What are the 3 assumptions of the biological approach?
Assumptions (AO1) Focus on observable behavior (behavior that can be seen). Animals and humans learn in the same ways so behaviorists carry out experiments on animals and extrapolate the results to humans.
What are the advantages of biological approach?
It is very scientific because the experiments used are measurable, objective and can be repeated to test for reliability. It is deterministic because it increases the likelihood of being able to treat people with abnormal behaviour and provides explanations about the causes of behaviour.
Why is biological approach reductionist?
The biological approach to psychology is centered on understanding how the underlying biological processes contribute to human behavior. 4 This represents a type of reductionism because researchers are focused on a specific part of the human experience.
What do you see as the greatest contributions and limitations of the biological approach to personality?
Limitations of the Biological Perspective nurture debate (the debate about whether genetics or environment are more influential in human development). Hormones, neurotransmitters, and genetics are the key factors in this focus; the effects of environmental and social factors, however, are often overlooked.
How does biological approach explain depression?
Depression. The main biological explanations of depression are as follows: Genetic – there is considerable evidence that the predisposition to develop depression is inherited. Biochemistry, e.g. Amine hypothesis – low levels of mono amines predominantly noradrenaline and serotonin.
What is the key assumption of the biological perspective?
The main assumption of the biological approach is that behaviour can be explained with reference to specific structures and functions of the brain.
What are the disadvantages of biological theorists?
A limitation is that most biological explanations are reductionist, as it reduces behavior to the outcome of genes and other biological processes, neglecting the effects of childhood and our social and cultural environment. and don’t provide enough information to fully explain human behavior.
What are the shortcomings of biological theories of criminal behavior?
Another shortcoming of the biological theory of criminology is the fact that it does not provide causal evidence. That is, it cannot tell us if the biology causes the criminal activity or if the criminal activity causes the biological differences or if something else causes both of them.
What biological approach ignores?
Nature over nurture – mental illness has multiple causes, yet the biological approach focuses on just biology, tending to ignore life experiences and psychological factors such as how people think and feel.
What is the lowest level of explanation for a behavior according to a reductionist approach?
The lowest level of reductionism offers physiological explanation: these attempt to explain behavior in terms of neurochemical, genes and brain structure. At the highest sociocultural level, explanations focus on the influence on behavior of where and how we live.
How does the biological approach explain depression?
