biological AREA

• main principles of the area:

  • all thoughts, feelings and behaviours have a biological cause
  • human genes adapt our physiology and behaviour to the environment
  • psychology should investigate the brain, the CNS and genes
• the two themes of core studies are:

  • regions of the brain
  • brain plasticity
• practical applications of the area:

  • mental health
  • drug therapy
  • child psychology
  • criminal psychology
• strengths of the area

  • is scientific and therefore objective
  • provides a good argument to the nature debate
  • research methods and high control - reliability
• weakness of the area

  • reductionist and simplistic
  • lacks ecological validity and mundane realism
  • scans have limited interpretations
• links to debates

  • reductionism
  • scientific
  • nature
  • determinism