AO1

• A schema is a mental framwork that organises information into meaningful categories.
• Natural selection is the process by which inherited characteristics that enhance an individual's reproductive are passed on to the next generation
• Assumptions:

  • There is a direct correlation between brain activity and cognition
  • Biochemical imbalances can affect behaviour
  • Brain physiology can affect behaviour
  • Behaviour can be inherited (as it is determined by genetic information)
• The nature-nurture debate highlights a key argument in psychology, over the relative influence of biology and environment on the characteristics of an individual; an extreme biological approach assumes that these are determined solely by nature
• The genotype describes the genetic configuration of an individual, whereas phenotype describes the combined effects of genetic makeup and surrounding environment on behaviour.
• The endocrine system is a slower-acting communication system that regulates the circulation of hormones, released by glands into the bloodstream. For example, cortisol and adrenaline are key hormones that facilitate the fight or flight response, a key evolutionary survival mechanism whereby the body primes itself for imminent danger (e.g. increasing heart rate, initiating sweating to cool down, dilation of pupils, sharpened sense of hearing).