the biological approach Flashcards
what is the biological approach?
a perspective that emphasises the importance of physical processes in the body such as genetic inheritance and neural function
what are some assumptions of the biological approach?
•everything psychological is at first biological, so to understand human behaviour we must look to biological structures, genes and neurochemistry
•the mind lives in the brain, all thoughts, all feelings and behaviour ultimately have a physical basis.
what is the genetic basis of behaviour?
•behavioural genetics study whether behavioural characteristics are inherited in the same way as physical characteristics
•twin studies are used to determine the likelihood that certain traits have a genetic basis by comparing the concordance rates between pairs of twins (the extent to which both twins share the same characteristics)
•if monozygotic twins are found to have higher concordance rates than dizygotic twins, this would suggest a genetic basis
what is genotype?
the particular set of genes that a person possesses
what is the phenotype?
the characteristics of an individual determined by both genes and the environment, the way they are expressed through physical, behavioural and psychological characteristics
what is the expression of the genotype influenced by?
environmental factors
what does much of human behaviour depend on?
the interaction between inherited factors and the environment
evolution and behaviour:
•the changes in inherited characteristics in a biological population over successive generations
•genetic mutations and environmental adaptations
•for survival -> natural selection
•for reproduction -> sexual selection
•in nature this takes place naturally because some traits give the possessor certain advantages
evaluation points for the biological approach
strength: scientific methods of investigation
strength: real-life application
limitation: problem of causality
limitation: deterministic view
strength: scientific methods of investigation
•this approach makes use of a range of precise and highly scientific methods
•these include scanning techniques (fMRI’s, EEG’s), family and twin studies
•it is possible to accurately measure biological and neural processes in ways that are not open to bias, meaning the approach is based on reliable data
strength: real life application
•increased understanding of biochemical processes in the brain has led to the development of psychoactive drugs to treat serious mental illnesses like depression
•they have revolutionised treatment for many and mean that sufferers are able to manage their condition and life a relatively normal life, rather than remain in hospital
limitation: casual causations
•this approach offers explanations for mental illnesses in terms of the action of neurotransmitters in the brain
•the evidence for this relationship comes from studies (involving SSRI’s) that show that a particular drug reduces symptoms of a mental disorder and it is thus assumed that the neurochemical in the drug causes the disorder
•discovering an association between two factors does not mean there is one cause
•this is a limitation because the biological approach is claiming to have discovered causes where only an association exists
limitation: determinist view of behaviour
•the approach is determinist in the sense that it sees human behaviour as governed by internal, biological causes over which we have no control
•this has implications for the legal system and wider society
•one of the rules of law is that offenders are seen as legally and morally responsible for their actions
•the discovery of a ‘criminal genre’, if there was such a thing, may complicate this principle
limitation: cannot separate nature and nurture
•twins and members of the same family all have genetic similarities. therefore the biological approach argues that any similarities in the way that they look or behave must be genetic
•however, there is an important confounding variable
•they are also exposed to similar environmental conditions meaning similarities could have been expressed due to the environment rather than genetics
