The Biological Approach
Basic assumptions
-
Everything psychological is at first
biological
-
Investigates how biological structures +
processes impact behaviour
-
Much of human behaviour has a
physiological may be genetically /
cause
-
environmentally altered
-
Genes affect behaviour + influence
individual differences in behaviour
-
The mind lives in the brain
Genetic Basis of behaviour
-
Psychologists try to determine + provide
evidence for the extent to which
behaviours are the product of inheritance,
or environmental factors
Twin studies
-
Psychologists study twins to investigate
the genetic basis of behaviour
→ Monozygotic these twins are formed
=
when a fertilised egg cell splits in two
→
Dizygotic these twins
=
are formed when
two separate eggs become fertilised by
different sperm cells
-
Concordance rates the extent to which
=
a pair of twins share similar traits or
characteristics
, family studies
-
family studies research on
relatives are compared
where = close
certain traits
such as IQ in order to determine
whether genetic factors underlie these
traits
Adoption studies
-
Involve comparing a trait or characteristic
between adopted
children their +
biological or adoptive parents
selective breeding
-
Involves artificially selecting male +
female animals for a particular trait
-
Demonstrates how behavioural
characteristics may have a genetic
basis
Genotype + Phenotype
Genotype genes only determine the
-
-
.
potential for characteristics
•
Phenotype Observable characteristics
=
of an individual
-
The phenotype depends on the
interaction of genetic environmental +
factors
Genotype
•
The actual set of genes an individual
has, or is made up of
•
Genetic material is made up of DNA
Basic assumptions
-
Everything psychological is at first
biological
-
Investigates how biological structures +
processes impact behaviour
-
Much of human behaviour has a
physiological may be genetically /
cause
-
environmentally altered
-
Genes affect behaviour + influence
individual differences in behaviour
-
The mind lives in the brain
Genetic Basis of behaviour
-
Psychologists try to determine + provide
evidence for the extent to which
behaviours are the product of inheritance,
or environmental factors
Twin studies
-
Psychologists study twins to investigate
the genetic basis of behaviour
→ Monozygotic these twins are formed
=
when a fertilised egg cell splits in two
→
Dizygotic these twins
=
are formed when
two separate eggs become fertilised by
different sperm cells
-
Concordance rates the extent to which
=
a pair of twins share similar traits or
characteristics
, family studies
-
family studies research on
relatives are compared
where = close
certain traits
such as IQ in order to determine
whether genetic factors underlie these
traits
Adoption studies
-
Involve comparing a trait or characteristic
between adopted
children their +
biological or adoptive parents
selective breeding
-
Involves artificially selecting male +
female animals for a particular trait
-
Demonstrates how behavioural
characteristics may have a genetic
basis
Genotype + Phenotype
Genotype genes only determine the
-
-
.
potential for characteristics
•
Phenotype Observable characteristics
=
of an individual
-
The phenotype depends on the
interaction of genetic environmental +
factors
Genotype
•
The actual set of genes an individual
has, or is made up of
•
Genetic material is made up of DNA
