Biological Approach

• What are the assumptions of the biological approach?

  Genetics - Genes an individual possesses, influence his or her behaviour. Means there is a belief in process of evolution. Believed that behaviour evolves same way as physical characteristics through process of evolutionary adaptation.

  • Varying levels of chemicals in the body found both in the brain (neurotransmitters) and body (hormones) thought by biopsychologists to be related to an individuals behaviour.

  (They are believed to influence interactions to the environment.)
• What are monozygotic twins?

  Identical twins - 100% genetically similar
• What are dizygotic twins?

  Non-identical twins - share 50% of their genes
• What do the statistics tell us? (INSERT PICTURE)

  • Not 100% concordance rate (both develop same disorder)

  • Schizophrenia is higher, more genetically influenced

  • Sone of the disorders are purely genetic which means there must be another influence
• What is the genotype?

  • Genetic makeup of an individual

  • Dictates characteristics like eye and hair colour
• What is the phenotype?

  The product of what happens when the genotype interacts with the environment
• Describe the case study of Phineas Gage

  • 25 years old when the accident happened and survived 12 years after

  • Railway road worker

  • Dynamite explosion - iron rod went through his skull and destroyed a large section of his brain

  • Still managed to walk and talk after accident - leads to conclusion and understanding that you are still able to function after traumatic brain injury

  • Brain injuries can change personality - Phineas wasn't the same again, temperament changed
• What is serotonin?


  • Neurotransmitter associated with depression.

  • Low levels of this neurotransmitter has been found to be a contributory factor to depression.

  • Used to treat depression psychologically, CBT - cognitive approach
• What are some treatments based on serotonin?

  Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are a widely used type of antidepressant medication. Mainly prescribed to treat depression, particularly persistent or severe cases, often used in combination with a talking therapy like cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
• What is dopamine?


  • High levels of dopamine have been linked with schizophrenia

  • Low levels of dopamine have been linked with Parkinson's disease.

  Antipsychotic drugs can help this.
• How important is the scientific mode in the biological approach?

  Adopts scientific methods for investigation using measures which are largely objective such as brain scanning and biochemical levels.
• What has the biological approach been applied to?

  Biopsychology research can result in practical applications being developed such as drugs that help symptoms of people struggling with psychological problems.
• How is the biological approach reductionist?

  Argued that some of the explanations are too simplistic and don't do the complexity of human behaviour justice - reductionist as they often fail to acknowledge the role of environment in behaviour.
• What are the dangers of genetic explanations?

  Recent research suggesting a genetic basis for criminal behaviour has led to concerns about how this information might be used. Critics claim this may lead to genetic screening of the population to identify this genetic susceptibility and subsequent discrimination against those with a predisposition for criminality.
• What are some key characteristics of the evolutionary explanation?

  • Survival

  • Reproduction

  • Natural selection

  • Sexual selection

  • Genes

  • Adaptiveness
• What is an evolutionary example?

  • Aggression

  - Being aggressive in the past would have been advantageous in terms of survival and increased chances of reproduction for an individual perhaps due to acquisition of resources and protection of family.

  - This increased attractiveness to potential mates.

  - Made likelihood of passing the gene on much greater as there would have been more available and receptive mates.

  - Genes would be passed on and the behaviour became more widespread.
• What is the "survival of the fittest"?

  Those who are better equipped to find food or escape from predators are more likely to survive and pass on their genes to the next generation.
• What is natural selection?

  Offspring inherit the characteristics that lead to the survival advantage and overtime, most members of the species possess the adaptive characteristic.
• What did Lea et al (2005) research find?

  Research into the genetic basis of aggression and the MAOA gene (or "warrior gene") which is found in 1/3 of men.
• What is the complexity of the evolutionary explanation?

  Most human behaviours can be transmitted by genetic and cultural routes - an evolutionary explanation of behaviour is complicated by this additional possibility. Critics of the evolutionary explanations claim that many established patterns of human behaviour have purely cultural origins with no survival or reproductive value.