Evaluation

Question 1

Scientific

Answer 1

Biological explanations have clear variables that can be measured, tracked and examined.
This enables psychologists to conduct scientific research studying these variables.

Question 2

PET scans

Answer 2

Raine et al made use of PET scans to compare 14 areas of the brain in murderers (pleading NGRI) compared with non-murderers.

Question 3

Drug therapy

Answer 3

Research on drug therapy has investigated the links between psychoactive drugs and the production of certain neurotransmitters and linked this to behaviour.

Question 4

Determinist

Answer 4

If we know what “predetermines” our behaviour, we are more likely to be able to treat people with abnormal behaviour.
Psychologists seek to understand the functioning of neurotransmitters so they can predict the effects of neurotransmitters on normal and abnormal behaviour.
The approach is determinist and provides explanations about the causes of behaviour so that we can use such understanding to improve people’s lives.

Question 5

Dopamine and schizophrenia

Answer 5

Dopamine has been linked with schizophrenia.
The evidence comes from a number of sources:
The drug amphetamine is known to increase levels of dopamine, and the large doses of the drug can cause some of the symptoms associated with schizophrenia.
Antipsychotics reduce some of the symptoms of schizophrenia and are known to reduce dopamine levels.
This suggests that high levels of dopamine are causing the symptoms.

Question 6

Successful applications - drug therapy

Answer 6

The approach has also led to many forms of treatment for mental disorder, such as drug therapy.
Drug therapy is a particularly popular form of treatment because it’s easy and enables many people with mental disorders to live a relatively normal life outside mental hospitals.
However, drug therapy produces mixed results because drugs affect people differently.

Question 7

Viguera et al (2000)

Answer 7

Bipolar disorder has been successfully treated with drugs.
More than 60% of bipolar patients improve when taking the drug lithium.

Question 8

Successful applications - criminal behaviour

Answer 8

Research into the relationship between abnormal levels of neurotransmitters and criminal behaviour has implications for offering pharmacological treatments to criminals, for lowering recidivism rates, and ultimately safer societies.

Question 9

Cherek et al (2002)

Answer 9

Showed that males with conduct disorder and criminal behaviour had reduced levels of aggression and impulsivity after a 21-day course of an SSRI antidepressant compared to a control group taking placebos.

Question 10

Reductionist

Answer 10

The approach reduces complex behaviours to a set of simple explanations.
Reductionism is a part of understanding how systems work, but the problem is that, in the process, we may lose a real understanding of thing we’re investigating.

Question 11

Reductionist - example

Answer 11

The approach suggests that an illness such as schizophrenia is basically a complex physical-chemical system gone wrong.

Question 12

R.D Laing (1965)

Answer 12

Claimed that such an approach ignores the experience of distress that goes along with any mental illness and is therefore an incomplete explanation.

Question 13

Nature VS Nurture

Answer 13

Mental illness has multiple causes, yet the approach focuses on just biology, tending to ignore life experiences and psychological factor such as how people think and feel.

Question 14

Nature VS Nurture - example

Answer 14

The approach to explaining schizophrenia is concerned with abnormal levels of certain neurotransmitters rather than with how patients feel about their illness.
The approach to treatment is therefore concerned with adjusting the abnormal biological systems rather than with talking to patients about how they feel.

Question 15

Individual differences

Answer 15

The approach is nomothetic.
It looks to make generalisations about people and find similarities.
The approach tends to ignore differences between individuals.

Question 16

Individual differences - example

Answer 16

Biological research often focuses on a few individuals and assumes that everyone’s biological systems work in the same way.
Research on biological systems has tended to use male rather than female participants (both animals and humans) because female hormone cycles may interfere with biological research.
Such research bias could, however, produce an inaccurate picture of behaviour – one with a male bias.