Biological Approach

• Assumptions of Biological Approach?

  • we must look at biological structures and physical processes within the body
  • mind lives in the physical brain meaning all thoughts and feeling have biological basis
• What is neurochemistry?

  used to explain behaviour e.g:

  • dopamine is a neurotransmitter known to be at an unusual level for people with schizophrenia
  • serotonin impacts multiple behaviours including mood, memory and learning
• what is neuroanatomy?

  used to explain behaviour

  • emphasises role of brain regions on behaviour e.g Broca's Area and speech production
  • damage to those areas leads to behaviour being damaged
• genetic basis of behaviour?

  • genes code for physical appearance
  • genotype - individuals unique set of genes
  • phenotype - physical, psychological and behavioural characteristics of an individual, influenced by genes and environment
• what are monozygotic and dizygotic twins?

  • monozygotic - same genotype
  • dizygotic - 50% of the same genotype
• what are concordance rates?

  • the extent to which a large sample of twins share the same characteristics e.g if 60% of the time both twins have depression, concordance rate for depression is 60%
• how to do concordance studies?

  • get pairs of twins where 1 twin has the investigated characteristics
  • see if other twin in pair has characteristic
  • work out concordance rate
  • if both twins have it its likely genetic, if only 1 does it's likely environmental
• Biological Approach Strengths?

  REAL WORLD APPLICATION

  • increased understanding of neurochemical processes related to drugs use for treating mental disorders
  • e.g approach prompted use of antidepressants to treat depression by increasing serotonin levels
  • meaning people with depression more likely to live a relatively normal life

  SCIENTIFIC METHODS

  • uses objective methods to investigate the biological basis of behaviour including scanning techniques like FMRIs
  • with advances in technology we can measure neural processes in unbiased ways
  • so much of bio approach based on objective data
• Biological Approach limitations?

  COUNTERPOINT FOR REAL WORLD APPLICATION

  • antidepressant drugs don't work for everyone
  • e.g ciprani et al compared 21 antidepressants and found variation in effectiveness. antidepressant effectiveness described as modest
  • challenges value of biological approach

  BIOLOGICAL DETERMINISM

  • bio approach sees behaviour as controlled by genetic factors we have no control over
  • however genotype expression is heavily influenced by environment (not even identical twins look and think the same)
  • suggesting bio approach is too simplistic and ignores environmental factors