jones - the biological approach Flashcards
What is the assumption of the biological approach?
Our thoughts, feelings and behaviour all have a physical basis and so can be linked to factors such as genes, evolution, biological structures such as the brain and its associated biological processes
What has research into identical twins show about phobias?
Twins are more likely to gain phobias dispute being raised separately
How many genes have been found that are related to anxiety disorders?
17
What are the three main assumptions of the biological approach?
behaviours can be explained…
1. by different parts of the brain
2. by neurotransmitters
3. in terms of hormones
Why is it a good thing that the biological approach is scientific?
- reliable as variables are controlled
- can be replicated to test validity
What other strengths are there of the biological approach?
- successful real life applications
- adaptations from other reseachers
Why has the biological approach be criticised for being too simplistic?
- favours nature over nurture
- cannot be generalised
- assumes that everyone acts the same ignoring the fact that everyone is unique
What are genes?
units of inheritance
What do genes exist as?
pairs of chromosomes (23 pairs)
Where are genes found?
nucleus of every cell of the body
What do biological psychologists argue that genes determine?
- physical characteristics (eg. eye colour)
- psychological characteristics (eg. intelligence, personality, psychological disorders like depression and schizophrenia)
What is concordance rate?
Statistical measure used to describe the amount of similarities in characteristics
Why are psychologists interested in studying twins?
To investigate the genetic basis of behaviour
What is a zygote?
A fertilised cell
What are monozygotic cells?
one zygote - these twins are formed when a fertilised cell splits into two and forms two separate embryos
How genetically identical are mz twins?
100% of their genes are identical
What are dizygotic cells?
two zygotes - these twins are formed when two separate eggs both become fertilised by different sperm cells
How genetically identical are dz twins?
50% of their genes are identical
-> no more genetically alike than ordinary siblings
What are research using twin studies looking for?
the degree of concordance (or similarity) between mz and dz twins as it is a quantitative measure of similarity
-> twins are said to be concordant for a certain trait (eg. learning difficulties) if both of them exhibit the trait of neither of them exhibit the trait
-> if they are discordant, one of the twins will show the trait and the other will not
-> if mz twins show a higher percentage concordance than dz twins, it serves as evidence for the heritability of that trait
What does the concordance of twins show about the genetic basis of behaviour?
It shows a higher concordance rate for monozygotic than dizygotic twins
-> blood types and eye colour are almost 100% which shows that these are completely genetic as monozygotic share 100% of the same genes
What are the results of Gottesman’s twin study?
concordance for schizophrenia with the mz twins is 48% whereas concordance for dz twins is 17%
-> if both parents are schizophrenic, the chances are 46% that their child will develop the disorder
What does the data of Gottesman’s twin study suugest?
Schizophrenia has a high heritability rate
What are some strengths of twin studies?
Twins are an example of a naturally occuring variable
-> mz twins share 100% of their genes and dz twins share 50% of their genes
-> researchers arent manipulating this variable themselves reducing the risk of researcher bias
What are some limitations of twin studies?
- the higher concordance rates in mz twins could just be because of the environment
-> mz twins may be treated in similar ways and have similar environmental influences like friends
-> hence, the cause might not be biological reasons - twin studies might not be very representative of other children
-> twins are very rare (1.5% of births) and monozygotic twins are even rarer (0.5%)
-> there might also be other unusual features of mz twins besides the genetic similarities
What is a genotype?
The genetic makeup of a person
What is an example of genotype?
hair colour when born
What is a phenotype?
An individual’s actual behavioural and physical characteristics
What are phenotypes determined by?
genotype + environment
What is an example of phenotype?
dying hair in colour different from original
What is neurochemistry?
action of chemicals in the brain
What do neurotransmitters do?
transmit messages
What might imbalance of neurotransmitters cause?
mental disorders
How is OCD caused?
too little serotonin
How is depression caused?
too little serotonin
How is anxiety caused?
too little serotonin and GABA
How is schizophrenia caused?
too much popamine and glutamate
How is bipolar caused?
too little norepinephrine and serotonin but too much dopamine
What effect does the prefrontal cortex have on behaviour?
Part of the brain that plays a vital role in many functions (eg. decision making, personality and emotional regulation)
What effect does the amygdala have on behaviour?
primarily involved in the processing of emotions and memories associated with fear or strong emotions like pleasure
What effect does the hippocampus have on behaviour?
important role in the consolidation of information from short term to long term in spatial memory
What is biopsychology?
- focuses on the influence of biological structures on behaviour
- branch of psychology that studies how the brain, neurotransmitters, genes, and other aspects of our biology affect our behaviour, thoughts and feelings,
What can biological structures control?
different brain functions (eg. memory, attachment, and emotions) that can explain our behaviour
What the biological approach suggest?
some of our behaviours and characteristics are inherited or determined by our biology
What is natural selection?
mechanism of evolution
-> survival of the fittest involving the whole population
What does natural selection ensure?
That only the traits that help a species survive and reproduce gets passed on to future generations
What is survival of the fittest?
competition between two individual organisms
What is evolution?
consequence of natural selection over thousands of years
What theory did Charles Darwin propose?
Theory of evolution
What is Darwin’s theory of evolution?
explanation of how the changes in inherited characteristics in a biological population over successive generations
What does Darwin say about humans evolving?
humans took six million to evolve from apes
- physical and behavioural traits are originated from ape-like ancestors
What does Darwin say about giraffes?
Giraffes were not born with long necks
-> extra height gives the giraffe an advantage in obtaining food that wouldnt be available to those rivals with shorter necks
What does Darwin say about animals and breeding?
The farmer selects the animal which possesses desirable characteristics for breeding
-> eg. cows with a higher milk yield is chosen so better milk is produced
What are some strengths of the biological behaviour?
+ uses a range of precise and highly scientific methods
-> eg fMRIs and EEGs
-> increases the accuracy as it is not open to bias
+ significant influence to the development of psychoactive drugs (eg. depression or schizophrenia)
-> offers explanations for mental illnesses in terms of the action of neurotransmitters in the brain
-> target specific candidate genes to directly treat the disorder or may alter neurotransmitter levels to help alleviate symptoms etc
What are some limitations of the biological approach?
- deterministic
-> the biological approach sees human behaviour as governed by internal and biological causes over which we have no control
-> ignores the influence of cognitive processes (thinking of consequences) - discovering an association doesnt mean one is a cause
-> studies show that a particular drug reduces the symptoms of a mental disorder so it is assumed that the neurochemical in the drug causes the disorder
-> which is just a hypothesis with no proof
