Lesson 6- Biological Approach

Question 1

biological approach assumptions

Answer 1

-suggests everything psychological begins on a biological basis so to fully understand human behaviour must look to biological structures and processes
-biological perspective, mind lives in brain, all thoughts, feelings, behaviour have physical basis

Question 2

genes, heredity, basis of behaviour

Answer 2

-passing of characteristics from one generation to the next through genes, reason why offspring take after parents in terms of psychological characteristics
-carry instructions for particular characteristic but how it develops depends on its interaction with other genes and the influence of the environment
-twin studies used to determine likelihood that certain traits have a genetic basis by comparing concordance rates between pairs of twins, mz have higher concordance rates than dz

Question 3

genotype/phenotype

Answer 3

genotype- actual genetic makeup
phenotype- the way genes are expressed through physical, behavioural and psychological characterstics, inevitable influence by environmental factors

Question 4

evolution and behaviour

Answer 4

-charles darwin and natural selection/survival of the fittest
-any genetically determined behaviour that enahnces an individuals survival and reproduction will continue in future generations
-charactersitics an individual possesses are advantageous, selected through reproduction and passed on

Question 5

neurochemistry and behaviour

Answer 5

-synatpic neurotransmitters, chemical messenger that balances, boosts and carries signals between neurons, dopamine and serotonin essential for transmission of nerve impulses across synapse therefore involved in all aspects of behaviour, implicated in sleep, memory, emotions, appetite, social and sexual behaviour
-psychoactive drugs such as cocaine act at synapses, blocking reuptake of dopamine back into presynaptic gap, leads to ‘rush’ of euphoria felt by cocaine users
-disruption to neurochemistry implicated in ocd and depression

Question 6

biological structures and behaviour

Answer 6

-relationship between various parts of the brain and their functions
-phineas gage 1848, showed personality change, damage occured to frontal lobe, implies these structures implicated in control of behaviour
-modern scanning methods provide further insights, Raine et al 1997, examined PET scans of violent criminals compared to matched controls, showed reduced activity in frontal lobes
-HM removed area within temporal lobe causing severe epilepsy, unable to generate new memories but could recall old ones, removed big part of hippocampus, plays part in registration of memories

Question 7

biological approach evaluation

Answer 7

-scientific methods, fmri, eeg, family/twin/adoption studies, drugs as treatment which focus on biological symptoms, almost everything measured scientifically and not open to bias, objective and reliable data
-real life application, increased understanding of biochemical processes in brain led to development of psychoactive drugs that reat serious mental disorders, allow patients to be treated at home without extensive hospital treatment, revolutionised treatment
-not easy to determine cause and effect, medication ends up only treating symptoms not disorder
-determinist, sees human behaviour governed by internal biological causes over which we have no control, criminal gene and law
-difficult to separate genes and culture, incest, not always clear why some genes are passed on through generations eg A1 variant of DRD2 gene