The Biological Area Flashcards
What are the strengths of the biological area?
Favours scientific methods using controlled lab experiments
Can establish cause & effect
Objective measures - uses specialist equipment
What are the weaknesses of the biological area?
Relies on self report so there may be DC’s
Reductionist/simplistic explanations
What are the defining principles of the biological area?
Our behaviour is a result of our physiology (genetics, hormones, brain structure and functioning
What are the core concepts of the biological area?
brain plasticity
Lateralisation of function
Delay of gratification
Regions of the brain (and their specialist functions
Genetic predisposition
What are the applications of the biological area?
Genetic screening for disorders
Rehabilitation after brain injury to restore functioning ( based on brain plasticity
Biological treatments of disorders such as SSRIs, ECT or TMS to treat depression
How does Sperry relate to the biological area?
Patients who had undergone a commissurotomy (split-brain sugary) participants could not say what they saw or felt when objects were presented to the right hemisphere of the brain.
Shows language is processed in the left hemisphere
Also shows the role of the corpus callosum in communication between two hemispheres
How does Blakemore and Cooper relate to the biological area?
Provided evidence for brain plasticity as the kittens visual neurons had adapted to the pattern of stripes they saw in the cylinder.
The kitten in the vertical cylinder could no longer see horizontal orientations and the brain did not respond to them
( and vice versa for the horizontal cat )
How does Casey relate to the biological area?
Showed that there are brain differences between people who are high and low delayers ( high and low self-control
Suggests that the inferior frontal gyrus is important for self control, where as the ventral striatum responds to rewarding stimuli
How does maguire relate to the biological area?
Provided evidence for brain plasticity
London taxi drivers had larger posterior hippocampus.
Their brains had changed based on the demands of their job
