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WJEC Psychology - Debates Questions and
Verified Answers
What is the title for the biological debate?
Ans: The ethics of neuroscience
What is the first area of the ethics of neuroscience?
Ans: Treating and understanding criminal behaviour via neuroscience.
Neuroscience helps identify neurological causes of behaviour (example)
Ans: Raine et al (1997)
NGRI murderers had decreased glucose metabolism in brain areas
associated with behavioural control, e.g, the prefrontal cortex.
Led to better understanding of of crime and compassionate approaches to
criminal justice system such as rehabilitation and treatment rather than
punishment
Cherek et al (2002)
Ans: Treated offenders with brain related issues (such as low serotonin)
with medications (e.g SSRI's) to reduce aggression and impulsivity.
Offering pharmacological treatment to criminals to reduce criminal
behaviour would benefit society as crime rates would decrease.
What can neuroscience help to identify?
Ans: Early warning signs of criminal behaviour, therefore enabling early
intervention through psychological support and therapeutic measures before
criminal behaviour develops.
What ethical concerns must be addressed before implementing findings in
criminal justice system?
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Ans: It may remove responsibility if criminal behaviour is due to brain
abnormalities
Labels individuals as 'dangerous' if they too have the brain abnormalities
Bennett et al (2009) - a dead salmon showed that brain scans can produce
false positives
Using neuroscience to influence thoughts/behaviours without full consent
could violate the individuals rights
What is the second area of the ethics of neuroscience?
Ans: Using neuroscience to treat abnormal behaviour and improve mental
health
Neuroscience can help identify the biological causes of mental disorders such as
depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia. What has this lead to?
Ans: More targeted treatments with better outcomes. E.g, Brain scans like
MRI's have helped understand the cause of depression (low serotonin)
leading to medications such as SSRI's to balance neurotransmitters.
What advanced treatments has neuroscience enabled?
Ans: Deep brain stimulation (DBS), which targets malfunctioning brain
areas by implanting electrodes.
Has DBS been successful?
Ans: DBS has shown promise for treatment-resistant conditions, with some
patients experiencing dramatic symptom reduction, such as 4/6 patients
with depression.
How has neuroscientific research helped with identifying Alzheimer's?
Ans: It has identified key brain change in Alzheimer's, such as amyloid
plaques and tau tangles, which help explain its progression and causes.
Early detection of these changes is possible before symptoms appear.
What is an ethical concern of this approach, and why is this an issue?
WJEC Psychology - Debates Questions and
Verified Answers
What is the title for the biological debate?
Ans: The ethics of neuroscience
What is the first area of the ethics of neuroscience?
Ans: Treating and understanding criminal behaviour via neuroscience.
Neuroscience helps identify neurological causes of behaviour (example)
Ans: Raine et al (1997)
NGRI murderers had decreased glucose metabolism in brain areas
associated with behavioural control, e.g, the prefrontal cortex.
Led to better understanding of of crime and compassionate approaches to
criminal justice system such as rehabilitation and treatment rather than
punishment
Cherek et al (2002)
Ans: Treated offenders with brain related issues (such as low serotonin)
with medications (e.g SSRI's) to reduce aggression and impulsivity.
Offering pharmacological treatment to criminals to reduce criminal
behaviour would benefit society as crime rates would decrease.
What can neuroscience help to identify?
Ans: Early warning signs of criminal behaviour, therefore enabling early
intervention through psychological support and therapeutic measures before
criminal behaviour develops.
What ethical concerns must be addressed before implementing findings in
criminal justice system?
, Page | 2
Ans: It may remove responsibility if criminal behaviour is due to brain
abnormalities
Labels individuals as 'dangerous' if they too have the brain abnormalities
Bennett et al (2009) - a dead salmon showed that brain scans can produce
false positives
Using neuroscience to influence thoughts/behaviours without full consent
could violate the individuals rights
What is the second area of the ethics of neuroscience?
Ans: Using neuroscience to treat abnormal behaviour and improve mental
health
Neuroscience can help identify the biological causes of mental disorders such as
depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia. What has this lead to?
Ans: More targeted treatments with better outcomes. E.g, Brain scans like
MRI's have helped understand the cause of depression (low serotonin)
leading to medications such as SSRI's to balance neurotransmitters.
What advanced treatments has neuroscience enabled?
Ans: Deep brain stimulation (DBS), which targets malfunctioning brain
areas by implanting electrodes.
Has DBS been successful?
Ans: DBS has shown promise for treatment-resistant conditions, with some
patients experiencing dramatic symptom reduction, such as 4/6 patients
with depression.
How has neuroscientific research helped with identifying Alzheimer's?
Ans: It has identified key brain change in Alzheimer's, such as amyloid
plaques and tau tangles, which help explain its progression and causes.
Early detection of these changes is possible before symptoms appear.
What is an ethical concern of this approach, and why is this an issue?
