assumptions

• what are the assumptions of the biological approach?

  • Localisation of Brain Function
  • Evolutionary Theory
  • Neurotransmitters
• Evolutionary theory

  Evolutionary psychologists explain human behaviour based on Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution, which states that species survive through 'natural selection' - a process where those who adapt to their environment tend to survive and produce offspring
• Evolutionary theory

  • Individuals with characteristics most suited to the environment in which they live are more likely to have evolved
  • The more evolved a person is, the more likely they are to survive in their ever-changing environment
  • Genes that allow these individuals to be successful are passed to their offspring who will, in turn, also be more successful because they innately have the ability to survive and evolve too
  • This is called 'survival of the fittest'
• Females carry the offspring

  They have the larger investment in terms of the risks to their health when carrying and looking after a baby
• Females look for

  A male with ambition, shelter and high earning capacity for her and her child
• Males look for

  Fertile, youthful women to have a baby with
• Cerebral cortex

  • Frontal lobe: responsible for problem solving
  • Parietal lobe: responsible for sensory processes such as pain
  • Occipital lobe: responsible for interpreting visual stimuli
  • Temporal lobe: responsible for auditory information

  
• Neurotransmitters

  • Chemical messengers passed from the presynaptic neuron to the postsynaptic neuron across the synapse
  • Electrical signals which need to change into a chemical signal if they are to cross the synapse
  • Once a neurotransmitter reaches the postsynaptic neuron it is absorbed and changes the chemical signal back into an electrical one
• Dopamine

  • Controls bodily movements and emotional responses
  • Dopamine deficiency is related to mental health conditions such as depression
• Serotonin

  • Affects both emotions and motor skills
  • Supports sleeping, eating and digestion
• Dopamine

  Plays a significant role in the formation of romantic relationships, because it activates the reward centres of the brain and amplifies the effects of sex hormones
• Oxytocin

  • A hormone which acts as a chemical messenger in the brain
  • Linked to pregnancy and birth behaviours such as contractions and breast milk production
  • Females with high levels of oxytocin are more nurturing to their offspring than those with lower levels
  • When a new-born is placed on its mother's chest after birth, oxytocin is released, enabling new-borns and mothers to learn each other's unique scent, which forms the first bond
  • Oxytocin causes a new-born to seek out and latch on to its mother's breast; oxytocin then floods the body during breastfeeding, which further strengthens the formation of the relationship between mother and baby