Biological

• Assumptions 

  • Everything is first biological 
  • To explain human behaviour, have to look into biological structures and processes like genes neurochemistry and the nervous system 
  • Understanding the brain structure can explain thoughts and behaviour
  • The mind lives in the brain so all feelings and behaviour have a physical basis 
  • Contrasts the cognitive approach which sees mental processes of the mind as being separate from the physical brain 
• Genetic basis of behaviour

  • Behaviour geneticists study whether behavioural characteristics are inherited the same way as physical characteristics 
  • Twin studies are used to determine the likely hood that certain traits have a genetic basis by comparing concordance rates between twins
  • Identical (monozygotic) twins share 100% of each others genes (while non-identical, dizygotic twins share ~50%) so we expect higher concordance rates for MZ twins than DZ twins if something has a genetic basis. 
• Genotype = a person's genetic makeup 

   

  Phenotype = observable characteristics influenced by environmental factors