the biological approach Flashcards
what is the biological approach?
a perspective that emphasises the importance of physical processes in the body such as genetic inherence and neural function
what are biological structures?
an arrangement or organisation of parts to form an organ, system or living thing
what is the neurochemical basis of behaviour?
neurochemistry refers to the action of chemicals in the brain - neurotransmitters transmits messages,
an imbalance of neurotransmitters may be a cause of some mental disorders, e.g. underproduction of serotonin
what are genes?
the make up chromosomes & consist of DNA which codes the physical feature of an organism & psychological features
what is the genetic basis of behaviour?
twin studies are used to investigate genetic influences, concordance rates between twins are calculated - the extent to which twins share the same characteristics,
higher concordance rates among identical (monozygotic, MZ genetically 100% the same) twins than non-identical (dizygotic, DZ about 50% the same) twins is evidence of a genetic basis
what is the difference between genotype & phenotype?
a person’s genotype is their actual genetic make-up,
phenotype is the way that genes are expressed through physical, behavioural & psychological characteristics,
the expression of genotype (phenotype) is influenced by environmental factors,
for e.g. phenylketonuria (PKU) is a genetic disorder that can be prevented by a restricted diet,
this suggests that much of human behaviour depends on the interaction of nature & nurture
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 & the environment
what is evolution?
the changes in inherited characteristics in a biological population over successive generations
how is the theory of evolution used?
Darwin proposed the theory of natural selection,
any genetically determined behaviour that enhances survival & reproduction will be passed on to future generations,
such genes are described as adaptive & give the possessor & their offspring advantages,
for e.g. attachment behaviours in newborns promote survival & are therefore adaptive & naturally selected
what is the real-world application strength?
-it has real-world application,
-understanding of neurochemical processes in the brain is has led to the use of psychoactive drugs to treat serious mental disorders,
-for e.g. drugs that treat clinical depression increase levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin at the synapse & reduce depressive symptoms,
-this means that people with depression are better able to manage their condition and live their lives a relatively normal life rather than remaining in hospital.
what is the counterpoint to real-world application?
-although antidepressant drugs are successful for many patients, they do not work for everyone,
-for instance, Andrea Cipriani et al. (2018) compared 21 antidepressant drugs and found wide variations in their effectiveness.
-although most of the drugs were more effective than placebos in comparative trials, the researchers concluded that the effects of antidepressants, in general, were ‘mainly modest’.
-this challenges the value of the biological approach as it suggests that brain chemistry alone may not account for all cases of depression.
what is the scientific methods strength?
-it uses 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 objective methods,
-these include scanning techniques, such as fMRIs and EEGs, which asses biological processes in ways that are not open to bias,
-this means that much of the biological approach is based on objective and reliable data.
what is the biological determinism limitation?
-lim of the biological approach is that it is determinist,
biological explanations tend to be determinist in that they see human behaviour as governed by internal, genetic causes over which we have no control,
-however, the way genotype is expressed (phenotype) is heavily influenced by the environment, not even identical twins look the same and think the same,
-this suggests that the biological view is often too simplistic and ignores the mediating effects of the environment.
