Biological Approach Flashcards
Assumption One: Evolutionary Influences: What it is (incl natural selection) Altruism Predisposition of snakes and spiders (incl Examples)
Evolution is the gradual change of a species over time. Introduced in 1859 to help psychologists understand human behaviour.
Natural selection:
Darwin explained evolution through natural selection.
The characteristics which give an animal a greater chance at survival and reproduction are ADAPTIVE. (The more well adaptive, the easier to survive, REPRODUCE AND PASS THE GENES ON).
If a characteristic has survived and been passed down through the generations, it must have been adaptive and had given the animal a survival advantage.
How is altruism an adaptive trait:
Predisposition to fears of snakes and spiders:
Evolutionary psychology suggests certain fears are adaptive behaviours that helped our ancestors survive.
Seligman proposed the concept of Biological Preparedness (an inherited predisposition to fear certain types of animals, such as snakes).
Machett and Davey (1991) linked animal fears to contamination risk and the likelihood of attack. Found both predatory animals and animals that were associated with disgust naturally elicited fear in humans.
Assumption Two: Localisation of the brain function: The four lobes Broca's Area Wernicke's Area
Refers to the concept that different areas of the brain are responsible for different functions.
The cerebral cortex of the brain is the outer few millimetres and is divided into four lobes: Frontal Lobe (Front)- Personality, Mood regulation, Impulse Control Parietal Lobe (Top)- Perception, Making sense of the world, Arithmetic Temporal Lobe (Bottom)- Memory, Understanding, Language Occipital Lobe (Back)- Vision
Broca’s Area:
Region of the brain important for speech production.
Located in the Frontal Lobe of the dominant hemisphere (usually the left)
Wernicke’s Area:
Region of the brain that is important for language development.
Located in the temporal lobe on the left side of the brain and is responsible for the comprehension of speech.
Assumption Three: Neurotransmitters Labelled Neurotransmitter Axon Terminal Ends Labelled How neurons pass messages to each other Examples of neurotransmitters influencing behaviour
The whole nervous system is composed of interconnected neurons. These are long thin cells that convey messages from one place to another. The brain contains billions of these neurons.
A Neurotransmitter is a chemical messenger that allows neurons to communicate with each other at the synapse.
Neurotransmitter Labelled:
Tree looking spikey ends: Dendrites
The bit with the nucleus: Cell Body
Soft looking branches (opposite side of the spikey ends): Axon Terminals
Tail: Axon
Direction towards axon: Direction of Nerve Impulse
Inside the Axon Terminal Ends:
The direction: Direction of Nerve Impulse
Body shape: Axon Terminal
Middle circle: Presynaptic Vesicle
Space between the two things: Synapse
Dots travelling through synapse: Neurotransmitters
Where the transmitters go: Receptorcites
Bottom of the image: Dendrite of receiving neutron
How neurons pass messages to each other:
Neurotransmitters are released from presynaptic vesicles and either stimulate or inhibit receptor cites in other neurons. This is how they communicate through one another.
Examples of neurotransmitters influencing behaviour:
Neurotransmitters play a significant role in mental health.
Different types of neurotransmitters including:
Serotonin- regulates mood, sleep and appetite- Too little serotonin has been found in those with depression
Dopamine- associated with rewards- High levels of Dopamine associated with symptoms of schizophrenia.
Therapy: Psychosurgery
Application to Medical Model
Link to Psychosurgery
This approach assumes that psychological disorders (such as Depression) have a psychological cause. Suggests that mental illnesses are like physical illnesses. They have a physical cause and therefore can be treated in a physical way. This is known as the medical model.
Link to Psychosurgery:
Mental illness can be treated in a physical way by altering parts of the brain, for example, through Psychosurgery.
Various methods of psychosurgery that treat psychological illnesses in a physical way such as:
Prefrontal Lobotomy
Stereotactic Psychosurgery
Deep Brain Stimulation
