the biological approach

Question 1

assumptions

Answer 1

• suggests that everything psychological is at first biological
• so to fully understand human behaviour we must first look at biological structures and processes within the body
• from biological perspective, the mind lives in the brain so all thoughts, feelings and behaviour ultimately have a physical basis

Question 2

the neurochemical basis of behaviour

Answer 2

• neurochemistry refers to action of chemicals in the brain, much of our thought and behaviour relies on chemical transmission
• this occurs using neurotransmitters (chemical)
• imbalance of neurochemicals in the brain has been implicated as a possible cause of mental illness

Question 3

the genetic basis of behaviour

Answer 3

• psychological characteristics such as intelligence are inherited in the same way as height or eye colour
• twin studies used to investigate whether certain characteristics have a genetic basis, achieved by analysing concordance rates, the extent to which twins share the same characteristic
• if characteristic is genetic we would expect all identical (monozygotic) twins to share 100% of the same genes
• this would not be the same for non-identical (dizygotic) twins who share about 50% of the same genes

genetic predisposition - to be susceptible to something or more likely to experience / develop it due to inherited genes

Question 4

genotype and phenotype

Answer 4

• genotype is actual genetic makeup
• phenotype is way genes are expressed through physical, behavioural and psychological characteristics
• the way twins’ genes are expressed (phenotype) is different
• illustrates what many biological psychologists would accept, that much of human behaviour depends on interaction between nature and nurture

Question 5

evolution and behaviour

Answer 5

• charles darwin proposed theory of natural selection, any genetically determined behaviour that enhances an individual’s survival will continue in future generations
• this selection takes place naturally, occurs because some traits give the possessor certain advantages
• if individual survives but does not reproduce, the traits do not remain in the gene pool for successive generations

Question 6

localised brain regions

Answer 6

pre-frontal cortex - episodic and procedural memory

frontal lobe - personality

temporal lobe - hearing

parietal lobe - sensation, pain

occipital lobe - vision (seeing stars)

Question 7

evaluation - real-world application (nestadt)

Answer 7

• increased understanding of neurochemical processes is associated with use of psychoactive drugs to treat serious mental disorders, such as antidepressants
• people with depression may be better able to manage their condition and live a relatively normal life
• low levels of serotonin leads to depression
• application to OCD, leads to experiencing anxiety, abnormal levels of serotonin and dopamine (reward)
• SSRI - drug treatments to increase / decrease levels of serotonin to treat mental health disorders, increases validity

nestadt - found a concordance rate of 68% between monozygotic twins for OCD and just a 31% concordance between dizygotic twins - supports genetic / biological link because concordance rates for monozygotic twins is always higher than dizygotic twins, they share 50% more of their genes compared to dizygotic

Question 8

evaluation - counterpoint to real-world application

Answer 8

• antidepressant drugs are not successful for everybody
• a study compared 21 antidepressant drugs, although most were more effective than placebos, the overall effect was ‘mainly modest’
• challenges value of biological approach, brain chemistry alone may not count for all cases of things like depression

Question 9

evaluation - scientific methods

Answer 9

• strength is it uses scientific methods of investigation
• to investigate genetic and biological basis, makes use of range of precise and objective advances in tech such as fMRI and EEGs
• possible to accurately measure physiological and neural processes in ways that are not open to bias
• also uses physiological tests such as blood tests
• gene testing, DNA tests
• easily tested using brain scans, can’t be faked, not open to interpretation
• increases reliability

Question 10

evaluation - biological determinism

Answer 10

• limitation is that it is determinist
• sees human behaviour as governed by internal, genetic causes over which we have no control
• biological view is often too simplistic and ignores the mediating effects of the environment
• hard determinism
• we don’t choose to have depression or change our neurotransmitter levels