Biological Approach Flashcards
Antonova (2011)
Aim: Acetylcholine and spatial memory
Sample: 20 healthy males, mean age = 28
Procedure: Double-blind-randomly given scopolamine or placebo injection. Navigate VR game 6 times in fMRI.
Findings: Similar accuracy but reduced hippocampal activity.
Conclusions: Acetylcholine benefits spatial memory.
Link: Scopolamine inhibited cholinergic receptors
+ Internal Validity
- Mundane Realism
Ethics: Protection from Stress
RM: True Experiment
Neuroplasticity
Theory
1. Brain responds to environment
2. Dendritic Arborisation and Neural Pruning
3. Cortical remapping
4. Long-term potentiation
5. Adapt and recover functions
6. Complements cognitive approach theories
Holistic Evaluation
+ Act as biological basis for cognitive approach theories
- Reductionism
- Correlational
- Treatment causation fallacy
+ Success of neurorehabilitation therapies
Milner (1966)
Background: HM had lobotomy to reduce epileptic seizures. Anterograde amnesia occurred after hippocampal removal.
Procedure: Case study. Cognitive tests, psychometric tests, interviews, observations.
Findings: Retained STM and implicit “procedural” memory, but not explicit declarative “semantic” and “episodic” memory.
Conclusions: Separate short and long term memory stores.
Link: Discrepancy in ability suggest there are separate short and long term memory stores.
+ Method triangulation in case study
+ Longitudinal study
- Limited generalisability
- MSM does not explain subtypes of LTM
Ethics: Confidentiality
Draganski (2004)
Aim: Complex motor skills and brain structure
Sample: 21 female and 3 male, 20-24
Procedure: Taught 3-ball cascade or not, with 3 MRIs
Findings: Initially same structure, but higher hippocampal grey matter in MRI 2
Conclusions: Complex motor skills are related to hippocampus
Link: Dendritic arborisation and long-term potentiation
+ Retrospective
- Internal Validity
Localisation
Theory
1. Strict localisation to simplify brain
2. Relative localisation, equipotentiality, distributive processing
3. Anatomy is related to physiology
Holistic Evaluation
+ Improving imaging techniques
- Reductionism
- Correlational
- Treatment causation fallacy
+ Improved diagnosis and treatments
Evolutionary Explanations (5+1/3)
Theory
1. Survival of the Fittest
2. Evolution
3. Anisogamy
4. Parental Investment Theory
5. Sexual selection
Holistic Evaluation
+ Offers biological basis for some behaviours
- Reductionism
- Correlational
- Confirmation bias
Holistic examination needed
Kendler et al (2006)
Aim: Heritability of MDD
Sample: 15493 Swedish twin pairs, born in 1886-1958
Procedure: Telephone interviews and DSM-IV diagnosis by trained interviewers
Findings: 0.46 v 0.31 v 0.16 v 0.11 v 0.11, 0.38 overall
Conclusions: MDD is partially genetic
Link: MZ concordance is larger than DZ twins, but not 100%
+ Reliability with data triangulation
- Correlational
Buss (1989)
Aim: Differences in desirable traits in partners across cultures.
Sample: 10047 from 37 countries, 33 cultures
Procedure: Rate 18 traits on scale of 0-3 based on desirability, rank 13 traits by importance
Findings: Women from 36/37 countries desired financial prospects more, men from 34/37 cultures valued physical characteristics more
Conclusions: Evolutionary factors play a role in modern relationships
Link: Parental Investment Theory
+ Parallel Forms Reliability
+ Generalisability
- Construct Validity and Imposed Etic
- Self-reporting
RM: Surveys
Neurotransmitters
Theory
1. Chemical messenging
2. Action potential arrives, vesicle fusion
3. Exocytosis, diffusion, and binding
4. Summation
5. Concentration of neurotransmitters influences behaviour
Holistic Evaluation
+ Act as biological basis for cognitive approach theories
- Reductionism
- Correlational
- Treatment causation fallacy
+ Success of neurotransmitter-based treatments/ therapy
Wedekind (1995)
Aim: MHC and human sexual attraction
Sample: 44 male and 44 female from University of Bristol
Procedure: Men wore shirt in bed for 2 days and avoided strong smells. Women ranked smells of 7 shirts for pleasantness.
Findings: Women ranked scents of shirts with different MHC are more attractive.
Conclusions: MHC is a pheromone.
Link: MHC influences sexual attraction, and is evolutionary beneficial
+ Internal Validity
- Construct Validity
Genetic Similarities
Theory
1. Genes are sections of DNA
2. Confounding variable
3. Twins and kin are genetically similar
4. Identify vulnerable groups
Holistic Evaluation
+ Explains heredity of behaviour
- Reductionism
- Corelational
- Limited specific knowledge on gene function
+ Success in identifying vulnerable groups
Porges et al (2017)
Aim: GABA and cognitive function
Sample: 94 adults, mean = 73, no history of impairmnet
Procedure: Montreal Cognitive Assessment, measure pre-frontal cortex GABA with MEGA-PRESS spectroscopy
Findings: GABA correlates with cognitive function, ageing correlates with low GABA
Conclusions: GABA enhances cognitive function
Link: GABA inhibits intrusive thoughts to calm down
+ Standardisation using MCA
- Criterion Validity using MCA
RM: Correlational Study
McGaugh and Cahill (1995)
Aim: Emotion in memory
Procedure: 12 slides with exciting or boring story and tested in 2 weeks with MCQ
Findings: Exciting story recalled better
Procedure: Propranolol
Findings: Similar performance
Conclusions: Emotion positively influences memory
Link: Propranolol blocked adrenergic receptors in amygdala
+ Internal Validity
- Mundane Realism
Ronay and von Hippel (2010)
Aim: Evolutionary factors in mating behaviour
Sample: 96 male Australian skateboarders
Procedure: Perform 1 easy and 1 hard trick 10 times, in front of male or “attractive” (rated by 20 males) female researcher (43 v 53). 2 pm to 6 pm.
Findings: Skateboarders aborted fewer tricks in front of female researcher.
Conclusions: Evolutionary risk-taking behaviour plays a role in modern mating behaviour.
Link: Risk-taking behaviour demonstrates physical strength, benefitting intersexual selection.
+ Mundane Realism
- Criterion Validity
Ethics: Deception
Newcomer et al (1999)
Aim: Cortisol and memory
Sample: Washington University Medical Center, excluding pregnant, mental illness, or treatments with corticosteroids. Matched for age and gender.
Procedure: Placebo, 40 mg, or 160 mg cortisol for 4 days. Asked to recall prose paragraph.
Findings: 40 mg did best, 160 mg did worst.
Conclusions: There is an optimal level of stress.
Link: Cortisol is a stress hormone, complemented the Yerkes-Dodson Law.
+ Internal Validity
- Mundane Realism
RM: True Experiment
Ethics: Protection from Harm/Stress
Weissman et al (2005)
Aim: Heritability of MDD
Sample: Patients from mood-disorder-specialist clinic, children, and grandchildren
Procedure: 4 interviews in 20 years
Findings: 59.2% showed signs of psychiatric disorders, prevalence of mood disorders correlates with severity of parents’ MDD
Conclusions: MDD is inheritable
Link: Correlation between parent and children’s symptoms
+ Researcher Triangulation (IRR=0.82)
- Confounding Variable
Research Techniques
Theory
1. Magnetic Resonance Imaging is used for structure
2. MRI uses radio waves in a magnetic field
3. MRI produces monochromatic 2D images
4. MRI has high spatial but low temporal resolution
5. fMRI is used for physiology
6. fMRI tracks amount of oxygen in blood, which is needed for brain cells to function
7. fMRI produces still colourful images
8. fMRI has high temporal but low spatial resolution
9. Useful for different types of research
Holistic Evaluation
+ Triangulation of different methods helps validity
- Mundane Realism
- Artefacts
- Resarch is limited by cost
+ Objective conclusions about the brain
Genetics
Theory
1. Genes are sections of DNA
2. Testing genetically similar groups
3. Diathesis-Stress Model
4. Identify vulnerable groups
Holistic Evaluation
+ Explains heredity of behaviour
- Reductionism
- Correlational
- Limited specific knowledge on gene function
+ Success in identifying vulnerable groups
Hormones
Theory
1. Hormones regulate ongoing processes
2. Secreted by endocrine glands, controlled by master pituitary gland
3. Epinephrine/Cortisol effects
Holistic Evaluation
+ Act as biological basis for cognitive approach theories
- Reductionism
- Correlational
- Treatment causation fallacy
+ Success of hormonal treatments/ therapy
Pheromones (4+1/3)
Theory
1. Pheromones influence physiology and behaviour
2. Play a role in mating behaviour
3. Evolutionarily advantageous to display desirable traits
4. Challenged as human VNO is dysfunctional
Holistic Evaluation
+ Act as biological explanation to complement cognitive approach theories
- Reductionism
- Correlational
- Confirmation bias/ Evidence against pheromones
Caspi et al (2003)
Aim: Verify GxE in MDD aetiology
Sample: 847 26 y/o in New Zealand, assessed for mental health on biannual basis until age 21
Procedure: Record 5HTT genotype, assessed for MDD, and questionnaire about 14 Stressful life events in past 5 years
Findings: More mutated 5HTT alleles and 3+ stressful life events correlated with MDD
Conclusions: GxE between 5HTT and environmental stress
Link: 5HTT polymorphisms cause genetic vulnerability. MDD is triggered by external stimuli.
+ Holistic Approach (GxE)
- Self-reporting
RM: Quasi-experiment/Correlational Study
Ethics: Confidentiality
Maguire (2000)
Aim: Hippocampus and spatial memory
Sample: 16 right-handed male London taxi-drivers vs 50 controls from MRI database
Procedure: MRI + VBM, pixel counting
Findings: Taxi drivers had more grey matter in posterior hippocampus, but less in anterior. Effect correlates with time spent as taxi-driver.
Conclusion: Hippocampus is important to spatial memory.
Link: Posterior hippocampus is more important to spatial memory than anterior
+ Single-blind
- Correlational
Zhou et al (2014)
Aim: AND and EST and human sexual attraction
Sample: 24 male and 24 female of differing sexual orientation
Procedure: Point-Light Walker with clives, AND+clives, or EST+clives. Repeated measures over 3 consecutive days at same time of day.
Findings: Het. women and hom. men with AND found PLW more masculine, Het. men with EST found PLW more feminine.
Conclusions: AND and EST play a role in sexual attraction
Link: AND and EST significantly influenced perception of sex despite PLW being neutral, may be a pheromone
+ Internal Validity
- Mundane Realism
RM and Ethics for BA
- The Brain and Behaviour RM: Antonova 2011 (True Experiment), Milner 1966 (Case Study)
- The Brain and Behaviour Ethics: Antonova 2011 (Protection from Stress), Milner (Confidentiality)
- Hormones and Pheromones RM: Newcomer et al 1999 (True Experiment)
- Hormones and Pheromones Ethics: Newcomer et al 1999 (Protection from Harm/Stress)
- Genetics and Inheritance RM: Caspi 2003 (), Buss 1989 (Survey)
- Genetics and Inheritance Ethics: Caspi 2003 (Confidentiality), Ronay and von Hippel 2010 (Deception)
