the biological approach L5

• What does the biological approach view humans as?

  Biological organisms
• What are neurotransmitters?

  Molecules that transmit messages between neurons
• How do neurotransmitters function?

  They diffuse across the synapse to receptors
• What can neurotransmitters cause upon binding to receptors?

  Excitation or inhibition of an impulse
• What are hormones?

  Chemicals produced by endocrine glands
• Where are hormones secreted?

  Directly into the bloodstream
• What do hormones travel to?

  Their target cells
• What is the role of the frontal lobes?

  Involved in intelligence and thought
• What do parietal lobes process?

  Sensory information such as touch
• What do occipital lobes process?

  Visual information
• What do temporal lobes involve?

  Hearing and memory
• What is the phenotype?

  The physical appearance resulting from genes
• How do characteristics develop?

  Through interaction between genes and environment
• What does Darwin's theory of evolution describe?

  Behaviors that enhance survival and reproduction
• How are behaviors passed on according to Darwin's theory?

  Through genes
• What role does the nervous system play in behavior?

  It carries messages around the body
• What form do messages in the nervous system take?

  Electrical signals in neurons
• What is a strength of the biological approach?

  It provides clear predictions about behavior
• What has research into neurochemical imbalance led to?

  Development of effective drug treatments
• What is a criticism of the biological approach?

  It is reductionist regarding complex behavior
• What do many explanations of mental disorders focus on?

  Genes or neurochemical imbalances
• What factors must be considered to understand behavior fully?

  Cognitive, emotional, and cultural factors