approaches : the biological approach

Question 1

what are the key assumptions of the biological approach ? (2 marks)

Answer 1

• assumes that all human behaviour has a biological origin
• insists into order to comprehend human behaviour fully
  –> necessary to understand internal biological structures and process

Question 2

what are biological structures and processes ?

Answer 2

• genes
• nervous system
• neurochemistry

Question 3

from a biological perspective where does the mind live which means … ?

Answer 3

in the brain
- meaning that all
thoughts,feelings,behaviours
–>ultimately have physical basis

Question 4

define the biological approach (2)

Answer 4

a perspective that emphaises the importance of physical processes in the body such as genetic inheritance and neural function

Question 5

define genes (2)

Answer 5

• they make up chromosones + consists of DNA
  –> which codes the physical feature of an organisms
  ( eye colour , height)
  + psychological features
  ( mental disorder and intelligence )
  genes are inherited from parents to offspring

Question 6

define biological structure

Answer 6

an arrangement or organisation of parts to form an organ,system or living thing

Question 7

what do behaviour geneticists study ?

Answer 7

• whether behavioural characteristics
  –> such as intelligence,personality and mental disorder
• are inherited the same way as physical characteristics
  –> such as height and eye colour

Question 8

what are twin studies used for and how ?

Answer 8

to determine the likelihood that certain traits have a genetic basis by comparing concordance rate between pairs of twins
- to which extent both twins share the same characteristics

Question 9

what are concordance rates ?

Answer 9

measure how often two things happen in agreement or match each other

Question 10

what does a high concordance rate tell us ?

Answer 10

they are very similar or match a lot

Question 11

what does a low concordance rate tell us ?

Answer 11

means they don’t match much

Question 11

what does monozygotic mean ?

Answer 11

identical

Question 12

what does dizygotic mean ?

Answer 12

non-identical

Question 13

If identical (monozygotic) twins are found to have higher concordance rates than non-identical (dizygotic) twins this suggests and why … ?

Answer 13

• a genetic basis
  –> because MZ twins share 100% of each other’s genes , whilst DZ twins share about 50 % ( the same as any sibling )

Question 14

what does genetic basis mean ?

Answer 14

that something is influenced or determined by genes

Question 15

define geneotype

Answer 15

the particular set of genes that a person
possesses

Question 16

define phenotype

Answer 16

the characteristics of an individual
determined by both genes and the environment.

Question 17

what is meant by genotype ?

Answer 17

the particular set of genes that a person possesses