Psychology A4 - concept one - biological

Question 1

influence of biology on behaviour

Answer 1

-thoughts, feelings and behaviour have a physical basis
-genes are made up of strands of DNA inherited from parents, provides chemical instructions to manufacture proteins in the body - influence our characteristics
-neuroanatomy is the structure of the nervous system, different parts of brain have different functions
-neurochemistry sends messages around the brain and body via neurons and neurotransmitters
-evolution is the way organisms change over millions of years, behaviours have evolved through natural selection

Question 2

influence of biology on traits: what are traits?

Answer 2

-characteristics that make up a personality
-don’t change from one situation to another, or within a situation or as we get older
-they are stable, consistent and enduring

Question 3

influence of biology on traits: extraversion and introversion

Answer 3

-Eysenck (1947)
-two aspects of personality; extraversion and introversion
-extroverts: outgoing, social, loud, friendly
-introverts: withdrawn, shy, quiet
-extraversion-introversion (E-I) = dimension of personality
-scale

Question 4

influence of biology on traits: biological influences on extraversion/introversion

Answer 4

-Eysenck – two main biological influences on E-I: genes and neurochemistry
-genes inherited determine degree of E-I
-influences the activity of nervous system
-extroverts inherit an under active nervous system, arouse it by doing exciting things 24/7
-introverts inherit an over active nervous system, avoid discomfort of arousing it more

Question 5

evaluation: practical applications (+)

Answer 5

-improved approaches to reducing criminal behaviour
-criminals are extroverts, are sensation-seekers who like taking risks like committing crimes
-tend to not learn through rewards and punishments, not deterred from anti-social behaviour by being punished
-some criminal behaviour may be dealt better with biological methods
-example, drugs to increase activity of nervous system

Question 6

evaluation: research support (+)

Answer 6

-research into the genetics of personality traits
-researchers have compared identical and non-identical twins to calculate a ‘heritability estimate’ – figure indicating the degree to which a physical or psychological characteristic is genetically inherited
-figure of E-I could be as high as 57% (Sanchez-Roige et al., 2018)
-evidence supports view that being an extrovert or introvert is influenced by genes

Question 7

evaluation: role of non-biological factors (-)

Answer 7

-often less important than other factors
-genes may make it more likely that a person will become an extrovert or introvert, isn’t inevitable
-non-biological factors like learning experiences may be more important such as influences from social environment
-alternative theories may be more useful
-therefore, risk of exaggerating biological influences and gaining an oversimplified view on causes of behaviour