Brain Neurochemistry

Question 1

Strength: RTS by Mc Evoy

Answer 1

Studied smoking behaviour in people with schizophrenia who were taking a drug, drug was a dopamine antagonist blocking the dopamine receptors and losing dopamine activity levels in the brain, found that the people taking the drug showed significant increase in smoking, supports role of dopamine as an explanation as patients sought nicotine to increase their levels of dopamine and experience euphoria, increases the validity

Question 2

Strength: scientific methods

Answer 2

Uses scientific enquiry to investigate nicotine addiction, brain scans and urine samples to identify neurochemical factors such as dopamine levels in addiction, increases internal validity, raises scientific status

Question 3

weakness: biological reductionism

Answer 3

reduces complex behaviour of addiction to simple basic units of dopamine levels in brain, neglects a hollistic approach, adolescents may develop addiction due to wanting to fit in with peer group, explanation may lack validity