biological approach

• biological approach

  a perspective that emphasises the importance of physical processes in the body such as genetic inheritance and neural function
• assumptions

  suggests that everything psychological has a biological basis ,so to study human behaviour biological structures and processes must be considered e.g genes,neurochemistry and the nervous system.This can then be used to explain thoughts and behaviours.
• genetic basis of behaviour

  Genetics can be used to study behavioural characteristics e.g intelligence.Twin studies are used to determine the likelihood that certain traits have a genetic basis,they compare the concordance rates between pairs of twins to see the extent to which both twins share the same characteristics.

  • Monozygotic twins share 100% of each others genes
  • Dizygotic twins share about 50% of each other’s genes.
• genotype

  the particular set of genes that a person possesses
• phenotype

  the characteristics of an individual determined by both genes and the environment.Is the way genes are expressed through physical,behavioural and psychological characteristics.
• genotype and phenotype

  Biological psychologists believe that human behaviour depends on the interaction between nature and nurture.
• evolution and behaviour

  Charles Darwin proposed the theory of natural selection(that any genetically determined behaviour that enhances an individual’s survival will continue in future generations)
• • neurotransmitters
  • the brain
  • hormones
  • nervous system (CNS and PNS)
• frontal lobe

  • involved with functions such as speech, thought and learning
• temporal lobes

  • involved with hearing and memory
• parietal lobes

  • process sensory information such as touch, temperature and pain
• occipital lobe

  • process visual information