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Psychology - Approaches > the biological approach > Flashcards

the biological approach Flashcards

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1
Q

What is a genotype?

A

genetic makeup of an organism.

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2
Q

What is phenotype?

A

the way that genes are expressed through physical, behavioural and psychological characteristics

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3
Q

What is the difference between genotype and phenotype?

A

genotypes influence phenotypes.
phenotype is the result of genes interacting with the environment

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4
Q

True or false: Behaviour results from genetics and the environment.

A

TRUE

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5
Q

Why are twin studies useful when studying genotype and phenotype?

A

Monozygotic twins are genetically identical, so twin studies allow us to see the effects of the environment on their phenotype.

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6
Q

What are the assumptions if the biological approach?

A

behaviour is linked by genes
everything psychological is first physiological
different species of animal can be studied and compared

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7
Q

outline natural selection

A

suggests any behaviour that will enhance survival and reproduction of species will be passed on

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8
Q

define neurochemistry

A

action of chemicals in the brain

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9
Q

what do most of our thoughts rely on

A

chemical transition in the brain

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10
Q

What is a possible cause of an unbalance of neurochemicals?

A

mental disorders such as Serotine in OCD and dopamine in depression

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11
Q

what is a concordance rate?

A

The extent to which twins share the same characteristics

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12
Q

which twin share 100% of the same genes?

A

monozygotic

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13
Q

strength of biological approach

A

-Real world application- psychoactive -drugs

-scientific methods highly objective

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14
Q

weaknesses of biological approach

A

Many patients’ psychoactive drugs don’t work

determinism- all human behaviour as governed by internal genetic cause which we have no control over

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15
Q

what is a strength of using twin studies

A

by studying concordance rates it can be assumed that genetics play a part

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16
Q

what is a negative of twin studies

A

MZ twins may be more similar because they have spent more time together compared to DZ twins. a more similar environment

17
Q

what does the nervous system do?

A
  • responds to info from environment
  • coordinates working of different cells and organs in body
18
Q

what are the two sub-systems of the nervous system?

A

CNS and peripheral nervous system

19
Q

what does the CNS do?

A

responsible for all complex commands and decisions

20
Q

what are the functions of the spinal cord?

A

extension of the brain responsible for reflex’s
it passes messages to and from the brain and connects nerves to PMS

21
Q

what does the brain do?

A

intelligence, senses, body movement and controlled behaviour

22
Q

what is the role of the PNS

A

transfers messages via millions of nerves to and from CNS

23
Q

what is the PNS subdivided into

A

the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and somatic

24
Q

what does the autonomic nervous system do?

A

heart rate
control breathing
control heart rate
stress response

25
Q

what does the somatic nervous system do?

A

controls muscle moment

receives information from sense receptors

anything under conscious control

26
Q

What part of the NS is referred to as the flight or fight response?

A

the sympathetic division

27
Q

what does the parasympathetic division do?

A

relaxes the body and slows many high energy functions

28
Q

what does the endocrine system control?

A

controls vital bodily functions

29
Q

what is a gland?

A

a tissue that secretes and produces hormones

30
Q

what is a hormone? how does it travel

A

it is a chemical messenger produced by gland, effects target organs and travels in the blood

31
Q

what is the pituitary gland?

A

controls other glands. it is found at base of the brain

32
Q

evaluate the biological approach

A

-Causation strongly implied in explanations that focus on brain structures. This is a problem for biological explanations as the research only tells us there is an association between brain structures and behaviour=only correlational

+Real world application: Drug therapies have been developed for many mental illnesses based on research into neurotransmitters

+Reliable methods of research means that biological evidence is less susceptible to misinterpretation or researcher bias (e.g. fMRI’s, PET scans, drug trials, EEG etc).

-Deterministic approach: Assumes that human behaviours are the result of evolution

​

33
Q

What does the biological approach assume about human behaviour?

A

assumes all human behaviour has a biological origin

34
Q

Give examples of internal biological structures and processes the biological approach believes is necessary to understand.

A

Genes
The nervous system
Neurochemistry
Evolution

35
Q

what is the phenotype influenced by (how can it be expressed)?

A

genetic inheritance
interaction with environment

36
Q

what type of studies do geneticists use to assess the impact genes have on the inheritance of behavioural characteristics?

A

most studies are done through comparisons of concordance rates (CR) between monozygotic (MZ) twins and dizygotic (DZ) twins.

37
Q

why are monozygotic twins (MZ) studied?

A

MZ twins are used as they share 100% of DNA

(great comparison in accordance with DZ twins)

38
Q

Give some examples of studies done with MZ twins.

A

MZ twins have an increased concordance rate of developing schizophrenia compared to Dizygotic (DZ) twins
McGuffin et al. (1996) found that if one MZ twin has depression the other twin is 46% more likely to also have depression.

39
Q

What are some examples of imbalances of neurochemicals in relation with mental health.

A

Abnormally low levels of serotonin- depression, aggression
(Crockett et al, 2008- important in regulating behaviour and impulse control )

Abnormally high levels of dopamine- schizophrenia

Psychology - Approaches (10 decks)

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