the biological approach

Question 1

what is the assumption of the biological apporoach

Answer 1

• everything psychological is at first biological
  the mind lives in the brain so all thoughts feelings and behaviour have a physical basis

Question 3

neurochemical basis of behaviour

Answer 3

• nerurochemistry refers to the action of chemical in the brain
• much of our thoughts and behaviour relies on chemical transmissions in the brain, using neurotransmitter
• an imbalance of nuerochemicals in the brain has been implicated as a possible cause of mental disorders

Question 4

what is the genetic basis of behaviour

Answer 4

• psychological characteristic (intelligence) are inherited the same way as physical ones (height)
• twin studies are used to investigate where certain psychological characteristics have a genetic basis by analysing concordance rates
• if a charcertisitc is genetic we would expect all identical twins to be concordant
• the same would not be true for non identical twins
• we assume the environment is constant

Question 6

what do phenotype and genotypes show

Answer 6

• human behaviour is dependent upon an interaction between inherited factors and the environment
• Eg PKU - rare genetic disorder
• if detected as a baby meaures are put in place to restrict diet the child will not devlop the servere learning diffuculty asssociated with PKU

Question 7

evolution and behaviour

Answer 7

• darwins thory of natural selection states that any genetically determeind behavoiur of an individual that enhances thier survival wil continue in future generations

Question 8

strengths of the biological approach

Answer 8

1. real world application
   - increased understanding of neurochemical process in the brain is associated with the use if psychoactive drugs to treat serious mental disorders
   - eg depression and antidepressants
2. scientific methods
   - scanning techniques are used to investigate the genetic and biological basis of behaviour
   -based on reliable data

Question 9

limitations of the biological approach

Answer 9

2. biological determinism
   - sees human behavior as governed by internal genetic causes over which we have no control
   - however phenotypes show the influence of environment on the expression of genes
   - could be used to excuse crime
   - too simplistic and ignores the mediating efects of the enivoroment