biological

• assumptions of the biological approach

  _ human behaviour has a biological origin

  _ biological structures exist because they brought advantages to our ancestors

  _ uses scientific methodology including the use of scanning techniques and family studies
• biochemistry

  behaviour may be as a result of your biochemistry and the action of neurotransmitter in the brain
• nervous systems 2 main functions

  1. collect, process and respond to information in the environment
  2. coordinate the working of different organs and cells within the body
• identical twins

  MZ monozygotic
• non identical twins

  DZ dizygotic
• two main subtypes of the nervous system

  _ central nervous system

  _ peripheral nervous system
• function of the central nervous system

  responsible for higher mental functions and reflex behaviours
• function of the peripheral nervous system

  responsible for actions such as the fight or flight response
• genotype

  the set of genes in our DNA which is responsible for a particular trait
• phenotype

  the physical, behavioural or psychological expression or characteristics of that trait
• homozygous

  alleles are same (TT or tt)
• heterozygous

  alleles are different (Tt)
• concordance rate

  a number expressed as a percentage which shows the degree of similarity between two people on a particular trait
• the influence of biological structures

  _ biological psychologists believe that the structure of organs (brain, CNS, PNS) determine our behaviour

  _ many examples of human behaviour are controlled by neuronal action including eating and breathing

  _ further research has shown that the different lobes of the brain are linked with general functions
• influence of neurochemistry

  _ imbalances in the number of neurotransmitters are associated with atypical behaviour

  _ research suggests that abnormally low levels of serotonin are linked to aggressive behaviour indicating that this neurotransmitter is important in regulating behaviour and impulse control
• epigenetics

  the study of how our behaviour and environment can affect how your genes work
• neuron

  the type of nerve cell that the nervous system transmits messages through
• neurotransmitters

  the chemicals that signals are sent between neurons
• issues and debates

  _ reductionist perspective

  _ since behaviour is determined by innate features including genes and neurotransmitters acknowledgment is paid to the role of the environment with the interaction of both nature and nurture influencing and indivuals phenotype