biological

AO1

  • the biological approach suggests that everything psychological has a biological foundation so in order to understand behaviour we should look at biological structures and processes within the body

  • neurochemical

    • refers to the action of chemicals in the brain

    • much of our thought and behaviour relies on chemical transmission in the brain and occurs using neurotransmitters

    • an imbalance of neurochemicals have been implicated as possible causes for mental disorders ie imbalance of serotonin for OCD and an overproduction of dopamine in schizophrenia

  • genetics

    • researchers suggest that some psychological characteristics like intelligence may be inherited, like height or eye colour

    • twin studies - analyses concordance rates, if a trait is genetic, we would expect MZ twins to be 100% concordant because they share 100% of their genes, whereas for DZ it would be expected to be 50%. in both cases the environment is assumed to be constant (ie same for both twins)

  • genotype and phenotype

    • genotype - actual genetic makeup

    • phenotype - the way genes are expressed

    • despite having the same genotype, twins may have different phenotypes

    • this illustrates the idea that much of human behaviour relies on the interaction between inherited factors and the environment

  • evolution and behaviour

    • darwin proposed the theory of natural selection where advantageous genes (more specifically, alleles) are naturally selected for because they give the best chance of survival

    • this theory suggests that some genetically determined behaviour enhances an individual’s survival and reproduction, which results in it carrying on into future generations

AO3

  • a strength of the biological approach is that it has RWA

  • increased understanding of neurochemical processes in the brain is associated with the use of psychoactive drugs to treat serious mental disorders

  • for example, clinical depression can be treated using SSRIs that increase the level of serotonin at synapses in the brain

  • this means that people have access to an easy and convenient way of treatment

  • another strength of the biological approach is that it uses scientific methods

  • in order to investigate the genetic and biological basis of behaviour, the biological approach makes use of a range of precise and highly objective methods

  • for example, brain scanning techniques like fMRIs and EEGs and with advancements in technology, it is possible to accurately measure physiological and neural processes in ways that are not open to bias

  • this means that the biological approach has high internal validity because its research methods allow for objective, accurate and, ultimately, empirical evidence.

  • a limitation of the biological approach is that it is reductionist and emphasises the nature side of the nature vs nurture debate

  • the central assumption of this approach is that behaviour ultimately has biological foundations. this assumptions ignores the roles of learning and conditioning which rely more heavily on the contribution of the environment

  • even though the approach acknowledges the interaction between genes and the environment, it does not acknowledge the fact that human behaviour is more complex than just the phenotype

  • therefore, the biological approach lacks reliability because it ignores other significant contributors to human behaviour, like learning.