The Biological Approach

Question 1

Key assumptions of the biological approach

Answer 1

• everything psychological has a biological basis
  -our biology is determined by evolution and genetics
  -to investigate the mind we must investigate the physical brain
  -to understand human thoughts and behaviour we must investigate biological structures and processes within the brain and body

Question 2

Genotype

Answer 2

Refers to the gene an organism has inherited, genes are inherited from one generation to the next and carry instructions for a particular characteristic such as intelligence. GENETIC CODE IN THE DNA

Question 3

Phenotype

Answer 3

Refers to the traits that are actually expressed, the phenotype is the physical appearance that results from the inherited information

Question 4

Who conducted the the twin study which investigated the influence of genes

Answer 4

Gottesman and Shields

Question 5

Key points of the twin study

Answer 5

• conducted a twin study on individuals suffering with schizophrenia
  -this reported an MZ concordance rate of 48% and a DZ concordance rate of 13%
  -as MZ twins are genetically identical and the concordance rate is significantly higher compared to DZ twins this strongly supports the role of genes in schizophrenia

Question 6

Frontal lobe

Answer 6

Associated with reasoning, emotions and decision making

Question 7

Parietal lobe

Answer 7

Associated with perception of stimuli and attention

Question 8

Occipital lobe

Answer 8

Associated with visual processing

Question 9

Temporal lobe

Answer 9

Associated with memory and speech

Question 10

What are neurotransmitters

Answer 10

Chemical messengers that travel across a synapse, some neurotransmitters trigger the receiving neuron to send an impulse (excitatory) and some stop it from doing so through inhibiting nerve impulses in order to calm the brain and balance the mood ( inhibitory)

Question 11

Evolution

Answer 11

Process by which successive generations of organisms change. The process of natural selection, proposed by Charles Darwin suggests if an organism is able to adapt to its environment it will be more able to survive and therefore have a greater chance to reproduce

Question 12

Adaptive characteristics

Answer 12

May occur due to mutation when genes are copied from the parents. When the offspring reproduces itself the adaptive characteristic will then be genetically transmitted to its own offspring and much will then benefit from th same characteristic

Question 13

A limitation of the biological approach

Answer 13

It simplifies the cause of human behaviour down to genetic transmission. It is reductionist

Question 14

A strength of the biological approach

Answer 14

Has enabled the development of psychoactive drugs that alter levels of biochemicals