Biological area

• defining principles and concepts - All behaviour comes from genetics and is inherited.

  Behaviour has an organic cause - primarily within the brain.

  Everything psychological is first physiological.
• Main research methods - Lab experiments (high level of control), Imaging technology (MRI, PET etc), Animal studies
• Justification for these methods - To study the brain in highly controlled environments (lab experiments). See the brain in living humans (imaging technology). More ethical as humans aren't tested (animal studies).
• Key research - Sperry, Casey, Blakemoore and Cooper, Maguire
• Strength one - The area is highly scientific using highly controlled settings and lab experiments.
• Strength two - The area supports the nature side of the nature-nurture debate emphasising the role of genetics and physiology in behaviour.
• Weakness one - It suffers from low ecological validity due to highly artificial settings.
• Weakness two - It is reductionist in that it can ignore the influence of nurture in behaviour.
• Application - The use of drugs for treating mentall illness. In the UK, 1 in 8 (over 8 million) people are prescribed anti-depressants yearly. These remove the symptoms of depression by balancing chemicals in the brain. SSRI's (Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) increase the level of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin regulates other neurotransmitters so this acts to increase dopamine (mood) and adrenaline (activity) thus breaking depressions major symptoms.