the biological approach

Question 1

What is a genotype?

Answer 1

genetic makeup of an organism.

Question 2

What is phenotype?

Answer 2

the way that genes are expressed through physical, behavioural and psychological characteristics

Question 3

What is the difference between genotype and phenotype?

Answer 3

genotypes influence phenotypes.
phenotype is the result of genes interacting with the environment

Question 4

True or false: Behaviour results from genetics and the environment.

Answer 4

TRUE

Question 5

Why are twin studies useful when studying genotype and phenotype?

Answer 5

Monozygotic twins are genetically identical, so twin studies allow us to see the effects of the environment on their phenotype.

Question 6

What are the assumptions if the biological approach?

Answer 6

behaviour is linked by genes
everything psychological is first physiological
different species of animal can be studied and compared

Question 7

outline natural selection

Answer 7

suggests any behaviour that will enhance survival and reproduction of species will be passed on

Question 8

define neurochemistry

Answer 8

action of chemicals in the brain

Question 9

what do most of our thoughts rely on

Answer 9

chemical transition in the brain

Question 10

What is a possible cause of an unbalance of neurochemicals?

Answer 10

mental disorders such as Serotine in OCD and dopamine in depression

Question 11

what is a concordance rate?

Answer 11

The extent to which twins share the same characteristics

Question 12

which twin share 100% of the same genes?

Answer 12

monozygotic

Question 13

strength of biological approach

Answer 13

-Real world application- psychoactive -drugs

-scientific methods highly objective

Question 14

weaknesses of biological approach

Answer 14

Many patients’ psychoactive drugs don’t work

determinism- all human behaviour as governed by internal genetic cause which we have no control over

Question 15

what is a strength of using twin studies

Answer 15

by studying concordance rates it can be assumed that genetics play a part

Question 16

what is a negative of twin studies

Answer 16

MZ twins may be more similar because they have spent more time together compared to DZ twins. a more similar environment

Question 17

what does the nervous system do?

Answer 17

• responds to info from environment
• coordinates working of different cells and organs in body

Question 18

what are the two sub-systems of the nervous system?

Answer 18

CNS and peripheral nervous system

Question 19

what does the CNS do?

Answer 19

responsible for all complex commands and decisions

Question 20

what are the functions of the spinal cord?

Answer 20

extension of the brain responsible for reflex’s
it passes messages to and from the brain and connects nerves to PMS

Question 21

what does the brain do?

Answer 21

intelligence, senses, body movement and controlled behaviour

Question 22

what is the role of the PNS

Answer 22

transfers messages via millions of nerves to and from CNS

Question 23

what is the PNS subdivided into

Answer 23

the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and somatic

Question 24

what does the autonomic nervous system do?

Answer 24

heart rate
control breathing
control heart rate
stress response

Question 25

what does the somatic nervous system do?

Answer 25

controls muscle moment receives information from sense receptors anything under conscious control

Question 26

What part of the NS is referred to as the flight or fight response?

Answer 26

the sympathetic division

Question 27

what does the parasympathetic division do?

Answer 27

relaxes the body and slows many high energy functions

Question 28

what does the endocrine system control?

Answer 28

controls vital bodily functions

Question 29

what is a gland?

Answer 29

a tissue that secretes and produces hormones

Question 30

what is a hormone? how does it travel

Answer 30

it is a chemical messenger produced by gland, effects target organs and travels in the blood

Question 31

what is the pituitary gland?

Answer 31

controls other glands. it is found at base of the brain

Question 32

evaluate the biological approach

Answer 32

-Causation strongly implied in explanations that focus on brain structures. This is a problem for biological explanations as the research only tells us there is an association between brain structures and behaviour=only correlational +Real world application: Drug therapies have been developed for many mental illnesses based on research into neurotransmitters +Reliable methods of research means that biological evidence is less susceptible to misinterpretation or researcher bias (e.g. fMRI's, PET scans, drug trials, EEG etc). -Deterministic approach: Assumes that human behaviours are the result of evolution ​

Question 33

What does the biological approach assume about human behaviour?

Answer 33

assumes all human behaviour has a biological origin

Question 34

Give examples of internal biological structures and processes the biological approach believes is necessary to understand.

Answer 34

Genes The nervous system Neurochemistry Evolution

Question 35

what is the phenotype influenced by (how can it be expressed)?

Answer 35

genetic inheritance interaction with environment

Question 36

what type of studies do geneticists use to assess the impact genes have on the inheritance of behavioural characteristics?

Answer 36

most studies are done through comparisons of concordance rates (CR) between monozygotic (MZ) twins and dizygotic (DZ) twins.

Question 37

why are monozygotic twins (MZ) studied?

Answer 37

MZ twins are used as they share 100% of DNA (great comparison in accordance with DZ twins)

Question 38

Give some examples of studies done with MZ twins.

Answer 38

MZ twins have an increased concordance rate of developing schizophrenia compared to Dizygotic (DZ) twins McGuffin et al. (1996) found that if one MZ twin has depression the other twin is 46% more likely to also have depression.

Question 39

What are some examples of imbalances of neurochemicals in relation with mental health.

Answer 39

Abnormally low levels of serotonin- depression, aggression (Crockett et al, 2008- important in regulating behaviour and impulse control ) Abnormally high levels of dopamine- schizophrenia