Biological A03

• Scientific methods of investigation

  Biological approach uses range of precise and scientific methods in order to investigate genetic/biological basis of behaviour
• Examples of these precise methods

  Scanning techniques like fMRI and EEGs, family and twin studies, and drug trials
• Advances in techonology

  Make it possible to accurately measure biological/neutral processes in ways that are not open to bias. Biological approach is based on reliable data
• Real life application

  Increased understanding of biochemical processes in the brain had led to the development of psychoactive drugs that treat serious mental illnesses like depression
• Psychoactive drugs


  Not effective for all patients but they revolutionised treatments for others.
• Psychoactive drug effects on sufferers

  Sufferers are able to manage their condition and live a relatively normal life rather than remain in a hospital - strength
• Causal conclusions


  Biological approach offers explanations for mental illness in terms of the action of neurotransmitters in the brain.
• Evidence to support causal conclusions

  Drugs reduce symptoms of a mental disorder and thus,it is assumed that the neurochemical in the drug causes the disorder.
• Association and cause


  Discovering an association between 2 factors does not mean that on is the cause. Limitation as Biological approach claims to have discovered causes while it only discovered associations
• Determinist view of behaviour


  Biological approach is determinist in the sense that it sees human behavior as governed by internal biological causes which we have no control over.
• Implication on wider society

  This has implications on wider society, especially legal system as criminals often seen as legally responsible for their actions
• Cannot seperate nature vs nurture

  Identical twins, non-identical twins and members of same family all have genetic similarities and thus, Biological approach argues that the way they look/behave is similar
• Surroundings affecting behaviour

  Confounding variable involved: all the people are exposed to different surroundings thus findings could just as easily be supporting nurture just as nature
• Dz twins and higher concordance rates

  Difficult for approach to account for the fact that DZ twins often have higher concordance rates than pairs of ordinary siblings
• Influence of nurture on twins/siblings

  Most likely influence of nurture as DZs and ordinary siblings share 50% genes in common