Biological Flashcards
(10 cards)
Q (Question)
A (Answer - PEEL AO3)
What is a real-world application strength of the biological approach?
Point: One strength of the biological approach is that it has real-world application. Evidence: Increased understanding of neurochemical processes in the brain is associated with the use of psychoactive drugs to treat serious mental disorders. For example, the biological approach has promoted the treatment of clinical depression using antidepressant drugs that increase levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin at synapses in the brain. Explain: Such drugs have been associated with the reduction of depressive symptoms. This means that people with depression may be better able to manage their condition and live their lives in the community, rather than remain in hospital. Link: This shows that the biological approach has practical benefits for improving people’s lives.
What is a counterpoint regarding the effectiveness of antidepressant drugs?
Point: Although antidepressant drugs are successful for many patients, they do not work for everyone. Evidence: For instance, a recent study by Andrea Cipriani et al. (2018) compared 21 antidepressant drugs and found wide variations in their effectiveness. Although most of the drugs were more effective than placebos in comparative trials, the researchers concluded that the effects of antidepressants, in general, were ‘mainly modest.’ Explain: This challenges the value of the biological approach because it suggests that brain chemistry alone may not account for all cases of, for example, depression. Link: Therefore, the biological approach might be limited in explaining and treating some mental disorders fully.
How does the biological approach use scientific methods as a strength?
Point: Another strength of the approach is that it uses scientific methods of investigation. Evidence: In order to investigate the genetic and biological basis of behaviour, the biological approach makes use of a range of precise and highly objective methods. These include scanning techniques, such as f/MRIs and EEGs. Explain: With advances in technology, it is possible to accurately measure physiological and neural processes in ways that are not open to bias. This means that much of the biological approach is based on objective and reliable data. Link: This increases the scientific credibility of the biological approach compared to less objective psychological approaches.
What is a limitation of the biological approach related to determinism?
Point: One limitation of the biological approach is that it is determinist. Evidence: The biological approach is determinist in that it sees human behaviour as governed by internal, genetic causes over which we have no control. However, we have already seen that the way in which an individual’s genotype is expressed (phenotype) is heavily influenced by the environment. Not even identical twins who share the same genes look the same and think the same. Explain: Also, a purely genetic argument becomes problematic when we consider things such as crime. Could a violent criminal, for instance, really excuse their actions by claiming their behaviour was controlled by a ‘crime gene’? Link: This suggests that the biological view is often too simplistic and ignores the mediating effects of the environment.
What are the main assumptions of the biological approach?
The biological approach suggests that everything psychological is at first biological, so to fully understand human behaviour, we must look to biological structures and processes within the body. From a biological perspective, the mind lives in the brain – meaning that all thoughts, feelings and behaviour ultimately have a physical basis. This contrasts with approaches that separate mind and brain.
What is meant by the neurochemical basis of behaviour?
Neurochemistry refers to the action of chemicals in the brain. Much of our thought and behaviour relies on chemical transmission in the brain via neurotransmitters. An imbalance of neurochemicals in the brain has been implicated as a possible cause of mental disorders, such as low serotonin levels in OCD and excessive dopamine in schizophrenia.
How does the biological approach explain the genetic basis of behaviour?
Psychological characteristics like intelligence are inherited similarly to physical traits like height or eye colour. Twin studies investigate genetic basis by comparing concordance rates between identical (monozygotic) twins who share 100% of genes, and non-identical (dizygotic) twins who share about 50%, assuming the environment is constant.
What is the difference between genotype and phenotype?
A person’s genotype is their actual genetic makeup, while phenotype is the way genes are expressed through physical, behavioural, and psychological characteristics. Identical twins have the same genotype but can have different phenotypes, showing human behaviour depends on interaction between inherited factors (nature) and the environment (nurture).
How does evolution relate to behaviour according to the biological approach?
Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection explains evolution: genetically determined behaviours that improve survival and reproduction are naturally selected and passed to future generations. Selection occurs because traits giving advantages increase chances of survival and reproduction; traits that do not lead to reproduction do not remain in the gene pool.
