Biological approach

• What is Biological approach ?

  A perspective that emphasises the importance of physical processes in the body such as genetic inheritance and neural function.
• What is genotype? 


  The particular set of genes that a person possesses.
• What is phenotype ?

  The characteristics of an individual determined by both genes and the environment.
• What is evolution? 


  The changes in inherited characteristics in a biological population over successive generations.
• Strength of biological approach

  P- has real-world application.

  E- Increased understanding of neurochemical processes associated with use of psychoactive drugs to treat mental disorders. it has promoted treatment of clinical depression using antidepressant drugs increasing levels of serotonin in brain. associated with the reduction of depressive symptoms.

  L- so people with depression may be better able to manage their condition
• CA for strength of biological approach

  P- antidepressant drugs are successful for many patients, they do not work for everyone.

  E- recent study by Cipriani et al. (2018) compared 21 antidepressant drugs and found wide variations in their effectiveness. Although most of the drugs were more effective than placebos in comparative trials, the researchers concluded that the effects of antidepressants, in general, were 'mainly modest.

  L- challenges value of biological approach as suggests brain chemistry alone may not account for all cases of, for example, depression.
• Another strength of biological approach 


  P- uses scientific methods of investigation.

  E- In order to investigate the genetic and biological basis of behaviour, the biological approach makes use of a range of precise and highly objective methods. include scanning techniques, like fMRis. With advances in technology, possible to accurately measure physiological and neural processes not open to bias.

  L- much of the biological approach is based on objective and reliable data.
• Limitation of biological approach

  P- it is determinist.

  E- it sees human behaviour as governed by internal, genetic causes over which we have no control. the way in which an individual's genotype is expressed is heavily influenced by the environment. Not even identical twins who share the same genes look the same and think the same.

  L- suggests that the biological view is often too simplistic and ignores the mediating effects of the environment.