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Pyschology > The Biological Approach > Flashcards

The Biological Approach Flashcards

1
Q

what are the three assumptions of the biological approach?

A
  1. evolutionary influences
  2. localisation of brain functions
  3. neurotransmitters
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2
Q

what is the theory of natural selection?
(evolutionary influences)

A

behaviour that increases an individual’s chances of survival is passed on to the next generation

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3
Q

what is EEA?
(evolutionary influences)

A

the environment of evolutionary adaptiveness
- behaviour evolves in accordance with an individuals particular environment

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4
Q

what does EEA assume about the evolution of humans?
(evolutionary influences)

A

that we have evolved in response to the complex social organisation of our species

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5
Q

what are the four lobes of the human brain, and their main functions?
(localisation of brain functions)

A
  1. frontal lobe - thinking, creativity, personality
  2. parietal lobe - sensory information
  3. temporal lobe - memory processing, processing of auditory information
  4. occipital lobe - visual processing
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6
Q

what are neurons?
(neurotransmitters)

A

electrically excitable cells that form the basis of the nervous system

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7
Q

how do neurons communicate?
(neurotransmitters)

A

at synapses, with messages relayed by neurotransmitters (chemical messengers)

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8
Q

what are some common neurotransmitters and their functions?

A
  1. dopamine - rewards and schizophrenia
  2. serotonin - sleep and arousal
  3. adrenaline - arousal
  4. GABA - decreases anxiety
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9
Q

what are selective pressures?

A

the qualities one looks for in a partner to increase their own chances of survival (most often applied to romantic relationships)

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10
Q

what is parental investment theory (Trivers, 1972)?

A

female mammals invest more in their offspring and so must be ‘choosier’ in finding a partner, seeking out males with the most resources

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11
Q

what chemical is linked to human bonding, trust and loyalty?

A

oxytocin
(linked to romantic attachment)

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12
Q

what is kin selection and what does it explain?

A
  • natural selection of traits that enhance the survival of those with similar genes
  • used to explain formation of sibling relationships
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13
Q

what is a palliative therapy?

A

treats symptoms of a disease, does not cure it (drug therapy falls under this category)

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14
Q

what is drug therapy most commonly used to treat?

A

depression
anxiety disorders
schizophrenia

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15
Q

what are the three main drugs for treatment of depression and their characteristics?

A

MAOIs - many side effects, hardly used
Tricyclics - more effective, fewer side effects (still has some, eg. dizziness, blurred vision)
SSRI’s (example: prozac) - as effective, more advantages (harder to overdose, etc), less side effects, can conflict with other medications

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16
Q

what is lithium carbonate used for, and what are the advantages and disadvantages?

A
  • first used in 1970 to treat manic depression (bipolar)
  • pros: reduces manic and depressed episodes by 80%, reduced the previously 15% suicide rate of patients (Gerbino, Oleshanksy and Gershwin, 1970)
    cons: many side effects, can be lethal, difficult to stop taking (manic symptoms increase dramatically)
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17
Q

what drugs have been/are used to treat anxiety disorders?

A
  • barbiturates - many side effects (slurred speech, concentration, etc), addictive
  • benzodiazepines (eg. valium) - more precise, fewer side effects, some side effects, potential for addiction
  • beta-blockers (BBs) - bind to receptor cells on heart and other parts of body, heart beats slower, mostly used by athletes and musicians to reduce arousal
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18
Q

what are neuroleptic drugs, and their pros and cons?

A
  • used in treatment of schizophrenia (psychotic disorders)
  • pros - reduce positive symptoms, - strongest benefits after six months
  • cons - little effect on negative symptoms, serious consequences if treatment is interrupted, many side effects mean small doses must be given (reduces effectiveness)
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19
Q

what is a positive symptom?

A

an addition to normal behaviour (eg. delusions and hallucinations)

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20
Q

what is a negative symptom?

A

take away from normal behaviour (eg. social withdrawal, lack of motivation)

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21
Q

what are some side effects of neuroleptics found by Windgassen (1992) find?

A
  • 50% reported grogginess or sedation
  • 20% developed tardive dyskinesia (involuntary sucking, chewing, jerking of limbs), which may remain after medication has stopped
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22
Q

what are atypical antipsychotic drugs, and their pros and cons?

A
  • used to treat schizophrenia (psychotic disorders)
  • pros: benefit more patients, more effective for negative symptoms, less side effects
    cons: 1-2% of developing a life-threatening condition (agranulocytosis-reduction of white cells
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23
Q

what are the strengths of drug therapy?

A
  • drugs vs placebo (more effective than placebos during trials)
  • easy, efficient and cheap compared to other forms of therapy
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24
Q

what study was done by Kahn et al (1968) in reference to drug therapy?

A
  • followed 250 patients over 8 weeks
  • found benzodiazepines to be more effective in the treatment of OCD in the short term (3 months of treatment)
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25
Q

what is a negative of the evidence of the effectiveness of drugs compared to placebos?

A

most studies completed only show short-term effectiveness (3-4 months); Koran et al (2007)

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26
Q

what are the weaknesses of drug therapy?

A
  • side effects
  • palliative not curative
  • ethical issues: use of placebos, patient information (valid consent, withholding or exaggerating of information, patient understanding)
27
Q

what percentage of people benefited from atypical antipsychotic drugs, compared to neuroleptic?

A

atypical - 85%
neuroleptic - 65%

28
Q

what is the classic evidence for the biological approach?

A

Raine, Buchsbaum and LaCasse (1997) - brain abnormalities in murderers indicated by positron emission tomography

29
Q

what was the methodology of the classic evidence?

A

natural experiment
matched pairs design

30
Q

how many murderers were used in the classic evidence?

A

41: 39 men, 2 women

31
Q

what did the murderers used in the classic evidence all plead?

A

not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI)

32
Q

what sampling method was used in the classic evidence?

A

opportunity sampling

33
Q

what type of brain scan was used in the classic evidence?

A

PET scan

34
Q

who formed the control group in the classic evidence?

A
  • normal individuals of same sex and age were used
  • schizophrenics were matched with schizophrenics
35
Q

where was reduced brain activity found? (classic evidence)

A

areas of brain previously linked to violence (left hemisphere, prefrontal cortex, etc.)

36
Q

where was increased brain activity found? (classic evidence;biological)

A

areas of brain not previously linked to violence (eg. cerebellum, right hemisphere)

37
Q

where was no difference in brain activity found? (classic evidence)

A

structures associate with mental illness, but not violence (putamen, midbrain, etc.)

38
Q

what differences were not controlled for? (classic evidence)

A
  • handedness
  • ethnicity
  • head injury
39
Q

what conclusions/findings can be drawn from the classic evidence? (biological approach)

A

it cab be taken as preliminary evidence that murderers pleading NGRI have different brain functioning to normal individuals

40
Q

what are the limitations of the classic evidence study? (evaluation; bio approach)

A
  • cannot draw causal conclusions (natural experiment)
  • only generalisable to small/specific group of people
41
Q

what was the conclusion of Yang and Raine’s (2009) meta-analysis?
(classic evidence, evaluation)

A

there was significantly reduced prefrontal activity in anti-social and/or violent individuals

42
Q

what are potential ethical issues with the classic evidence?

A
  • valid consent (eg. as prisoners, may not understand right to withdraw)
  • socially sensitive research (broader social implications)
43
Q

what are the four main topics around the ethicality of neuroscience?

A
  • understanding consciousness
  • treating criminal behaviour
  • enhancing neurological function
  • improving marketing techniques
44
Q

evidence for understanding consciousness…
(debate)

A

Koubeissi et al (2014); 54-year-old epileptic woman, when an electrode was placed near her claustrum, stopped responding to cues, having no recollection when it was removed
(supports: claustrum is seat of consciousness)

45
Q

what are the arguments against understanding consciousness?
(debate; bio approach)

A
  • moral issue of right to withdraw care from vegetative patients
  • doubt if evidence is valid: case study, had epilepsy
46
Q

how could neuroscience aid in the treatment of criminal behaviour?
(debate)

A

if criminal behaviour stems from abnormal levels of neurotransmitters, then drugs could be used to ‘treat/rehabilitate’ criminals

47
Q

what evidence can be given for the treatment of criminal behaviour?
(debate)

A

Cherek et al (2002):
- researched impulsivity and aggression in males with history of conduct disorder and criminal behaviour
- half given placebo, half given SSRI antidepressant
- those with drug showed significant decrease in impulsive responses and depression

48
Q

what arguments are given against the treatment of criminal behaviour?
(debate; bio approach)

A

Martha Farah (2004):
- use of neurological interventions by court signals a denial of individual freedom

ethical issue:
- implicit coercion - criminal could be left with little choice

49
Q

what evidence can be used for the enhancing of neurological function?
(debate; bio approach)

A

Cohen Kadosh et al (2012):
- TDCS (electric current across specific brain regions) leads to improvements in problem solving and mathematical, language, memory and attention capabilities
- could be used by students in preparation for exams

50
Q

what are the arguments against the enhancing of neurological function?

A

Cohen Kadosh et al:
- ethical limitations of TDCS: no training or licence rules for practitioners, not available to all (eg. financial limitations or location) giving some unfair advantages (can be compared to performance enhancing drugs in sports)

51
Q

how can neuroscience be used to improve marketing techniques?
(debate)

A
  • neuromarketing can be used to avoid social desirability bias
52
Q

what are examples of neuromarketing techniques?

A
  • eye tracking equipment
  • EEG (recording of brain activity)
53
Q

what did Wilson et al (2008) claim about neuromarketing techniques?
(debate)

A

that it will allow brands to deliver personalised messages that compromise free will
- could remove ability to make informed decisions about product purchases

54
Q

what did Nelson (2008) discover about neuromarketing firms?
(debate)

A
  • not obliged to abide by ethical codes of practice
  • found that 5% of brain scans recorded by marketing firms include ‘incidental findings’ that they are not required to report
55
Q

what are the strengths of the biological approach?

A
  1. scientific
  2. determinist
  3. successful applications
56
Q

why is the biological approach being determinist a strength?
(evaluation)

A

if we know what ‘predetermines’ behaviour we can more easily treat people with abnormal behaviour

57
Q

what is an example of the usefulness of this determinism?
(evaluation)

A
  • linking of dopamine to schizophrenia was done though biological evidence
  • causal explanation allows for treatment through drugs, shown to be effective
58
Q

what are examples of successful applications?
(evaluation;bio approach)

A
  • Cherek et al (2002) - neurotransmitters in criminals
  • Viguera et al (2000) - 60% of bipolar patients improve when taking lithium
59
Q

what are the weaknesses of the biological approach?
(evaluation)

A
  1. reductionist
  2. nature over nurture
  3. individual differences
60
Q

what is the issue with reductionism?
(evaluation;bio approach)

A
  • may not reach true understanding of target behaviour
  • provides incomplete explanations of behaviour (does not take into account other/outside factors)
61
Q

what is are examples of reductionism within the biological approach?
(evaluation)

A
  • reduction of stress to just the action of the hormone adrenaline
  • reduction of schizophrenia to failure of a complex chemical system: provides incomplete explanation, ignores experience of distress (R.D Laing, 1965)
62
Q

what does nomothetic mean?
(evaluation; individual differences)

A

concerned with making generalisations and finding overarching similarities in behaviours

63
Q

what is an example of male bias within biological research?
(evaluation; individual differences)

A

Taylor et al (2000):
- males tend to react to stress with ‘fight or flight’
- females tend to react to stress with ‘tend and befriend’
- attributed to oxytocin levels and production
- fight or flight has been generalised to entire population due to male biased research

Pyschology (3 decks)

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