The biological approach Flashcards
What are the assumptions of the biological approach?
The biological approach suggests that everything psychological at first, is biological, so to fully understand human behaviour we must look to biological structures and processes within the body, such as genes, neurochemistry and the nervous system.
An understanding of brain structure and function can explain our thoughts and behaviour.
What is the genetic basis of behaviour?
Behavioural geneticists study whether behavioural characteristics, such as personality, intelligence, metal disorders etc, are inherited the same way as physical characteristics such as height and eye colour.
Twin studies are used to determine the likelihood that certain traits have a genetic basis by comparing the concordance rates between pairs of twins, that is the extent to which twins share the same characteristic.
If identical, monozygotic twins are found to have higher concordance rates than non-identical twins, dizygotic twins. This is because MZ twins share 100% of their DNA compared to DZ twins with about 50% shared, the same as any siblings.
What is a genotype?
A person’s genotype is their actual genetic make-up, the particular set the individual possesses. The expression of a genotype is inevitably influenced by environmental factors.
What is a phenotype?
A person’s phenotype is the way that genes are expressed through physical, behavioural and psychological characteristics, the observable characterstics. So despite having the same genes MZ twins’s phenotypes are expressed differently as they adapt to their environments growing up.
What is evolution?
Charles Darwin proposed a theory of natural selection, the main principle being that any genetically determined behaviour that enhances an individuals survival will continue in further generations.
Selective breeding is where a farmer specifically selects an animal which possesses the desirable characteristics to mate with another in order to continue to mutation of its desirable characteristics.
What are the strengths of the biological approach?
Scientific methods of investigation - in order to investigate the genetic and biological basis of behaviour, the biological approach makes use of a range of precise and highly scientific methods. This means the biological approach is based on reliable data.
Real-life application - The increased understanding of biochemical processes in the brain has led to the development of psychoactive drugs that treat serious mental illnesses such as depression. This is a strength of the biological approach because it means that sufferers are able to manage their condition and live a relatively normal life, rather than remain in hospital.
What are the weaknesses of the biological approach?
Deterministic view of behaviour - the biological approach sees human behaviour as governed by internal, biological causes over which we have no control. This has implications for the legal system and wider society. A rule of the law is that offenders are seen as legally and morally responsible for their own actions, therefore incorporating a specific gene as an explanation may complicate things.
Cannot separate nature and nurture - MZ twins, DZ twins and members of the same family all have genetic similarities. Therefore, the biological approach argues that all of these similarities whether it be the way an individual looks or behaves, must be down to genetics. However, the important confounding variable being that they all are exposed to similar environmental conditions, meaning that findings could easily support the nature side of the nature vs nurture debate.
