Lesson 8- Biological Approach- Influence of biological structures & neurochemistry on behaviour 🏃♂ Flashcards
What are biological structures?
Biological structures- biological structures are organs (e.g. 🧠) & systems (e.g. nervous system) that influence human 🏃♂
What are the 2 main biological structures?
1) Brain
2) Nervous System & Neurons
What is the Nervous system comprised of?
Nervous System & Neurons:
- CNS (central nervous system)- consists of 🧠 & spinal cord- controls breathing & 💓 rate
- PNS (peripheral nervous system)- sends & receives messages from CNS to other parts of body
- Neurons- transmit nerve impulses in the form of electrical⚡️ signals
What is the brain comprised of?
Made up of 4 lobes- see image ➡️:
Parietal- processes info about temp, taste 👄, touch☝️ & movement
Frontal- important for cognitive 🧠 functions & control of voluntary movement/activity
Temporal- processes memories, integrating them with sensations of taste 👄 , sound 👂, sight 👀 & touch☝️
Occipital- primarily responsible for vision 👀
Cerebrum- makes up 85% of 🧠
Cerebral cortex- covers cerebrum & is responsible for high ⬆️ order thinking 🤔 & language
What are the evaluation points for biological structures as an explanation of behaviour?
👎- biological model criticised- applicable at explaining causes of some 🏃♂ BUT ✖️ others- infection of 🧠 can-> schizophrenia BUT phobias usually learnt rather than due to 🧠 malfunction
👍- study of 🧠 relies on use of scans- e.g. PET (Positron Emission Tomography) & MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) & post mortem studies add to scientific 🧪 evidence- helps support biological approach- 1 of the most scientific 🧪 models/approaches when compared to 🧠 & 🏃♂ approach
👎- psychologists still ✖️ know 100% about 🧠 & its functions- … potential problems of trying to identify which part of 🧠 responsible for certain 🏃♂
👍- scientifically & objectively investigated in order to test how 🧠 structures might affect 🏃♂- e.g. use of FMRI & PET scanning gives psychologists understanding of how 🧠 functions
Why might schizophrenia develop?
Schizophrenia- might develop due to structural & functional 🧠 abnormalities
What did they do in the past to investigate patients with schizophrenia?
PAST- used post mortem’s to investigate structure of 🧠 in patients who had schizophrenia
What do they do now to investigate patients with schizophrenia?
NOW- use fMRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging)- shows images of 🧠 in action using magnetic 🧲 & radio 📻 waves
NOW- patients with schizophrenia given cognitive 🧠 & memory tasks to do- compared with normal healthy patients whilst also conducting fMRI
Which psychologist did a study about brain structure?
Brain 🧠 structure- Neural correlates- study by Swayze
What method was used for Swayze’s neural correlates brain study?
Swayze reviewed 50 studies of schizophrenic patients & examined their 🧠 imaging using MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)
What were the findings for Swayze’s neural correlates brain study?
From these brain images- structure of 🧠 examined & found that schizophrenic patients’ have structural abnormalities in their 🧠 including:
- Decreased ⬇️ brain weight
- Larger ⬆️ ventricles (that are filled with water)
- Smaller ⬇️ hypothalamus
- Less ⬇️ grey matter (intelligence held here & … seems to have deteriorated)
- Structural abnormalities in pre-frontal cortex (where personality held)
What were the evaluation points for Swayze’s neural correlates brain study?
👎- Andreason (1982)- criticised neural correlates explanation for schizophrenia- found that extent to which ventricles in 🧠 enlarged by in schizophrenic patients ✖️ significant & … very small difference between neural correlates of schizophrenic patients’ & normal people … neural correlates might ✖️ be a major factor in causing schizophrenia
👍- supporting psychological evidence- states that schizophrenia caused by neural correlates changing in 🧠- occur during pre-natal development in womb & why schizophrenia occurs in early adulthood explained by Weinberger (1987)- pre-frontal cortex (area effected by schizophrenia) develops during adolescence & therefore damage to this part of 🧠 only noticed during adolescence & adulthood (when symptoms of schizophrenia become apparent)
👎- cause & effect ✖️ established- abnormal neural correlates cause schizophrenia or schizophrenia occur 1st (due to other factors) & then cause 🧠 structure/neural correlates to alter?
What are neurotransmitters and what are its roles in the body?
Neurotransmitters- 🧠 chemicals that communicate info throughout 🧠 & body- relay signals between nerve cells called neurons
- Nerve impulse reaches end of a neuron & neurotransmitter released- travels from 1 neuron to the next across synapse
What is dopamine and what is its role in the body?
Dopamine- neurotransmitter released by nerve cells to send signals to other nerve cells
- plays major role in motivational component of reward-motivated 🏃♂
- expectation of rewards ⬆️ dopamine in 🧠
- involved in motor control & in controlling release of various hormones
What are excitatory neurotransmitters?
Excitatory neurotransmitters- trigger nerve impulses in receiving neuron & stimulate 🧠 activity e.g. ⬆️ levels of dopamine ⬆️ drive & motivation … dopamine excitatory neuron
