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The Biological Approach - emphasises importance of physical processes in…
The Biological Approach - emphasises importance of physical processes in the body such as genetic inheritance and neural function
Assumptions
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Everything psychological is at first biological - must therefore look to biological structures and processes (e.g. genes, neurochemistry, nervous system) to understand the origins of behaviour
The mind lives in the brain - all thoughts, feelings and behaviour have a physical basis.Contrasts with Cognitive Approach here
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Genotype and Phenotype
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Phenotype - the way genes are expressed through physical, behavioural and psychological characteristics. Influenced by environmental characteristics e.g. identical twins may look different if one exercised more or dyed their hair etc.
Many biological psychologists would accept that behaviour depends upon an interaction between inherited factors and the environment (nature and nurture)
Evolution and Behaviour - Follows the principle of natural selection: certain traits or behaviour give the person certain benefits, i.e. they are more likely to survive, reproduce and pass on these traits. Behaviours that are appealing and socially acceptable tend to have this outcome. They are described as adaptive (they give the possessor/offspring advantages).
Evaluation
Real-life application - increased understanding of biochemical processes has led to development of psychoactive drugs to treat mental illnesses like depression. Have revolutionised treatment for many patients.
Determinist view of behaviour - sees behaviour as governed by internal biological causes over which we have no control. Has implications for legal system: implies criminals are not responsible for actions.
Scientific methods of investigation - scanning techniques such as fMRIs and EEGs, family and twin studies, and drug trials. Possible to accurately measure biological and neural processes in unbiased ways.
Cannot distinguish between nature and nurture - approach suggests that any similarity between family members must be explained by genetic inheritance. However, family members are also exposed to the same environments as each other, so similarities could just as easily be explained by this. Also, DZ often have higher concordance rates than ordinary siblings, but both share about 50% of each other's genes, so this must be explained by nurture rather than nature.
Cause and effect with neurotransmitters - role of neurotransmitters in mental illness comes from studies where a drug that affects its levels relieves symptoms. Therefore assumed that it is the cause. This is like assuming the cause of a headache is lack of paracetamol. Sometimes fails to realise what is thought to be a cause is actually an association.
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