The biological approach - Approaches [A-Level Psychology]
Summary
TLDRThis video explores the biological approach to psychology, explaining how brain structures, neurochemistry, genetics, and evolution influence human behavior. It discusses the brain's organization, hormones, neurotransmitters, and the role of genes in behavior. The video uses examples like OCD, drug therapies, and case studies to illustrate these concepts. It highlights real-life applications of biological theories, such as the development of drug therapies for mental health. The video also evaluates the biological approach by discussing its scientific reliability and limitations, such as biological determinism.
Takeaways
- 🧠 The biological approach in psychology emphasizes that human behavior is influenced by biological structures such as the brain, neurochemistry, genetics, and hormones.
- 📊 The brain is divided into various regions, each responsible for specific functions, and these regions communicate to regulate behavior.
- 💉 Hormones, such as adrenaline, influence bodily responses, like the 'fight or flight' reaction, which is activated during stressful situations.
- 🧬 Neurotransmitters, like serotonin and dopamine, play a key role in regulating mood and behavior, and imbalances can lead to psychological conditions such as depression and OCD.
- 💊 Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are effective in treating depression and OCD by enhancing serotonin levels in the brain.
- 👶 The biological approach includes genetics, explaining that our genes shape both physical traits and behaviors, such as aggression and mental health disorders.
- 👯 Twin and family studies are used to explore the genetic influence on behavior, showing higher concordance rates for conditions like OCD among individuals who share more genetic material.
- ⚡ Neurochemicals either excite or inhibit neural activity, which impacts how messages are passed between neurons and subsequently affects behavior.
- 🔬 The biological approach is highly scientific, relying on tools like fMRI scanners and genetic analysis, leading to objective and reliable findings in psychology.
- 🌍 Evolutionary psychology suggests that certain behaviors, such as aggression, have been naturally selected because they provided survival advantages in early human societies.
Q & A
What is the biological approach to psychology?
-The biological approach assumes that humans are biological beings, and behavior should be explained with reference to biological structures, neurochemistry, genetics, and evolution.
How do hormones influence behavior according to the biological approach?
-Hormones, released by glands in the endocrine system, act as chemical messengers that influence behavior. For example, adrenaline increases blood flow to the brain and muscles during the fight-or-flight response, while testosterone is linked to aggression.
What role does the brain play in the biological approach?
-The brain is central to the biological approach as it controls conscious and unconscious processes. Different brain structures, such as the cerebellum and frontal lobe, are associated with specific functions, including movement coordination, decision-making, and emotional regulation.
What are neurotransmitters, and how do they affect behavior?
-Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that transmit signals between neurons. They can be excitatory or inhibitory, influencing neural communication. Different neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and dopamine, are linked to specific behaviors, including mood regulation and reward processing.
How do SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) work to treat conditions like depression and OCD?
-SSRIs increase serotonin levels by preventing its reabsorption in the synapse, enhancing its activity and improving mood and well-being. Research shows SSRIs are effective in reducing symptoms of depression and OCD.
What is the relationship between genes and behavior in the biological approach?
-Genes influence behavior by providing the blueprint for brain development and function. Specific genes, such as those affecting serotonin transport, are linked to conditions like OCD. However, gene expression may be affected by environmental factors, leading to variations in behavior.
What is the diathesis-stress model, and how does it relate to mental health disorders?
-The diathesis-stress model suggests that genetic vulnerability (diathesis) to disorders like OCD requires environmental stressors, such as trauma or drug use, to trigger the condition. This highlights the interaction between nature and nurture in mental health.
How does evolutionary psychology explain human behavior?
-Evolutionary psychology argues that behaviors are inherited and were naturally selected because they provided survival advantages. For example, aggression in males may have been adaptive for hunting and protection in early human societies.
What are the strengths of the biological approach in psychology?
-The biological approach is considered scientific due to its use of technologies like fMRI and genetic analysis. It has practical applications, such as developing effective drug therapies for mental health conditions like schizophrenia and OCD.
What are some criticisms of the biological approach?
-One criticism is biological determinism, which suggests that behaviors are entirely controlled by biology, such as genes or neurochemistry. This view may undermine personal responsibility and overlooks the role of cognitive or environmental factors in behavior.
Outlines
🧠 Biological Approach in Psychology
This paragraph introduces the biological approach to psychology, explaining how behavior is influenced by the brain's functioning. Psychologists divide the brain into structures that communicate with each other and the body. The paragraph also highlights the roles of hormones and neurotransmitters in behavior. Genes play a key role in brain development, and evolutionary processes explain why certain features of the brain have been retained for human survival.
📚 Biological Assumptions and Core Features
Here, the biological approach is simplified, explaining that human behavior is rooted in biology. Key influences include biological structures, neurochemistry, genetics, and evolution. It emphasizes that biopsychology is critical for understanding psychology and plays a major role in exam preparation, with OCD being a focus for this approach. The paragraph encourages early understanding of these ideas for better exam performance.
🔬 Endocrine System and Hormonal Influence
This section discusses the largest biological structure influencing behavior: the endocrine system. Hormones, such as adrenaline released by the adrenal gland during the fight-or-flight response, play a key role. Testosterone and estrogen are highlighted as sex hormones with significant long-term behavioral effects. The brain’s importance is reiterated, with descriptions of its anatomy, such as the cerebrum, cerebellum, and limbic system, along with the concept of localization of function.
👂 Brain Functions and Case Studies
The paragraph explains the functions of different brain areas: the brainstem regulates vital functions, the cerebellum manages coordination, and lobes (occipital, temporal, parietal, and frontal) handle specific tasks like vision, hearing, sensation, and decision-making. It introduces case studies, such as Tan and Broca’s area, to support the idea of localization of brain functions. The research provides strong evidence for the biological role of brain structures in behavior.
⚡ Neurochemistry and Behavior
Neurochemistry's role in behavior is explored by explaining synaptic transmission, where neurotransmitters either excite or inhibit neural signals. Specific neurotransmitters like serotonin (well-being), dopamine (reward), and norepinephrine (attention) are detailed, along with their influence on behavior. Drug therapies like SSRIs for depression and OCD are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of altering neurochemistry in treating behavioral disorders.
🧬 Genetic Influence on Behavior
This section examines how genes influence behavior, using OCD as an example. The concepts of genotype (genetic makeup) and phenotype (expression of traits) are introduced, with explanations of family studies and twin studies to show how genetics contributes to the likelihood of developing OCD. The diathesis-stress model is discussed, explaining how both genetic vulnerability and environmental stressors can lead to the expression of mental health disorders.
🐒 Evolution and Behavioral Inheritance
The paragraph connects Darwin’s theory of evolution to behavior, suggesting that adaptive behaviors, like aggression, were selected for survival in early human societies. Aggressive males were more likely to survive and reproduce, passing on their genes. Modern-day human aggression may be linked to these inherited traits, even if they are less relevant in today's society.
📊 Evaluating the Biological Approach
This summary concludes the biological approach, mentioning research evidence such as OCD studies and case studies like Tan. The diathesis-stress model is highlighted as an evaluation point, showing the complexity of nature vs. nurture in behavior. The paragraph praises the practical applications of biological theories, such as drug therapies, and acknowledges the scientific rigor of the biological approach. However, concerns about biological determinism and its ethical implications, such as criminal behavior being blamed on genes, are raised.
🛠 Tools and Methods in Biological Research
The final paragraph discusses the advanced tools used in biological research, such as fMRI scanners and genetic analysis, which offer objective, reliable data. While the biological approach is highly scientific, it may lead to deterministic thinking, which can reduce individual responsibility for behavior. Cognitive approaches that assume people can change their thought processes are contrasted, offering a more empowering perspective.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Biological Approach
💡Neurotransmitters
💡Endocrine System
💡Hormones
💡Genotype and Phenotype
💡Synapse
💡Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)
💡Evolutionary Psychology
💡Localization of Function
💡Diathesis-Stress Model
Highlights
The biological approach in psychology examines behavior through biological structures, neurochemistry, genetics, and evolution.
The brain's functioning is influenced by hormones and neurotransmitters, which are crucial in controlling behavior.
The largest biological structure influencing behavior is the endocrine system, responsible for hormone release, including adrenaline during the fight or flight response.
Testosterone is linked to increased aggression and male sexually dimorphic features.
Localization of function theory states that specific brain areas, like the frontal lobe and Broca's area, are responsible for specific functions, such as decision-making and speech production.
The brain’s limbic system, including structures like the amygdala and hippocampus, is the emotional center of the brain.
Neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, dopamine, and noradrenaline, significantly influence behavior by regulating feelings of well-being, pleasure, attention, and learning.
Drugs like SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) enhance serotonin activity to treat conditions like OCD and depression.
Genes play a crucial role in shaping behavior, with research indicating that genetic inheritance affects mental health conditions like OCD.
The concordance rate for OCD is higher among individuals who share more genetic material, such as identical twins (68%) compared to non-identical twins (31%).
The diathesis-stress model explains how genetic vulnerability combined with environmental stressors can influence whether someone develops a mental disorder.
Evolutionary psychology argues that certain behaviors, such as aggression, have been naturally selected for survival purposes.
The biological approach contributes to developing effective drug therapies for mental health conditions like OCD and schizophrenia.
Biological psychology is seen as highly scientific due to the use of tools like fMRI scanners, genetic analysis, and direct measurements of hormones and neurotransmitters.
Criticism of the biological approach includes its tendency to view behavior as biologically determined, which can have legal and ethical implications.
Transcripts
this is the brain If a psychologist
claims that a particular behavior is due
to how this organ functions they're
taking a biological approach but when we
talk about how the brain functions we
could actually be referring to a range
of different processes psychologist have
divided the brain into different areas
and identified large structures these
structures have different roles and
communicate with each other as well as
sending and receiving information to and
from the rest of the body the brain's
functioning is influenced by chemical
signals from the body called hormones
and between individual neurons the cells
that make up the brain there are
neurotransmitters that control neural
communication alter these with say drugs
and you can alter
Behavior to take a biological approach
to psychology we also need to include
the role of genes as of course the human
brain forms into a human brain due to
the genes we inherit and to take this
one stage further to understand why we
have the genes needed to create the very
distinctive human brain
we need to include a discussion of
evolution as features of the human brain
have developed and been retained only
because they've helped of human survival
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slides and more the biological approach
defining features as the introduction to
this video has probably made clear there
is a lot to the biological approach but
to simplify it for a moment the
biological approach assumes humans are
biological beings so Behavior should be
explained with reference to biology
biological structures neurochemistry
genetics and evolution are all different
aspects of biology that influence human
behavior
biological psychology is a fundamental
part of your psychology course so much
so that there's an entire unit just on
biopsychology and the ideas explained in
this video will also appear in most of
the other units you might find in this
particular approach's video I go into
biosite Concepts into slightly more
detail than you actually need for an
essay on the biological approach but as
bios cycology is so important and it's
going to get you marks across the a
level it's really worthwhile trying to
understand the core ideas of
biopsychology as early as possible
because I think it's especially
important for you to fully understand
biological psychology you can download
the matching worksheet for this video
for free follow the link in the
description print it and fill it out as
you
watch I'll link to a few areas across
the a level but you'll notice I try to
focus on OCD that's because you need to
learn the biological approach in
relation to OCD for paper one if you've
already studied that it's a helpful
reference or if you haven't studied it
yet it should be easier after this video
so let's explain each of these features
and evaluate bioy we can do this in any
order so let's start with the largest
biological structure and work down to
the smallest the influence of biological
structures on Behavior the largest
biological structure that influences
behavior is the body-wide system of
glands that make up the endocrine system
these glands release chemical Messengers
called hormones one gland the adrenal
gland activates in the fight or flight
response the brain dets a fret and
instructs the adrenal gland to release a
hormone called adrenaline this rushes
across the body carried by the
bloodstream its effects include
increasing blood flow to the brain and
skeletal muscles and reducing blood flow
to digestion and to the surface skin as
in an emergency situation thinking and
quick reflexes are more important than
digestion and if you're about to get
damaged you might as well reduce blood
loss from non-critical areas hormones
can also have long-term effects on the
body and Behavior such as sex hormones
like testosterone and estrogen
testosterone is linked to the sexually
diamoric male body features as well as
to increase aggression of course the
most important biological structure for
psychologists is the brain the brain is
after all the center of all conscious
and unconscious form the brain is
connected to the body by the brain stem
Above This is a structure called the
cerebellum the rest of the brain is
called the celebrium it has two
hemispheres connected by a a bundle of
nerve fibers called the Corpus goosin
each hemisphere is subdivided into four
loes occipital temporal peral and
frontal deeper in the brain is an area
called the lyic system including
structures called the amydala the fmus
and the
hippocampus localization of function is
the idea certain brain areas are
responsible for certain functions and
while I wouldn't expect you to explain
all of this in an essay on bioy you will
want to know this for the bioc pychology
unit so it's worthwhile given a quick
introduction of some of the functions of
each part the brain stem controls our
core abilities like heart rate and
breathing the cerebellum is involved in
coordinating muscle movements and
balance the cpal lobe is for visual
perception areas of the temporal lobe
process auditory information areas of
the pretal lobe receive Sensations from
across the body and the frontal lobe is
responsible for rational decision-
making the lyic system is the emotional
center of the brain of course this
explanation is a little simplistic and
many areas have multiple other functions
well in an essay explaining the
biological approach we might want to
pick out just one or two the research
identify the location of many of the
functions in the brain were often case
studies of neutral individuals if you've
just watched my cognitive approaches
video you likely remember tan tan had
difficulty with speech production only
being able to say tan after tan died
post research revealed brain
damage in an area that was called
Brock's area after Tan's doctor many
years later brain activation studies
confirm brochas area is active when
neurotypical brains produce language
This research confirms brain structures
role in producing behavior in this case
speech production the biological
structure of the brain is constructed of
nerve cells information travels across
these nerve cells in the form of
electricity however these nerve cells
don't quite touch the gap between two
nerve cells is called the CTIC left at
this point the syapse the electrical
message has to be converted to a
chemical signal which which leads us to
the next action the influence of
neurochemistry on Behavior to understand
how neurochemicals can influence how we
behave let's take a look at the
structure of the syapse in a little more
detail we can see that the axent
terminal of the presynaptic neuron and
the dendrite of the postsynaptic neuron
close but don't quite touch the prestic
neuron contains neurotransmitters inside
structures called vesicles when the
electrical signal called an action
potential reaches the actual terminal
the neurotransmitter are pushed out of
the syapse cross a synaptic C and
detected by receptors on the postoptic
cell there are lots of different
neurotransmitters but when detected by
the postoptic cell they're either
excitatory making a new electric charge
more likely or inhibitory making a new
electric charge less likely if there are
more excitatory influences the signal
passed on so if that's the syapse and
how neurochemicals work how does this
influence behavior
well there are a wide range of
neurotransmitters and they have
different functions serotonin is linked
to feelings of well-being and happiness
dopamine is a reward neurotransmitter
and is responsible for intense pleasure
many illegal drugs like cocaine
influence the level of dopamine nor
adrenaline is associated with attention
and glutamate is associated with
learning in
memory knowing the influence of
neurotransmitters on Behavior leads to
drug therapies one class of drugs that
are useful to know are anti-depressants
called
ssris they're used of course for
depression but also OCD ssris are
selective serotonin reuptake Inhibitors
a very well- named drug as they select
they only work on serotonin and what
they do is they stop the reuptake of
Serotonin this is a process of being
reabsorbed into the preoptic cell this
keeps serotonin in the syapse and
enhances its activity increasing
feelings of well-being and
happiness there is research to show
these drugs are effective a me analysis
by sorro compared ssris to placebos
placebos are sugar pills that make the
patient think they're receiving drug
therapy samor combined the data from 17
studies including
3,97 participants into a metanalysis the
results showed that compared to the bbos
ssris significantly reduce the symptoms
of OCD this suggests not only that the
drug therapy is effective but
importantly as we're arguing that
neurochemistry influences Behavior the
fact that drugs do work work suggest
behavior is influenced by
neurochemistry the influence of genes on
Behavior going now to an even smaller
biological structure we can talk about
how genes influence behavior DNA is a
biological structure and genes are
sequences on the DNA our genes instruct
how our cells are formed and function
for example there are a range of
candidate genes that been associated
with OCD one important example is the C
Gene this part of the genetic code
influences the serotonin transport we've
just covered we need to understand the
terms genotype and phenotype and it's
helpful to use a physical example if
someone has blue eyes the actual
physical presence of blue eyes are the
fin type they have blue eyes because
they have the genes for blue eyes this
genetic code is their genotype I use ey
color as an obvious example as it's easy
to see how genes code for physical
characteristics biological psychologists
are interested in behaviors like
aggression intelligence and mental
health
conditions in the same way I caller has
a genotype biological psychologists
argue there are genotypes for Behavior
and the phenotype is the expression of
the behavior to study the genetic
inheritance of behavior psychologists
compare family members and twins they
measure what is known as the concordance
rate the likelihood of one person have a
disorder if another person has a
disorder if a disorder is genetic we
should see higher levels of concordance
in family members who share more genetic
material an example we can use as
research evidence is when it comes to
OCD the prevalence rate in the general
population is 2% however if an
individual has OCD the likelihood that
their first-degree relative has OCD the
concordance rate increases to 10% this
increased risk is arguably due to the
share genetics with first-degree
relatives sharing 50% of their
genes identical twins who share 100% of
their genetic makeup also known as
monotic twins have been shown to have a
68% concordance rate for OCD while
nonidentical or dizygotic twins have a
31% concordance rate however you can see
in all of these cases the likelihood of
a relative also having OCD is lower than
their sh genetic material this is
because it is possible that genotypes
and phenotypes don't match giving a
physical example again someone could
have a genotype that gives them the
potential to be tall however they don't
receive nutrition when growing up then
the genotype will not be expressed and
their phenotype will be shorter than
their potential
in the same way not everyone with a
genetic vulnerability to OCD will go on
to develop the disorder this is called
the diis stress response the genetic
vulnerability is the diis and the stress
will be things like childhood neglect a
traumatic event or adult drug use
without the presence of the stressor
then the individual can have normal
mental health again we can use this as
an evaluation it shows that biological
processes alone are not a complete
explanation of behavior a quick quick
note in this video I've used physical
examples like blue eyes and height to
help you understand the relationship
between genotype and phenotype however
when writing about the work of
biological psychologists you need to
focus your writing on how genes can
influence the expression of behaviors
like aggression and OCD Evolution and
behavior it's likely you're aware of the
basic principles of evolution from
biology this is Darwin's idea that
organisms adapt to their environment
through natural selection creatures with
characteristics that make them more
likely survive and breed pass these
characteristics onto future members of
the population in other words adaptive
characteristics are selected for
generally evolution is used to explain
physical characteristics bigger muscles
faster legs stronger Wings evolutionary
psychologists argue that behavior is
also inherited an innate behavior that
gives a survival Advantage is selected
for and becomes more common in future
members of a species evolutionary
ologists explain human aggression this
way in early Hunter gaver societies
aggressive behavior particularly in
males was useful in protecting a family
hunting prey and standing out from the
other males when attracting a meate
those males that were less aggressive
were less likely to pass on their
passive genes we are all the descendants
of Hunter gabas who manag to pass on
their genes while high levels of
aggression are not as useful in modern
society we do still have the genes of
our ancestors and this might explain the
high levels of aggression in modern
males compared to females we've covered
the biological approach in detail and I
hope that helped you understand the
concepts not just remember them but if
you were to write an essay on the
biological approach then you wouldn't
need that level of detail this is a
summary of the main
points evaluating the biological
approach we can use any of the research
studies I've mentioned so far as
evaluations the nstat and Samar ones on
OCD the case study of tan and the family
and twin studies for genetics these
provide research evidence that
demonstrate the assumptions of the
biological approach worth remembering
all of them as we're going to be using
them again in the Psychopathology and
the bioc pychology unit we can also use
a diis stress response as an evaluation
of the biological approach as a whole
pointing out the difficulty of
separating the influence of nurture and
nature and behavior again another good
evaluation to remember for OCD and
schizophrenia you might have noticed I
try to reuse evaluations in these videos
as much as possible so there's less to
remember overall for most people the
most obvious positive evaluation of the
biological approach are the real life
applications of these theories
biological theories of mental health
conditions like schizophrenia OCD and
depression have led to the development
of Highly Effective drug therapies that
act on neurochemical processes one
example is the anti-depressant ssris
these work by reducing serotonin uptake
these drugs have helped millions of
people return to normal functioning live
more fulfilling lives and contribute to
the the economy by returning to work the
biological approach is also regarded as
highly scientific the biological tools
used include fmri scanners genetic
analysis and direct measurements of
biological substances like hormones and
neurotransmitter levels this direct
observation combined with highly
controlled research studies is more
objective than relying on self-report
methods or inferences used by other
psychological approaches this means we
tend to have more confidence in the
reliability of biological findings a
problem with taking a biological
perspective when explaining all behavior
is it leads to viewing Behavior as
biologically determined someone has a
mental health disorder because of an
imbalance of neur transmitters or
someone's a criminal because they've
inherited a criminal Gene this
biological determinism has consequences
arguing there a criminal Gene
potentially undermines the legal
system's Assumption of criminal
responsibility after all no one can
control the genes they are born with and
assuming someone's mental health is
fully biological in nature means it's
out of their control and they may need
to be dependent on anti-depressants
whereas a cognitive soft deterministic
perspective maybe more empowering
assuming an individual can alter their
own thought processes I want to thank
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