Biological Approach

Question 1

AO1

Everything ______ is at first ______

Answer 1

Psychological

Biological

Question 2

AO1

What does the approach investigate?

Answer 2

How biological structures impact behaviour

Question 3

What creates psychological differences between people?

Answer 3

Genes

Question 4

What should psychologists study?

Answer 4

The brain
Nervous system
Other biological systems like hormones

Question 5

The ____ and the _____ are the same thing

Answer 5

Mind

Brain

Question 6

What is heredity?

Answer 6

The passing on of genetic information from one generation to the next

Example aggression from one generation passed into another

Question 7

What are genes

Answer 7

Carry instructions for a characteristic

Eg intelligence

Question 8

How can genes be altered

Answer 8

Interaction with other genes and the environment depends on how the characteristic develops

Eg intelligence only developing if the child is given access to school and an education

Question 9

How can we investigate genetic behaviour?

Answer 9

Twin studies

Family studies

Adoption studies

Animal studies

Question 10

What is a genotype

Answer 10

Genetic make up inherited from parents

Question 11

What is a phenotype

Answer 11

When the genotype interacts with the environment

Genotype+environment= phenotype

Question 12

What are monozygotic twins?

Answer 12

Identical twins that share 100% of genes

Question 13

What are dizygotic twins

Answer 13

Non identical

Only share 50% of genes types like siblings do

Question 14

What is the concordance rate

Answer 14

The likelihood of an individual having a characteristic and another having the same

E.g twins both having depression may show it is genetic due to it meningitis concordant

Question 15

What is DSR?

Answer 15

Diathesis Stress Response

Question 16

What does Diathesis Stress Response mean?

Answer 16

The idea a disorder is the result of a pre existing genotype interacting with the environment to create a disorder.

For example having the genotype for schizophrenia which then stars to occur because of a traumatic event.

Question 17

Who discovered evolution?

Answer 17

Charles Darwin

Question 18

What is evolution?

Answer 18

The development of new characteristics due to changes in the environment

Question 19

What is Darwin’s theory of natural selection?

Answer 19

Genetic Behaviour that helps the chances of survival is passed onto the next generation.

Question 20

In natural selection what can the behaviours be?

Answer 20

Physical or behavioural adaptations

Question 21

An example of natural selection?

Answer 21

Aggression passed down through generations as females found aggression attractive and would stop them for having a child with someone else

Question 22

Limitations of the biological approach

Answer 22

Determinist- doesn’t believe we have free will to control our behaviour, pre programmed

Reductionist- reduces complex behaviours down to simple biology

Nature side of debate- minimises the role of the environment like cultural pressures on behaviour

Question 23

Strengths of the biological approach

Answer 23

High credibility- due to the approach being very scientific can be tested lots

Approach has helped develop treatments for individuals like medicine for depression which helps to increase production of serotonin