The biological approach - A01

• The biological approach suggests that everything psychological is first biological
• The approach investigates how biological structures and processes within our body impact our behaviour
• Genes affect our behaviour and individual psychological differences between people.
• The actual set of genes an individual has, or is made up of, is a genotype. An individual's observed traits are their phenotype and come from an interaction of their genotype and the environment.
• We can use twin studies to compare the concordance rate of monozygotic twins (MZ twins) to the concordance rate of dizygotic twins (DZ twins) to establish if a trait or characteristic is due to biological factors (MZ share 100% of their genes).
• Evolutionary psychology considers genetic influences in common behaviours. Darwin would argue that genes are inherited that aid survival: natural selection. This means that behaviours that are genetically determined through genes are passed on from generation to generation.
• The approach suggests that psychologists should study the brain, nervous system and other biological systems.
• Biological psychologists also study biochemical imbalances which can change behaviour.
• It is thought that overactive dopamine receptors play a role in Schizophrenia (Comer 2003). It has also been suggested that serotonin levels can have an impact on depressive disorders