biological approach

• Psychological

  Everything psychological is at first biological, must look into structures and processes in the body to understand human behaviour
• Neurochemistry


  Actions of chemistry in brain, much of our thought relies on chemical transmission in brain using neurotransmitters, imbalance of chemicals can cause mental disorders such as low levels of serotonin in OCD
• Genetic basis

  Psychological characteristics inherited in same way as eye colour/height, twin studies used to investigate whether certain characteristics have genetic basis through concordance rates (MZ - 100% CR, DZ = 50% CR)
• Evolution


  Darwin's theory of natural selection where any genes that enhance survival will continue in future generations, selection occurs naturally due to certain traits giving processer some advantages so they're more likely to survive
• Real world application of biological approach

  Development of psychoactive drugs used to treat disorders, e.g. anti-depressant drugs that increase serotonin to treat depression
• Limitation of biological approach

  Drugs don't work for everyone, challenges value of biological approach as brain chemistry alone may not account for all causes of depression
• Biological approach


  • Uses scientific methods of investigation through brain scanning techniques such as fMRI and EEG, makes it possible to measure physiological and neural processes without bias, therefore based on objective and reliable behaviour
• Limitation of biological approach

  It is biologically determinist, sees human behaviour as governed by internal, genetic causes that are out of our control, ignores the ways that genotypes are influenced by environment, too simplistic