Biological approach

Question 1

What are the assumptions of biological approach ?

Answer 1

• The biological approach assumes that all human behaviour has a biological origin.
• Approach insists that to comprehend human behaviour fully, it is necessary to understand internal biological structures and processes
• Genes
• The nervous system.
• Neurochemistry.
• Evolution

Question 2

Explain influence of genes

Answer 2

• The Influence of Genes Genotype vs. Phenotype
• Genes are passed on from one generation to the next.
• Genes carry information in the form of DNA, which carry instructions for characteristics.
• Genotype - Genetic makeup - fixed from birth.
• Phenotype = expression of their genes → observable characteristics of a person.
• Phenotype is influenced by both the genetic inheritance and the interaction of this with theenvironment.

Question 3

Explain the genetic influence on twins

Answer 3

**The Influence of Genes - Twins
- Research suggests that behavioural or psychological characteristics, can be inherited.
* Research in this area compares CR of MZ and DZ twins.
* E.g, MZ twins have an increased CR of developing schizophrenia.
* McGuffin et al. (1996) found that if one identical twin has depression, there is a 46% chance that the other twin wil also have depression.
* This suggests that there is a genetic component to illnesses like schizophreniaanddepression

Question 4

Explain the infleunce of evolution.

Answer 4

The Influence of Evolution
Genes are the mechanism through which evolution takes place.
* Natural selection ensures that characteristics providing an evolutionary advantage, are passed from one generation to the next, whilst others which do not, die out.
* E.g. Buss (1994) - Sex differences in partnerpreference
Buss suggested that (a) men (more than women) value physical attractiveness in a mate because a woman’s physical attractiveness confers information about her reproductive value, and (b) women (more than men) value earning prospects in a mate because a woman’s offspring are more likely to survive given a man’s economic state.

Question 5

Explain the influence of neurochemicals

Answer 5

• The Influence of Neurochemicals
  -Biological psychologists also recognise the role
  of chemicals in determining behaviour.
• At the synapse, signals are sent between neurons
  by chemicals called neurotransmitters.
• Imbalances are associated with atypical behavior
• Serotonin: depression & aggression
• Dopamine & schizophrenia.
• Behaviour regulation and impulse control (Crockett
  et al., 2008).

Question 6

C

Evaluation of biological approach
(Limitation)

Answer 6

• One limitation of the biological approach is that causation is often strongly implied in explanations that focus on brain structures.
• For example, one explanation of schizophrenia suggests that a lack of activity in the ventralstriatum is linked to the development of negative symptoms such as avolition.
  -This is a problem for biological explanations because such research tells us only that there is an association between brain structures and behaviour; it cannot tell us that the reduced activity in that area of the brain causes the behaviour, or that the behaviour causes lower activity in that part
  of the brain.
• Therefore, it is critically important to remember that biological explanations are often based on correlational results which doesnt mean that one event causes the other.

Question 7

BD

Evaluation of biological approach
(Limitation)

Answer 7

• Another weakness of this approach is that biological explanations of human behaviour may be considered deterministic.
• For example, one assumption of the biological approach is that some human behaviours are the result of evolution: they maximise our chances of survival and reproduction and thus are ‘naturally selected’ and inherited from our ancestors.
• Such evolutionary claims are used to explain a variety of gender differences in human behaviour including aggression and stress. Such explanations imply that humans have little control over their behaviour, and suggest we are predetermined to act in a certain way regardless of experience, free will, or the environment.
• This is problematic for those who do not follow ‘typical’ or ‘expected’ behaviours and overemphasises the role of nature on behaviour. It is also an explanation that is unfalsifiable (cannot be disproved), and thus
  incapable of scientific validation.

Question 8

Evaluation of biological approach
(strength/counterpoint)

Answer 8

• Another strength of the biological approach is that it has many real-world applications.
• Drug therapies have been developed for many mental illnesses based on research into neurotransmitters.
• For example, antidepressants work to increase serotonin levels in the brain, based on the understanding of how low levels of serotonin contribute to depressive symptoms.
• Equally,antipsychotics work by inhibiting the effect of dopamine by blocking dopamine receptors, thereby reducing positive symptoms of schizophrenia.
• Understanding ‘abnormal’ neurochemical activity in the brain has not only been helpful for developing treatments but has also provided patients with an explanation that their illness is not their fault.
• Counterpoint:
• Although antidepressant drugs are successful for many
  patients, they do not work for everyone.
  -For instance, a recent study byAndrea Cipriani et al. (2018) compared 21 antidepressant drugs and foundwide variations in their effectiveness. Although most of the drugs were moreeffective than placebos in comparative trials, the researchers concluded that he effects of antidepressants, in general, were ‘mainly modest’.
  -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.

Question 9

SM

Evaluation of biological approach
(strength)

Answer 9

-Another strength of the approach is that it uses scientific methods of
investigation.
- 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 fMRIs and EEGs. 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.