The biological approach - AO3

Question 1

What is the PECS (strength) of the biological approach?

Answer 1

• P: Strength = real-world application
• E: Drug treatments such as SSRIs based on neurochemistry, found to be effective in treating OCD and depression
• C: However, they are not effective for everyone - (Iprani et al. 2018)
• S: So… brain chemistry alone may not account for all behaviour

Question 2

What is a strength of the biological approach?

Answer 2

• P: Strength = scientific methods
• E: Established cause-and-effect between biology and behaviour
• E: Advancments in technology (fMRIs, etc) alllow objective measurements of neural processes (reduces bias)
• L: So… the biological approach produces accurate and reliable data

Question 3

What is a limitation of the biological approach?

Answer 3

• P: Limitation = Biological determinism
• E: Sees all behaviour as caused by internal influences - does not consider free will
• E: Humanistic approach less scientific but may be more flexible and accurate
• L: So the biological approach has dangerous implications for criminal justice - “criminal genes”