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Psychology question help

Hey guys. I was doing revision for psychology and I came across a question which states "Outline and Evaluate the biological approach to explaining behaviour" I believe that firstly I would define what the biological approach is, which im fine with. And then I would explain the advantages and disadvatages using examples?

I dont know if thats what I have to do but could someone explain to me how to answer the evaluation part and writing a little example of how youd answer the question would be extremely helpful too :smile:

Last question. I read that the biologocal approach is reductionist?? I tried googling what it means but I cant seem to find an answer that is written simply so I can undertand. Could someone please explain that too? Thanks :smile: !
Reductionist means it reduces a complex human behaviour to smaller component parts e.g attributing human aggression to one hormone or one part of the brain - simplifying it

When talking about reductionism in a essay say what it is, relate to subject in question (what behaviour and what simple explanation/ part given) then suggest positive and negative aspects of this simplification e.g P: single hormones/parts of the brain can be directly targeted with medication (=easier to treat) N: other explanations suggest social factors play a role...

I was on the old psych specification last year. What exam board are you on and what behaviour is the question referring to?


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Reply 2
Original post by LillyB14
Reductionist means it reduces a complex human behaviour to smaller component parts e.g attributing human aggression to one hormone or one part of the brain - simplifying it

When talking about reductionism in a essay say what it is, relate to subject in question (what behaviour and what simple explanation/ part given) then suggest positive and negative aspects of this simplification e.g P: single hormones/parts of the brain can be directly targeted with medication (=easier to treat) N: other explanations suggest social factors play a role...

I was on the old psych specification last year. What exam board are you on and what behaviour is the question referring to?


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Ah okay, thank you :smile: and im sitting aqa. And the question doeant state any specific behaviour. It just says behaviour
Original post by Enya1998
Ah okay, thank you :smile: and im sitting aqa. And the question doeant state any specific behaviour. It just says behaviour


Ah okay with the old aqa spec you had to relate the approach/theory to the behaviour mentioned e.g aggression, gender etc


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Original post by Enya1998
Hey guys. I was doing revision for psychology and I came across a question which states "Outline and Evaluate the biological approach to explaining behaviour" I believe that firstly I would define what the biological approach is, which im fine with. And then I would explain the advantages and disadvatages using examples?

I dont know if thats what I have to do but could someone explain to me how to answer the evaluation part and writing a little example of how youd answer the question would be extremely helpful too :smile:

Last question. I read that the biologocal approach is reductionist?? I tried googling what it means but I cant seem to find an answer that is written simply so I can undertand. Could someone please explain that too? Thanks :smile: !

Do you do the AQA exam board? If so I'm in upper sixth and can help you out with anything so if you have any other problems just send me a message. Im hoping to do psychology next year at uni so it'll be good practice for me. Firstly the essay will be a potential 16 marker so you would be marked out of 6 to describe the approach and 10 marks to evaluate. This means you need 5 evaluation points to get full marks.
i wrote this essay when i was in lower sixth last year:

One assumption within the Biological approach is the effect of evolution on behaviour. This is the theory that our behaviour is determined by our genes, Darwins theory of evolution was the idea that random changes occurred within genes. If these new genes had a beneficial impact on the survival of certain species the gene would be passed on. If it didn't it would not. This is the theory of natural selection.

A second assumption of the biological approach is our internal body processes also impact on behaviour. Such as the nervous system. The nervous system is composed of the CNS and the PNS. The PNS job is to connect the CNS to organs and muscles. The PNS is composed of the ANS which controls the survival of the body and fight or flight response. The PNS also contains the somatic which sends and receives information regarding the senses.

An advantage of the Biological approach is that it has high scientific validity. This means objective and measurable methods are used to record and analyse behaviour. For example brains scans such as PET scans which record the activity of brains. This is an advantage because it allows a cause and effect to be established with a definite conclusion of results as scientific experiments are carried out in controlled conditions. Furthermore giving the theory a lot of respect in the scientific community.

Another advantage of the approach is that it has a lot of practical applications. For example the biological approach has been used to explain the symptoms of OCD suffered. This has gone on to lead to the creation of treatments such as SSRI's. These extend the time serotonin spends in the synapse so much is transmitted and less is retaken up to the presynaptic neutron too early. This is an advantage because it means the approach can be used to improve an individuals quality of life which can indirectly benefit the economy.

A disadvantage of the Biological approach is that it is deterministic. This approach is deterministic because it insinuates that all our behaviour is caused by our genes and genetic makeup. For example if a man had high levels of testosterone they would experience high levels of aggression. This is a disadvantage because the theory suggests an individual has no control over their actions as it is decided for us through our DNA. This therefore contradicts the idea of everyone having free will.

A second disadvantage is that our behaviour is reduced down to our genes. For example aggression's only cause is from our genes and is not influenced by any external factors. This is a disadvantage because it is a very simplistic view point that rules out other factors and suggests that their is no other explanation except for our genes being responsible. However we know that everybody has free will and that our behaviour is influenced by our peers and other people around us showing that this approach isn't as simplistic as it seems.

other evaluation points include(couldn't be bothered writing anymore haha ) - lots of research backing (twin studies ), people refusing to take responsiliblty for their behaviour (as it suggest people aren't to blame) and what impact this has on the world
(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 5
Original post by halliethestudent
Do you do the AQA exam board? If so I'm in upper sixth and can help you out with anything so if you have any other problems just send me a message. Im hoping to do psychology next year at uni so it'll be good practice for me. Firstly the essay will be a potential 16 marker so you would be marked out of 6 to describe the approach and 10 marks to evaluate. This means you need 5 evaluation points to get full marks.
i wrote this essay when i was in lower sixth last year:

One assumption within the Biological approach is the effect of evolution on behaviour. This is the theory that our behaviour is determined by our genes, Darwins theory of evolution was the idea that random changes occurred within genes. If these new genes had a beneficial impact on the survival of certain species the gene would be passed on. If it didn't it would not. This is the theory of natural selection.

A second assumption of the biological approach is our internal body processes also impact on behaviour. Such as the nervous system. The nervous system is composed of the CNS and the PNS. The PNS job is to connect the CNS to organs and muscles. The PNS is composed of the ANS which controls the survival of the body and fight or flight response. The PNS also contains the somatic which sends and receives information regarding the senses.

An advantage of the Biological approach is that it has high scientific validity. This means objective and measurable methods are used to record and analyse behaviour. For example brains scans such as PET scans which record the activity of brains. This is an advantage because it allows a cause and effect to be established with a definite conclusion of results as scientific experiments are carried out in controlled conditions. Furthermore giving the theory a lot of respect in the scientific community.

Another advantage of the approach is that it has a lot of practical applications. For example the biological approach has been used to explain the symptoms of OCD suffered. This has gone on to lead to the creation of treatments such as SSRI's. These extend the time serotonin spends in the synapse so much is transmitted and less is retaken up to the presynaptic neutron too early. This is an advantage because it means the approach can be used to improve an individuals quality of life which can indirectly benefit the economy.

A disadvantage of the Biological approach is that it is deterministic. This approach is deterministic because it insinuates that all our behaviour is caused by our genes and genetic makeup. For example if a man had high levels of testosterone they would experience high levels of aggression. This is a disadvantage because the theory suggests an individual has no control over their actions as it is decided for us through our DNA. This therefore contradicts the idea of everyone having free will.

A second disadvantage is that our behaviour is reduced down to our genes. For example aggression's only cause is from our genes and is not influenced by any external factors. This is a disadvantage because it is a very simplistic view point that rules out other factors and suggests that their is no other explanation except for our genes being responsible. However we know that everybody has free will and that our behaviour is influenced by our peers and other people around us showing that this approach isn't as simplistic as it seems.

other evaluation points include(couldn't be bothered writing anymore haha ) - lots of research backing (twin studies ), people refusing to take responsiliblty for their behaviour (as it suggest people aren't to blame) and what impact this has on the world

Thank you so much! That helped me so much :smile: really appreciate that thank you
Demonstrate how psychosocial theory helpful for guidance of individuals.

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