the biological approach Flashcards
who is wihelm wundt?
founded the first psychology lab in 1879
the idea of introspection
what is introspection?
the examination of ones own thoughts
what is structuralism?
isolating the structure of consciousness
what is the biological approach?
a neurochemical explanation of behaviour
behaviour can be a consequence of our genetics and physiology
what is neurochemistry?
they study of structures and functions of compounds generated by the nervous system
what is meant by concordance rate?
the probability that 2 people with shared genes would develop the same disease/ disorder
what is a genotype?
the particular set of genes that a person possesses
what is a phenotype?
the characteristics of an individual determined by both genes and the environment
what is meant by the term evolution?
the changes in inherited characteristics in the biological population over the years
when species change to adapt to their environment
adaptations for survival
what does deterministic mean?
the idea that individuals behaviour is controlled by internal or external forces, rather than their will to do something
it is not random
evolution is deterministic
what does reductionist mean?
when you can reduce behaviour down to just one explanation
what is holism?
considering the whole picture
behaviour could be due to many things
what takes place in the frontal lobe?
high cognitive functions
e.g. memory, emotions, social interaction, problem solving
what takes place in the temporal lobe?
primarily responsible for interpreting sounds taken in by the ears
recognising and using language
creating new long term memories
what happens in the occipital lobe?
the visual processing area
processes distance, depth, colour, and object and face recognition
what happens in the parietal lobe?
control of sensory input and output
the senses
what takes place in brocas area?
the production of speech and written language
what is the function of wernickes area?
language development
responsible for the comprehension of speech
pros and cons of introspection?
pros - and important part of self awareness
cons - lacks reliability and validity
pros and cons of the biological approach?
pros - repeatable as it is a scientific research method
neurochemical imbalances in the brain can be treat by psychoactive drugs
explanations can be scientifically tested and proven
cons - does not account for other influences on behaviour e.g. environmental factors, childhood experiences etc.
motor neuron
function: connects the CNS to the effector (muscle or gland)
short dendrites, long axons
relay neuron
function: connects the sensory neuron to the motor neuron
short dendrites, short axons
sensory neuron
function: carry messages from the PNS to the CNS
long dendrites, short axons
action potential
the change in electric potential that propagates along an axon of a neuron during the transmission of a nerve impulse or the contraction of a muscle
the autonomic nervous system
governs vital functions in the body
fight or flight
anxiety and fear protects body from stress/danger
sympathetic nervous system controls the F of F
the body changes when we need to defend ourselves or escape
the autonomic nervous system divisions
sympathetic nervous system (controls fight or flight) heart rate increases etc
parasympathetic nervous system (returns everything to normal) heart rate decreases etc
adrenal glands
produce hormones that help regulate metabolism and the immune system
used in fight or flight
pituitary glands
secrete topic hormones to regulate other hormones
ovaries/ testes
secrete sexual hormones
