biological approach Flashcards
(30 cards)
what does the biological approach argue
- behaviour is caused by physical processes in the body
- behaviour and thought processes have an innate biological basis
genes definition
A part of the chromosome of an organism that carries information in the form of DNA. This DNA codes the physical (e.g. hair colour) and psychological (e.g. intelligence) features of an organism.
neurochemistry/biochemistry definition
The study of chemical and neural processes associated with the nervous system that regulate psychological functioning. This includes the role of neurotransmitters and hormones
heredity/hereditary/inherited
The passing of characteristics from one generation to the next through genes
neurotransmitters
Chemicals that travel across the synapse (the gap between neurons) to transmit messages.
biological structures
An arrangement or organisation of parts to form an organ, system or living thing.
how do genes cause behaviour
- Genes carry instructions for a particular characteristic
- As genes are transmitted from parents to offspring (they are inherited), behaviour geneticists suggest that behavioural characteristics such as intelligence, personality, mental illnesses etc. are inherited in the same way as physical characteristics such as height and eye colour.
examples of how biological structures influence behaviour
- fMRI scans of London taxi drivers show they have a larger hippocampi which suggests that the hippocampi is involved in spatial navigation
- research found that people with psychopathy (antisocial personality disorder) have reduced activity in the pre-frontal cortex
how is depression caused by biology
- Neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, can influence behaviour
- Serotonin is an inhibitory neurotransmitter, meaning that it prevents activity in the neuron it transmits to in order to calm the brain and balance mood
- Adequate amounts of serotonin are necessary to maintain a stable mood
- Research has found that when serotonin levels are low, people tend to display depression.
features of the biological approach
- genes
- biochemistry/neurochemistry
- biological structures
- evolution
examples of biology causing behaviour
- aggression: genetic, biochemistry, evolved, biological structures
- schizophrenia: genetic, biochemistry, biological structures
- OCD: genetic, biochemistry
- relationships: partner preferences evolved
evolution
- individuals in a species vary in physical characteristics and behaviour
- some of this variation is inherited
- Darwin proposed natural selection
- if a behaviour is adaptive, it helps us to survive and reproduce
- adaptive genes are inherited so physical characteristics and behaviours will become more widespread in the population
- therefore genetic makeup of a population changes over successive generations
examples of evolved behaviours
- Social releasers: Bowlby suggested that babies are born with innate features (e.g. ‘cute’ behaviours) that trigger caregiving and attention from adults.
- This increases infant survival and reproductive success, spreading these traits through generations.
- Aggression: Male aggression may deter infidelity (reducing cuckoldry risk) and signal strength and attractiveness.
- This increases reproductive success, making aggression more common over generations.
genotype
- an individual’s genetic makeup
- genetically identical people have the same predisposition to develop a characteristic unless another factor intervenes
phenotype
- observable traits or characteristics shown by an individual
- these characteristics are due to the combined effects of the genes and environment
- phenotypes of twins may be different
ways of investigating the biological approach
- comparative methods (animal studies)
- scanning techniques
- experiments
- case studies
comparative methods to investigate biological approach
- where animals are studied and conclusions are generalised to humans
- Research has found that mice reared alone showed a tendency to attack other mice when first exposed to them. This must be biological because they couldn’t have learned the behaviour, suggesting that aggression has a biological basis
scanning techniques to investigate biological approach
- Biological psychologists can scan the brain to determine the influence of biological structures on behaviour
- Participants are asked to complete a certain activity (e.g. a memory test) whilst having their brain scanned so that we can correlate the ability to do the task with the area of the brain
- For example, fMRI scans of London taxi drivers showed that they have larger hippocampi than a control group. This suggests that the hippocampus is involved in spatial navigation.
experiments to investigate the biological approach
- lab experiments- particularly on animals to study roles of inheritance and evolution on behaviour
- they use different genetic strains of an animal to complete the same activity
- so they can see the effect of the genetic strain on the ability to do the activity
case studies to investigate the biological approach
- people who suffer brain damage from accidents are studied
- tells us functions of different parts of the brain
- for example, Phineas Gage suffered damage to his ventromedial frontal lobes when an iron rod went through his head
- he had difficulty making rational decisions and processing emotions
- therefore, those are the function of the ventromedial frontal lobes
concordance
likelihood that if one twin has the characteristic, the other does too
twin studies
Allow us to assess whether a characteristic is genetic or environmental. Both twins are studied to determine whether they share characteristics
Monozygotic twins
share 100% of their genes
dizygotic twins
share 50% of their genes
