Biological Approach Flashcards
What are the 3 assumptions of the biological approach?
- behaviour is innate
- mental illness can be explained as a result of physical aspects of the body, in the same way as physical illnesses
- evolution, genetics, neural and hormonal mechanisms (biological structure) explain behaviour the best
Define innate
Born with behaviour
Varies due to variations in genes
How many chromosomes does a person have?
46 chromosomes
23 pairs
What % of genes does 1 identical twin share with the other twin?
100%
What are biological psychologists research aim?
Find a link between behaviour and genetics
What would we expect if a disorder is caused genetically?
Individuals whom are closely related are likely to have the same
Identical twins - monozygotic or dizygotic ?
Monozygotic
Fraternal twins - monozygotic or dizygotic?
Dizygotic
Define concordance rate
Level of agreement or similarity between 2 individuals
How strong the link of the other twin having it
Example of concordance rate
If behaviour was solely a genetic cause, if 1 twin develops an illness the the other would.
This would be a concordance rate of 100%
What did Gottesman find?
Concordance rates for schizophrenia
What did Gottesman chart show us?
The heartier the genetic similarity ., more likely a person is to develop schizophrenia if a relative has it
Define genotype
A persons actual genetic makeup
Define phenotype
Ways genes are expressed though physical, behavioural and psychological characteristics
What do biological psychologists accept?
The interaction between nature (gene) and nurture (environment) to produce behaviour
