Approaches in Psychology

• What are the first 3 AO1 points to explain the biological approach?

  1. All thoughts, feelings and behaviours are governed by biology
  2. Everything psychological is first biological, complex psychological processes are mediated by biology
  3. Understanding brain structure and function can help explain thoughts, feelings and behaviour.
• Behavioural genetics


  Examines whether behaviours are inherited
• Significance of genes explored through

  1. Twin studies

  2. Family studies
• Family and twin studies

  Suggested a genetic vulnerability may underpin OCD
• Neurochemistry

  Explored through the use of drugs, which may raise or lower specific neurotransmitters
• In OCD, levels of serotonin are seen to be low
• Neuroanatomy


  Studied through clinical case studies
• Phineas Gage case study

  • Suggested that the frontal lobe has a role to play in the regulation of aggressive behaviours
• Hypothesis

  Can be proposed and tested
• Biological approach

  • Relies on methods which are objective and can be replicated
  • Reliance on brain scanning techniques as they can't be affected by DC therefore data has higher validity
• Can't be sure about the causal role of genes
• Family and twin studies are correlational, they only identify a relationship not a cause and effect
• Family and twin studies are affected due to the fact that shared environments is a confounding variable
• Biological approach

  • High application as it has helped to explain and treat mental disorders i.e. OCD
• Determinist view as it assumes biological factors will determine psychological factors
• Determinist view gives the approach scientific basis as it identifies clear cause and effect relationships, often a link has been found between DA levels and schizophrenia
• Can't be sure whether changes in levels where a cause or consequence of schizophrenia
• Biological approach is reductionist as it reduces thoughts, feelings and behaviour to a biological basis
• Biological approach is considered incomplete as it ignores the holism aspect
• Nature only, sees anatomy as destiny and disregards experience
• Invaluable contribution to psychology as it gave the basic tools to discover the biological basis of mental processes non invasively