biological approach

• biological structures

  • central nervous system(CNS): consists of the brain and spinal cord which transfer messages to and from the environment. they control breathing, eating and heart beat
  • peripheral nervous system(PNS): sends/receives information via neuron's to the CNS as is the NS for limbs and torso which collects information from the environment e.g. pain
• what is the peripheral nervous system made up of?

  • autonomic nervous system (ANS): transmits information to bodily organs for functions such as stress response, sexual arousal and digestion
  • somatic system (SS): comprises the muscles so important for movement and sensory reception. also receives information from the skin e.g. temperature of the environment
• endocrine system

  • NOT part of the NS but has biochemical importance as it maintains hormone levels in the blood and transfers/secrets when necessary
  • has control over the glands that synthesise hormones e.g. thyroid (in the throat) and pituitary (in the brain)
  • endocrine and ANS work together to distinguish 'fight or flight'- the response to stress
• twin studies

  • comparing MZ twins to DZ twins to determine the involvement of genetic factors by comparing concordance rates
  • we rarely find a concordance rate of 100% in MZ twins for psychological characteristics meaning environmental factors are involved in developing these characteristics indicating that genes are predisposing factors
  • its difficult to separate the influence of genetic factors and environmental factors
• evolution and behaviour

  • evolutionary psychology tries to understand human behaviour as a result of the psychological adaptation and natural selection meaning that these behaviours are genetically determined and passed on generationally as they increase our chance at survival (natural selction)
  • an example of this is attachment, which is also used to explain aggression
  • this is supported by Kroonenberg(1988) who found attachments are similar across cultures meaning it's influenced by genetic factors from ancestors
• biological approach evaluation

  • uses scientific methodology (twin studies, scans) which are not biased
  • often said to be deterministic but it does recognise that social/environmental factors interact with biological factors which can cause changes in the CNS (brain plasticity)