biological approach

Cards (19)

  • assumption: all behaviour is down to biological processes, and these are
    • genes
    • biological structures
    • evolution
    • neurochemistry
  • genes carry information that codes for physical and psychological features
    your genotype is your genetic makeup (coding)
    phenotypes are observable traits that are due to genes interacting with the environment
  • e.g genotype - SERT gene to develop depression
    phenotype - depression expressed due to a traumatic life experience triggering the gene
  • monozygotic twins are genetically identical and share 100% of their genes.
    dizygotic twins are non identical and share roughly 50% of their genes
  • concordance rate - percentage of the twins who share a certain behaviour with their twin
  • MZ concordance is higher than DZ concordance - genes must play a role in this behaviour
  • MZ concordance is not 100% - the environment must play some part in the behaviour
  • No difference between MZ and DZ concordance rates - no genetic influence on behaviour
  • biological structures:
    the nervous system influences our fight or flight reaction to danger.
    structures within the brain influence our behaviour.
  • The brain is in charge of decision making, attention and higher order thinking.
    blue - frontal lobe
    pink - parietal lobe
    green- temporal lobe
    purple- occipital lobe
  • brain structure example:
    Brain scanning has shown people with OCD have higher activity in the orbital frontal cortex (OFC) which suggests that activity in this area is responsible for obsessive thoughts.
  • evolutionary psychology suggests that all human behaviour had been caused by the evolutionary pressures to:
    • survive
    • reproduce
  • evolution key ideas:
    • adaptive behaviours
    • natural selection
    • sexual selection
  • neurochemistry - the study of chemicals that influence the brain.
  • hormones - chemical messengers that travel through the bloodstream and are released by glands
  • fight or flight example:
    adrenaline (hormone) is released by the adrenal gland during fight or flight (behaviour).
    it leads to bodily changes such as:
    • increased breathing rate
    • increased heart rate
    • slowing down of digestion
  • neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that travel via the nervous system.
    they travel from neuron to neuron (synaptic transmission)
  • neurotransmitter example:
    Dopamine (neurotransmitter) has been found higher in people with schizophrenia. this can lead to sensory overload, hallucinations and delusions
  • evaluations:
    🙂 supporting evidence from twin studies
    ☹️ ignores the role of the environment
    ☹️ biological determinism
    🙂 practical application - antipsychotics to treat schizophrenia