The Influence of Genes
- The Biological approach assumes everything psychological was first biological and so to understand human behaviour we have to look at the biological structures within them.
The Influence of genetics
- Typically each individual is born with 23 pairs of chromosomes which they get from their biological parents, these are our genotypes. These form our DNA, which carries instructions for our characteristics
- Biological psychologists believe that our genetics influence our behaviour e.g. intelligence is inherited in the same way that height is
- To investigate our genetic influence, twin studies are used and concordance rates are analysed, to show the extent to which twins share the same characteristic/s
- If a characteristic is genetic, it would be expected that all MZ twins would share the characteristics as they share 100% of their genetics
- McGuffin et al. (1996) found there was a 46% chance if one twin had depression, that the other twin would also have it. This suggests there is a genetic component to illnesses such as depression
Evaluation points
- The biological approach is deterministic, meaning it sees everything is pre-determined by genetics and biological structures, this is a simplistic view and ignores the effects the environment has on the development
- However, the biological approach has many real-world applications, such as the success of drug therapies, like antidepressants, in treating psychological disorders
Exam Tip
It is important to remember the biological approach has always played an important role in psychology, however, due to technological advances, allowing the study of the body and brain scanning techniques, it has increased psychologists understanding of the genetic basis of behaviour.
When discussing the strengths and limitations of the biological approach, it is important to acknowledge this and the development it has had on treatments.
