survive due to natural selection

39
Q

what is the rooting reflex

A

babies will turn their heads towards anything that strokes or touches their cheek or mouth which aids breastfeeding and hence survival

40
Q

what does the theory of evolution propose

A

humans are descendants of other animals, therefore the biological approach takes the view that its possible to study human behaviour through studying animals

41
Q

what are some supporting evidence for the role of brain structures on behaviour

A

the case study of Phineas Gage in 1948

42
Q

what happened to Phineas Gage in 1948

A

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.

43
Q

how does the case study of Gage give evidence about the role of brain structures on human behaviour

A

shows that his frontal lob is thought to be involved in our personality, emotion processing and decision making

44
Q

what did Tulving research to provide supporting evidence for this approach

A

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.

45
Q

what did tulvings research suggest

A

demonstrates that different parts of the brain may be responsible for specific functions for e.g. memories

46
Q

what do both the case study and the brain scanning research provide illustrate

A

how biological structures can influence behaviour

47
Q

what did Nestadt et al (2010) do to study the influence of genetics

A

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.

48
Q

what do higher concordance rates for MZ twins for OCD suggest

A

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

49
Q

what are the concordance rates for OCD for both MZ and DZ twins

A

MZ - 68%
DZ - 31%

50
Q

what do the concordance rates studied by Nestadt et al suggest

A

shows potential role for genetics in behaviour further supporting the biological approach

51
Q

why are the research methods in the biological approach considered to be objective

A

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

52
Q

what do the highly controlled experiments enable b.psychologists to do

A

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.

53
Q

how do the research methods add credibility to the biological approach

A

adds credibility to the biological approaches explanation of human behaviour because its based on highly scientific evidence

54
Q

why do the use of case studies have limitations

A

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

55
Q

what do biological psychologists conduct research on animals

A

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

56
Q

what is the problem with studying animals

A

animal behaviour is rather different to human behaviour. human behaviour is more complex and different in areas such as emotion, consciousness, language and morality.

57
Q

what have slt and the cognitive approach emphasised the importance of

A

mental processes during learning so don’t study animal behaviour.

58
Q

why is studying animals a limitation

A

its difficult to generalise the results from animals to humans

59
Q

how has the biological approach been applied to real life situations

A

in treatments for mental disorders

60
Q

which neurotransmitter can have an impact on OCD and why

A

low levels of serotonin can cause OCD due to the mutation of the cert gene.

61
Q

what can the knowledge of neurotransmitters affecting behaviour lead to

A

drugs being prescribed to correct this imbalance

62
Q

what are SSRIs

A

selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors - have been selectively used to reduce OCD symptoms

63
Q

what is the affect of knowing what drugs to prescribe for certain mental disorders

A

its shows the value that the biological approach has in helping to improve lives of people suffering from mental conditions

64
Q

what is the difference between nature and nurture

A

nature - behaviour is the result of innate biological processes
nurture - behaviour is learned from the environment

65
Q

what is the debate between nurture and nature in relations to the BA

A

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

66
Q

how does the BA make reference to both nature and nurture

A

through genotypes and phenotypes with the expression of genes being influenced by the environment in some ways

67
Q

what is the BA criticised for overemphasising

A

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

68
Q

how does the BA focus on the nature side of the debate

A

for e.g in regards to OCD the BA explains such behaviour in terms of gene mutations and imbalance of neurotransmitters.

69
Q

how can OCD also be influenced by ‘nurture’

A

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

70
Q

what did Cromer et al (2007) find out about OCD and what does this suggest

A

over 50% OCD patients had past trauma
this suggest the BA alone is not sufficient to fully explaining human behaviour

71
Q

what is the difference between free will and determinism

A

free will - behaviour is the result of our own choices and actions
determinism - behaviour is caused by internal or external forces outside our control

72
Q

why is the BA criticised for being deterministic

A

they suggest human behaviour is caused or determined by internal biological factors such as genetic or neural factors.

73
Q

give an example of where the BA is overly deterministic and why its a bad thing

A

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.

74
Q

why is biological determinism criticised

A

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

75
Q

what does a biological deterministic view of behaviour suggest

A

the biological explanation for human behaviour is rather limited because of the implications it has for people if their behaviour is beyond their control

approaches (8 decks)

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