biological approach

• biological approach assumptions -

  • suggests everything psychological is at first biological - so to fully understand human behaviour we must look to biological structures and processes within the body
  • mind lives in the brain - meaning all thoughts, feelings and behaviour ultimately have a physical basis
• neurochemical basis of behaviour -

  • actions of chemicals in the brain
  • imbalance of neurochemicals in brain implicated as a possible cause of mental disorder - eg serotonin in OCD
• genetic basis of behaviour -

  • psych characteristics eg intelligence inherited same way as height or eye colour
  • twin studies - analysing concordance rates - if genetic all identical twins (MZ) would be concordant whereas non-identical (DZ) twins wouldn't
  • in both cases environment is assumed to be constant
• genotype and phenotype -

  • genotype = actual genetic makeup
  • phenotype = way genes are expressed through physical, behavioural and psychological characteristics
  • despite having same genes the phenotype of MZ twins is different
  • human behaviour depends on interactions between nature and nurture
• evolution and behaviour -

  • evolution is a fact
  • Darwin - natural selection - main principle is any genetically determined behaviour that enhances an individuals survival will continue in future generations
  • in nature selection takes place naturally - selection occurs cause some traits give possessor certain advantages - more likely to survive reproduce and pass on these traits
• evaluation of biological approach: real world application (strength) -

  • P: real world application
  • E: increased understanding of neurochemical processes in brain os associated with use of psychoactive drugs to treat mental disorders
  • E: eg promoted treatment of depression using antidepressant drugs
  • L: means people with depression may be better able to manage their condition and live normal lives
• evaluation of biological approach: real world application counterpoint (limitation) -

  • P: antidepressant drugs are successful for many patients don't work for everyone
  • E: Cipriani et al (2018) compared 21 antidepressant drugs and found wide variations in effectiveness - most drugs more effective than placebos - concluded effects were mainly modest
  • L: challenges value of bio approach as it suggests brain chemistry alone may not account for all cases of depression