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BIOLOGICAL APPROACH - Coggle Diagram
BIOLOGICAL APPROACH
key assumptions
Biological structures = the biological approach believes that biological structures such as CNS and endocrine system affects our behaviour.
evolution = this approach believes many of the behaviours we have today are the consequences of our evolution. eg intelligence helped are ancestors survive so when they reproduce it is passed down through natural selection
Neurochemistry = chemicals in the brain (neurotransmitters) affect our behaviour eg. varying amounts of serotonin is involved in depression
genetic influence = we inherit genes from our parents. these form our genotypes which provides instructions about our development and is the genetic makeup of individuals. phenotype is the product of our genotypes interacting with the environment (eg. intelligence)
scientific methods
in order to investigate the genetic and biological basis of behaviour the approach uses highly objective methods. these include scanning techniques, such as fMRIs and PET scans.
with advances in technology it is possible to measure physiological and neural processes in ways that are not open to bias
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biological determinism
it sees human behaviour as governed by internal, genetic causes over which we have no control
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real world application
eg. the biological approach has treatments for clinical depression using antidepressants. this increases levels of neurotransmitter serotonin at synapses in the brain. these drugs have been associated with the reduction of depressive symptoms.
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increased understating of neurochemical processes in the brain is associated with the use of pyschoactive drugs to treat serious mental disorders.
counterpoint
recent studies compared 21 anti depressants and found wide variants in their effectiveness. although most of the drugs are were more effective than the placebos, the effectiveness of the antidepressants were 'mainly modest'
this challenges the value of the biological approach because it suggest brain chemistry alone, does not account for all cases of depression.
although anti depressants are successful for many people, they do not work for everyone.