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Ib Psychology Biological Level Of Analysis
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- 1First Principle-Behavior is biologically determined by physiological processes such as the nervous system neurotransmitters (e.g. serotonin) and the endocrine system (hormones e.g. adrenaline increases heart rate and fight or flight response)
"All that is psychological is first physiological" (Sperry) - 2Second Principle-Patterns of behavior can be inherited through genetics
-Some patterns of behavior may be a result of natural selection - 3Thirt Principle-The study of animals can inform our understanding of human behavior
-Psychologists use rats and monkeys for a lot of research but the results cannot always be generalized to humans - 4Lab Experiments-Controlled studies that attempt to find cause and effect relationships between independent and dependent variables
- 5Neuroimaging allow you to find brain regions (biological correlates) of behavior-PET
-fMRI - 6Correlational studies allow you to test the role of genetics vs. environment on behaviorTwin studies - twins reared apart to test the effect of genetic vs. environment on their behavior
~Any differences found between twins reared apart are considered environmental
-Family studies - 7Lesion studies allow you to find biological correlates of behavior, we assume the missing behavior and damaged brain area are related-Phineas Gage's personality changed because of damage to his frontal lobe area
-HM
-Clive Wearing - 8Explain one study related to localization of function in the brain ~Broca's Area-Aim: Broca noticed some patients had problems with speech production and he wanted to find out if their impediment was related to the brain
-Method: Dissected the brains of the patients to look for lesions
-Results: He found that there was an overlapping damaged area in the left frontal lobe of the patients
-Evaluation: MRI results of Broca's patients showed more damage than just Broca's area (Dronkers et al., 2007)
~Dronkers results suggests that the speech production difficulty of Broca's patients may be due to more extensive brain damage than just Broca's area
~Plaza et al., (2009) found that patients other brain areas took over the function of Broca's area if their Broca's area was damaged
-Conclusion: Broca's area is localized for some aspects of speech production but Broca's aphasia can be a combination of various lesions to brain areas beyond Broca's area - 9Explain one study related to localization of function in the brain ~Hippocampus and Spatial Navigation (Maguire et al., 2000)-Aim: Does the hippocampus play a role in spatial navigation?
-Method: The independent variable was the group of people and how much they had been navigating - they compared London taxi drivers to a control group
The dependent variable was the hippocampus size
-Results: They found that taxi drivers have a larger posterior hippocampus than the control group
The size of the posterior hippocampus positively correlated with how long the taxi drivers had been working as taxi drivers
-Conclusion: This suggests that the posterior hippocampus has the localized function of spatial navigation
The longer you spend taxi driving the more it affects the posterior size of the hippocampus
This suggests that practicing navigation (a form of cognition) affects hippocampal size (physiology)
You can also use this study for the syllabus point of an interaction of cognition and physiology - 10Using one or more examples, explain effects of neurotransmission on human behavior ~Serotonin and Risky Male Behavior in Monkeys (Higley et al., 1996)-Aim: Is serotonin related to taking risks?
-Method: A field study where they followed male monkeys who were migrating to new social groups
Measured the serotonin by extracting cerebrospinal flluid by placing needles in their spines
>The independent variable was dividing the monkeys into high, mid-high, mid-low and low serotonin groups
>The dependent variables were how aggressive the monkeys were observed to be, number of scars they had and death
-Results: 11/49 of the monkeys who died had low serotonin levels
-Conclusion: Monkeys with low levels of serotonin are more likely to take risks like fighting with other monkeys
-Evaluation: This field study has high ecological validity but lacks the control of lab experiments
~Sex difference - What about female monkeys?
~External validity - Do these results generalize to human males? - 11Using one or more examples, explain effects of neurotransmission on human behavior ~Serotonin and Risky Female Behavior in Monkeys (Westergaard et al., 1999)-Aim: Is serotonin related to taking risks for females?
-Method: Observational study of captive monkeys
>The independent variable was the species of monkey: rhesus monkeys or pigtailed macaques
>Rhesus monkeys are known to be aggressive
>Pigtailed macaques are known to be friendly
>The dependent variable was the level of serotonin they measured in the cerebrospinal fluid like Higley et al., 1996
>Another dependent variable was how aggressive the monkeys behaved and how many wounds they had
They placed each monkey in same sex groups to see how they behaved
-Results: Rhesus monkeys were more aggressive and had more wounds
Rhesus monkeys had less serotoninthan pigtailed macaques
-Conclusion: Serotonin inhibits risky behavior in females as well
-Evaluation: This field study has high ecological validity but lacks the control of lab experiments
~External validity - Do these results generalize to human females? - 12Using one or more examples, explain effects of neurotransmission on human behavior ~Serotonin and Gambling Monkeys (Long et al., 2009)Aim: Test if serotonin levels are related to gambling risks in a controlled environment
Method: They manipulated the amount of serotonin the monkeys could produce by forcing a certain type of diet
Tryptophan is the raw material required to produce serotonin and is found in certain foods
The independent variable was the tryptophan level of the diet which was high or low in tryptophan
High tryptophan meant more serotonin should be produced than the low tryptophan diet
The dependent variable was the choice the monkey made in the gambling task
In the gambling task the monkey could choose a safe option which would guarantee they would get a normal amount of juice
There was a riskier option where they could get a low or high amount of juice
Results: The low tryptophan group chose the risky option whereas the high tryptophan group chose the safe option
Conclusion: Levels of tryptophan as determined by diet can affect serotonin levels and risky behavior
Evaluation: Lab experiment had a high amount of control but a small sample size (only 3) and low ecological validity-Generalize? - 13Using one or more examples, explain functions of two hormones in human behavior ~Testosterone (aggressive hormone?)Rats are more aggressive when exposed to testosterone prenatally
Rats will bite and attack more
When you castrate male rates the aggression is reduced
Castrated males lose social dominance (Albert et al., 1986)
There is also a link between testosterone and aggression in primates (Higley et al., 1966) - 14Using one or more examples, explain functions of two hormones in human behavior ~Testosterone (and Criminal Males (Dabbs et al., 1995))Aim: Is testosterone related to the type of violent crimes males commit?
Method: Measured testosterone in the saliva of 692 male prisoners
Looked at the criminal records of the prisoners for violent and non-violent crimes
Results: Found that testosterone levels predicted violent crimes like homicide and rape
Conclusion: Testosterone levels may affect the types of violent crimes criminals commit
Evaluation: What about testosterone and violent crimes in females?
What about effects of environment like upbringing by parents?
There is a confounding variable of motivation for committing crimes: senseless violence or acts of vengeance. It is arguably more horrific if someone goes around murdering for fun rather than to right a wrong they feel was done to them
This study had a huge sample size which is a strength
It is a correlational study and therefore cannot imply causation - 15Using one or more examples, explain functions of two hormones in human behavior ~Testosterone (and Criminal Females (Dabbs and Hargrove, 1997))Aim: Is testosterone related to the type of violent crimes females commit and their behavior in prison?
Method: Measured testosterone in the saliva of 87 female prisoners
Looked at the criminal records of the prisoners for violent and non-violent crimes
Added an extra category of defensive violent which they defined as females being violent towards a perpetrator had abused them in the past
Results: Found that testosterone levels predicted violent crimes
Found that testosterone levels were related to their aggressive behavior in prison
Conclusion: Testosterone levels may affect the violent behavior in and out of prison
Evaluation: Considering females is a strength
What about effects of environment like upbringing by parents?
They fixed the confounding variable of motivation for committing crimes by adding the defensive violence category
Why didn't they use this category for the men in the 1995 study? Possible gender bias - 16Using one or more examples, explain functions of two hormones in human behavior ~Testosterone (and Aggression Evaluation Studies) 1Testosterone and Wrestlers (Fry et al., 2011)
Aim: Do testosterone levels change when you win a wrestling match?
Method: Measure blood in testsoterone of 12 collegiate wrestlers before and after their match
Results: Testosterone increased for both winners and losers but the winners had higher increases than the losers
Conclusion: Suggests that winning increases your testosterone more so than losing does
Evaluation: Is the testosterone related to how aggressive they were? Or is the testosterone only related to winning the match?
What about females? Only male wrestlers were used
This study supports the challenge hypothesis of testosterone which is explained later - 17Using one or more examples, explain functions of two hormones in human behavior ~Testosterone (and Aggression Evaluation Studies) 2Testosterone and Chess Players (Mazur et al., 1992)
Aim: Do testosterone levels change when you win a chess match?
Method: Measure testosterone in chess players
Results: Chess players who won had higher testosterone than players who lost
Conclusion: Chess is non-violent yet testosterone increased which suggests testosterone may be related to winning and gaining social status rather than just being more aggressive
Evaluation: What about other non-violent games in other cultures? - 18Using one or more examples, explain functions of two hormones in human behavior ~Testosterone (and Aggression Evaluation Studies) 3Testosterone and Fairness (Eisenegger et al., 2010)
Folk hypothesis of testosterone is that is it linked to aggression
Aim: Can testosterone lead to fair behavior? Does the belief in the folk hypothesis affect behavior?
Method: Human females received either testosterone or a placebo
They played an ultimatum game where participants had to choose how to divide money
The proposer could be fair or unfair (the dependent variable)
Results: Females who received testosterone made fair offers
Females who received placebo made unfair offers
Females who believed they received testosterone made unfair offers
Femals who believed they received placebo made fair offers
Conclusion: There is a social and biological factor at play in terms of testesterone and fairness
The biological factor of receiving testosterone increases fairness
The social factor of believing the folk hypothesis of testosterone affects fairness - 19Websites Used-~http://ibpsychrevision.blogspot.co.uk/p/biological.html
~http://ibpsychrevision.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/testosterone-aggressive-hormone.html
~http://ibpsychrevision.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/oxytocin-prosocial-hormone.html
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- Fichas sobre Ib Psychology Biological Level Of Analysis, creado por Molly Jones el 13/05/2016.
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