The Biological Approach Flashcards
What are the three basic assumptions of the biological approach
- Human behaviour can be explained by looking at biological stuff such as hormones genetics evolution and the nervous system
- In theory if we can explain all behaviour using biological causes, unwanted behaviours could be modified or removed using biological treatments
- experimental research using animals can inform us about human behaviour and biological influences
What to biological psychologists believe about genetics
They believe that genetics can explain psychological traits. These are things like gender, behaviour, intelligence, personality and sexual orientation
What was the method used by gottesman
A meta analysis of approximately 40 twin studies
What where the results of gottesman
It was found that having an identical twin with schizophrenia gave you 48% higher change of the condition. This reduced to 17% in non identical
What was the conclusion of gottesman
Schizophrenia has a strong genetic basis
What is some positive evaluation of gottesman
Meta analysis was carried out on field studies. Giving research high ecological validity.
What was some negtive evaluations of gottesman’s study
- Twins share 100% genetics but don’t always both suffer from the condition suggesting there is another factor
- identical twins tend to be treated more similarly than non identical twins and so the family environment may play a large role
What was the method used in Heston
47 adopted children who’s biological mothers had schizophrenia were studied.
There was a control of 50 adopted children whose biological mothers did not have schizophrenia
The children where interviewed as adults and given intelligence and personality tests
What results of Heston’s study into schizophrenia
Experimental groups: 5 schizophrenic, 4 borderline schizophrenic
Control group: none
What is the conclusion of Heston’s study
The study supports the view that schizophrenia has a genetic basis
What is some negative Evolutions of Heston’s study
- Interview data can be unreliable and affected by social desirability bias
- the adopted children who’s mothers didn’t suffer from schizophrenia might just have not shown symptoms
What is a positive evaluation of Heston
Interviews are effective in getting naturalistic data
What did I psychologists rely on before brain scanning
Case studies of people who had suffered brain injures. If the person had brain damage in a certain area and had a change in behaviour as a result of this it was assumed the two where related.
What is an example of a case study where a certain area of the brain received damage resulting in a change in behaviour
Phineas Gage,
Damaged frontal lobe from result of explosion where iron rod went in head
After he became less organised, more aggressive and impulsive
Led to belief this area of the brain related to these characteristics
What are the five types of brain scans
- PET scans
- CAT scans
- MRI scans
- Functional MRI scans
- Squid magnetometry
What are PET scans
Shows which part of the brain are active while performing different tasks
What are CAT scans
These are scans which detect damaged part of the brain. Structure not function is shown
What are MRI scans
Provides detailed information about brain structure
What are functional MRI scans
Provides structural and functional information about the brain
SQUID magnetometry
This produces accurate images for the brains activity
What was the method of Maguire et Al
MRI scans of 16 London Taxi drivers where compared with a control group who had never driven taxis.
All the taxi drivers had been working for at least 18 months with an average of 44.
What where the results from Maguire et al’s study
The average size of the right posterior hippocampus was significantly larger in the taxi driver group than the control
The increased size was also relative to the time the taxi driver has been working.
What was the conclusion of Maguire et al’s study
The hippocampus is responsible for storing a spacial representation of an environment. Specific demands placed on the brain can result in a structural change
What is some positive emulation of Maguire et al’s study
The findings in the study to could be used to help those with brain injures.
The study has a good level of control allowing for it to be replicated easily
What is some negative evaluation of Maguire et al’s study
The sample size is too small so the results should not be generalised to the whole of London taxi drivers.
The results cannot be generalised to other areas of the brain
What was found about aggression as part of the brain structure
Damaging areas of the brain of cats led to changes in aggression. Their research suggest that the hypothalamus and amygdala are involved in aggression.
What was found about memory as part of the brain structure
Damage to hippocampus caused struggle in use of longer term memory
What as found about psychopathology as part of the brain structure
There was difference in the prefrontal cortex when comparing people with schizophrenia
What are some strenghts of biological approach
The approach is backed up with evidence making its theory very scientific
If a biological cause can be found for conditions such a mental health then biological treatments can be developed to help them
What are the weaknesses of the biological approach
The approach doesn’t take into account the influence of people environment, their family, childhood experiences of situations.
Finding biological causes for negative behaviour can lead to people not taking any personal responsibility for their behaviour
