biological approach last eval

Question 1

Natural selection

Answer 1

Popper’s argument against natural selection is based on the idea that it is difficult to test, and thus, cannot be falsified. Popper’s key measurement of a scientific theory is that it holds itself up to scrutiny, testing and the possibility of falsification. For Popper, natural selection fails to meet this criterion as it cannot be tested empirically – as a theory, it is backwards-looking, and the only evidence we have for its existence is the fact it has taken place.

That said, defenders of natural selection would point to fossil records which suggest that species have adapted to their environment over time. Fossils show gradually changing forms from dinosaurs to birds. Also fossils of the simplest organisms are found in the oldest rocks, and fossils of more complex organisms in the newest rocks. This simple equation provides strong evidence for Darwin’s theory, that simple life forms have gradually evolved into more complex ones.

This suggests that although natural selection is not able to tell us what species will evolve into, it does provide an adequate account of how development occurred in the past.

Question 2

Real-world application

Answer 2

One strength of the biological approach is that it has real-world application.
Increased understanding of neurochemical processes in the brain is associated with the use of psychoactive drugs to treat serious mental disorders. For example, the biological approach has promoted the treatment of clinical depression using antidepressant drugs that increase levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin at synapses in the brain. Such drugs have been associated with the reduction of depressive symptoms.
This means that people with depression may be better able to manage their condition and live their lives in the
community, rather than remain in hospital.

Question 3

Counterpoint

Answer 3

Counterpoint Although antidepressant drugs are successful for many patients, they do not work for everyone. For instance, a recent study by Andrea Cipriani et al. (2018) compared 21 antidepressant drugs and found wide variations in their effectiveness. Although most of the drugs were more effective than placebos in comparative trials, the researchers concluded that the effects of antidepressants, in general, were ‘mainly modest.
This challenges the value of the biological approach because it suggests that brain chemistry alone may not account for all cases of, for example, depression.

Question 4

Scientific methods

Answer 4

Another strength of the approach is pat it uses scientific methods of
investigation.
In order to investigate the genetic and biological basis of behaviour, the biological approach makes use of a range of precise and highly objective methods. These include scanning techniques such as Fmri and EEGs with advances in technology, it is possible to accurately measure physiological and neural processes in ways that are not open to bias.
This means that much of the biological approach is based on objective and reliable data.

Question 5

Biological determinism

Answer 5

One limitation of the biological approach is that it is determinist.
The biological approach is determinist in that it sees human behaviour as governed by internal, genetic causes over which we have no control.
However, we have already seen that the way in which an individuals genotype is expressed (phenotype - see facing page) is heavily influenced by the environment. Not even identical twins who share the same genes look the same and think the same. Also, a purely genetic argument becomes problematic when we consider things such as crime. Could a violent criminal, for instance, really excuse their actions by claiming their behaviour was controlled by a ‘crime gene?
This suggests that the biological view is often too simplistic and ignores the mediating effects of the environment