Biological Approach (approaches)

Question 1

Key assumptions

Answer 1

There is a direct correlation between brain activity and cognition
Biochemical imbalances can affect behaviour
Brain physiology can affect behaviour
Behaviour can be inherited (as it is determined buy genetic information)

Question 2

What is a genotype?

Answer 2

The genetic makeup of an individual e.g. eye colour
A combination of inherited genetic material from both parents

Question 3

What is a hormone?

Answer 3

Chemicals produced by endocrine glands, which cause a physiological reaction in cells e.g. testostrone

Question 4

What is a gene?

Answer 4

A part of a chromosome of an organism carrying inheritable information

Question 5

What is natural selection?

Answer 5

The process by which characteristics which enhance reproductive success and/or survival are passed down, thus becoming more widespread in the population

Question 6

What is a phenotype?

Answer 6

The observable characteristics of an individual. May differ from genotype due to interaction with the environment

Question 7

What is a neurotransmitter?

Answer 7

Chemical messengers which can stimulate or calm or brain. Common examples are dopamine and serotinin

Question 8

What is heredity?

Answer 8

The passing of characteristics from one generation to the next via genes

Question 9

What is neurochemistry?

Answer 9

The amount of neurotransmitters produced and the way they are used

Question 10

What is a concordance rate?

Answer 10

The presence of the same trait in both members of a pair of twins

Question 11

What are monozygotic twins?

Answer 11

They share the same genetic material

Question 12

What are dizygotic twins?

Answer 12

They share 50% of the same genetic material

Question 13

McGuffin

Answer 13

46% concordance in MZ twins
20% concordance in DZ twins

Question 14

Evaluation

Answer 14

Biological psychologists view humans as biological organisms
Traits and behaviour have a biological basis
Animals that are biologically similar to humans are valid subjects to study

Behaviour is determined by biological processes
Genetics and neurochemistry

Psychology is a science and should focus on objective and replicable processes
Biological psychologists use the scientific method

Question 15

Gene variants

Answer 15

Each variant of a gene can be associated with normal or abnormal biological activity, and so some gene variants have been linked with mental disorders
Genes are inherited from biological parents so these variants get passed down through families (however, due to mutation, sometimes these variants occur without parents having them)

Question 16

Who proposed natural selection?

Answer 16

Charles Darwin

Question 17

evaluation of twin studies

Answer 17

MZ twins have more similar environments to DZ so the studies are confounded by environmental effects so we cannot be certain that MZ has a higher concordance rate
Adoption studies are helpful in this way (twins separated at birth) as there is no overlap in environment

Question 18

Electrochemical messages

Answer 18

Everything our brain does relies on electrochemical messages
Therefore, changes in the levels of any of these things or in their balance can change the way we think and feel and can result in aggression, depression and autism
This is also true of different brain regions