Biological - Assumptions Flashcards

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1
Q

the biological approach combines

A

psycholoy and biology to provide physiological explanations for human behaviour

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2
Q

biological psychology tries to explain how we

A

think, feel and behave in terms of physical factors within the body

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3
Q

the three main assumptions of the biological approach are that behaviour can be explained by:

A

1) evolutionary influences
2) localisation of brain function
3) neurotransmitters

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4
Q

evolution is the

A

gradual change of a species over time and over many generations. the theory was first proposed by charles darwin in his groundbreaking book.

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5
Q

darwin argues that evolution happens through

A

natural selection

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6
Q

what behaviours and traits would have been adaptive for early humans

A

bipedalism (walking on 2 feet)
opposable thumbs (can touch the fingers of the same hand)
complex brain (controls all that we do)

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7
Q

darwin’s theory of natural selection is based on three main assumptions:

A

1) only a small proportion of each generation survives to reproduce
2) offspring are not identical to their parents, and so each generation has a degree of variation, and that at least some of this variation is heritable (can be passed on through genes
3) some characteristics give the animal an advantage over others in the ability to survive and reproduce

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8
Q

the characteristics which give the animal a greater chance of survival and reproduction are … this means that the animal is better adapted to the environment, and is therefore more likely to survive, … and pass these adaptive … on to their offspring. this is natural selection. if a characteristic has survived and been passed down through the …, it must have been adaptive and have given the animal a survival ….

A

adaptive, reproduce, genes, generations, advantage

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9
Q

evolutionary psychology argues that

A

to properly understand the functions of the brain, we must understand the environment in which the brain evolved. “environment of evolutionary adaptedness” (eea). therefore, evolutionary psychologists argue that humans are adapted to the environment that our ancestors would have faced

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10
Q

phobia

A

biological preparedness
past situation lead to current phobias e.g. heights, fire, etc.

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11
Q

stress

A

fight or flight
stress allowed us to survive dangerous events in the past
now it’s smaller things

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12
Q

understanding aggression

A

men can fight and assert dominance
use fists to ward off other men from women

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13
Q

localisation of function

A

the idea that certain functions (e.g. language, memory, etc.) have certain locations or areas within the brain

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14
Q

lateralisation of function

A

2 hemispheres controlling different parts of the body

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15
Q

four loves of the cerebral cortex

A

frontal lobe, temporal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe

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16
Q

frontal lobe

A

condition - planning organising, problem solving, personality and higher order thinking

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17
Q

temporal lobe

A

auditory - hearing, selective listening, speech, language, memory

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18
Q

parietal lobe

A

sensory information - perception, spatial awareness, touch, motor control

19
Q

occipital lobe

A

vision - processes information from our eyes, visual cortex

20
Q

hippocampus

A

long term memories

21
Q

amygdala

A

controls emotions (anger/fear)

22
Q

broca area

A

speech

23
Q

wernicke’s area

A

language comprehension

24
Q

love

A

dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin - high

25
Q

happiness

A

serotonin - high

26
Q

aggression

A

noradrenaline, adrenaline - high

27
Q

schizophrenia

A

dopamine - high

28
Q

depression

A

dopamine, serotonin - low

29
Q

anxiety

A

dopamine - low

30
Q

the whole of the nervous system (including the brain) is composed of

A

interconnected neurons

31
Q

interconnected neurons

A

long thin cells that convey messages from one place to another. the brain contains billions of these neurons

32
Q

what do neurons do

A

pass messages from one neuron to the next via small gaps between the neurons called a synapse
these messages are passed from neuron to neuron by chemicals called neurotransmitters

33
Q

what are neurotransmitters

A

chemical messengers that act between neurons within the brain

34
Q

are neurons and neurotransmitters the same

A

the primary difference is that a neuron is a cell in the body (also called a nerve cell) while a neurotransmitter is a chemical compound that a neuron releases which allows neurons to send messages and communicate with other neurons

35
Q

process of synaptic transmission (1)

A

the electrical impulse moves from the dendrite to the cell body

36
Q

process of synaptic transmission (2)

A

the electrical impulse then moves to the nucleus

37
Q

process of synaptic transmission (3)

A

the electrical impulse then moves to the axon

38
Q

process of synaptic transmission (4)

A

the electrical impulse then moves down the axon and is protected by myelin

39
Q

process of synaptic transmission (5)

A

the electrical impulse then arrives at the axon terminals

40
Q

process of synaptic transmission (6)

A

the electrical impulse triggers the release of neurotransmitters from presynaptic vesicles

41
Q

process of synaptic transmission (7)

A

neurotransmitter moves from the presynaptic ending and is released into the synaptic cleft

42
Q

process of synaptic transmission (8)

A

neurotransmitter binds with the postsynaptic ending receptor sites in the dendrite of the next neurone

43
Q

process of synaptic transmission (9)

A

messengers on the postsynaptic ending pass the electrical impulse on the dendrite

44
Q

process of synaptic transmission (10)

A

the electrical impulse moves from the dendrite to the cell body