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Flashcards

The Biological Approach and Neuroanatomy (WIP)

Evelyn Widdrington-Fox Applied Psychology BTEC English 41 cards

Cards in this deck (41)

  1. 1XYY SYNDROME- Rare chromosomal disorder in males - Extra Y chromosome in sperm cell - Extra testosterone = increased aggression - Supports idea that biology impacts behaviour - Jacob et al. (1965) found association between XYY & imprisonment for violence - Old study so mightn't be valid at present
  2. 2DOPAMINE IN INTROVERSION AND EXTROVERSION- Dopamine is important neurotransmitter for into/extroversion - Internal reward for pursuing external rewards - Introverts less driven by dopamine; don't seek or need external stimulation like extroverts
  3. 3LANEY & NEUROCHEMISTRY- Laney says basis of being an introvert lies in neurochemistry - Brain contains over 60 neurotransmitters with different functions causing behaviours or effects on the body - It can impact personality traits, intro/extroversion, & mental health disorders - Laney argues children show tendency toward introversion or extroversion from birth, which means it is inherited & part of our genetics
  4. 4GENOTYPE AND PHENOTYPE- GENOTYPE: genes we possess & what they code for - PHENOTYPE: how genes are expressed - Interactionist approach as the distinction between the two suggests most behaviours are due to interaction of inherited & environmental factors - Genotype & phenotype can be same or different (e.g. genotype coding brown hair; through environmental factors (hair dye), the phenotype becomes red)
  5. 5PARENTAL GENE INHERITANCE-At birth we have around 20000 genes - 50% from mother, 50% from father - More genes shared, the closer related
  6. 6MATTHEWS (2019) AND INTRO/EXTROVERSION- Biological functions heavily influence personality - Studied brain functions & genetics - Extroverts had lower sensitivity to dopamine due to more dopamine receptors - Extroverts need more dopamine to feel happy compared to introverts; get this from external factors
  7. 7ASSUMPTIONS OF THE BIOLOGICAL APPROACH: Behaviour & Evolution- According to Darwin, genetically determined behaviours continue into future generations - Behaviours that continue are naturally selected because they enhanced chances of survival/reproduction
  8. 8BIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY- Scientific branch of psychology - Aims to explain behaviour by understanding the biological factors that're involved - Biological structures & processes within the body have big effect on psychological functions & behaviour
  9. 9ASSUMPTIONS OF THE BIOLOGICAL APPROACH: Influence of biology on behaviour- Behaviour influenced by biology - Everything psychological is firstly biological - Thoughts, behaviours & feelings have physical, measurable basis, split into 3 areas - CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM: controls entire body; different regions perform different functions; damage can seriously affect functions - GENES: units of DNA inherited from parents; interact with environmental factors & determine behaviour - NEUROCHEMISTRY/NEUROTRANSMITTERS: chemical messengers that have functions in brain impacting behaviour
  10. 10GENES- Located on chromosomes - Humans have 46 chromosomes - Each gene made up of strands of DNA - Genes split up into genotype & phenotype
  11. 11PHENYLKETONURIA (PKU)- Example of genotype vs. phenotype - Tested via heel prick as a baby - Extremely rare disorder caused by inability to digest phenylalanine - Present in most fizzy drinks - Digesting this with PKU can cause extreme learning difficulties, seizures & behavioural problems - People can have the phenotype of PKU, but as long as they never digest phenylalanine they'll never display the phenotype (behavioural changes)
  12. 12SRY GENE- Determines sex - Located on Y chromosome (which is a stunted X missing genetic material) - Before birth, SRY switches on other genes causing testes & male hormones to develop - Without it, other genes remain inactive & cause development of a female baby instead - All babies begin development as female, which is why males have nipples
  13. 13LIMITATIONS OF GENOTYPE AND PHENOTYPE- Oversimplification risks in some research - Rare that one gene causes/determines behaviours - E.g. the BRCA1 gene doesn't cause cancer but increases risk - No human behaviour caused by single genes but interaction of hundreds or more - Genes don't produce effects in isolation & interact with the environment -
  14. 14STRENGTHS OF GENOTYPE AND PHENOTYPE- Interactionist approach (considers things from more than one aspect) - Takes aspects from our biology & environment - E.g. aversion of the BRCA1 gene links to increased breast cancer risk, but not every woman with the gene develops it, suggesting environmental factors explained by genotype & phenotype
  15. 15TWIN STUDIES- Used to study how much genes have an influence on behaviour - Compare differences between monozygotic (100% identical) & dizygotic twins (50& identical) - Looks for the degree of concordance (similarity) between identical & fraternal twins
  16. 16BOUCHARD AND MCGUE (1981)- Conducted review of 111 worldwide studies - Compared IQ of family members - Showed that the more genes shared (closer related) the more similarities in IQ - Methodological flaws which reduce validity - Included many poorly performed & biased studies in their meta-analysis
  17. 17DR. MONEY- Twins went for circumcision for a medical condition - Bruce had castration due to faulty medical equipment - Money believed gender was environmental - Parents told to raise him as female & gave her oestrogen - Brenda was never told the truth, & realised she was more comfortable with boys - Transitioned to male as David after being told - Both twins committed suicide due to trauma caused by the study & research
  18. 18NEUROANATOMY- Study of the structure & organisation of the nervous system - As vertebrates possess bilateral symmetry, their nervous system is divided into internal structures of the brain & spinal cord (Central Nervous System) - Sensory nerves branch out from the CNS to peripheral nervous system (PNS)
  19. 19NEUROANATOMY: The Cerebrum- Most basic neuroanatomical feature - Division between the left & right hemispheres of the brain - Comprises of 85% of the brain's weight - Largest part of the brain - Controls language, conscious thought, hearing, somatosensory (sense of touch) functions, memory, personality development & vision
  20. 20NEUROANATOMY: Left and Right Hemispheres- RIGHT side of the hemisphere controls muscle movement on left side of the body - LEFT side controls muscle movement of the RIGHT side of the body - Both sides of the brain look alike - Difference in how they process information - Both work together, connected by the corpus callosum
  21. 21NEUROANATOMY: Cerebral Cortex- Exterior surface of the cerebrum - Convoluted (folded) grey-coloured layer known as grey matter - Convolutions made of bulges (gyri) separated by small grooves (sulci) & larger grooves (fissures) - About 66% of the brain's surface is hidden in the fold of the sulci - Total surface area about 16 ft² - Key role in memory, attention, perceptual awareness, thought, language & consciousness
  22. 22NEUROANATOMY: Frontal LobeA correctly functioning frontal lobe:
    - suppresses socially inappropriate behaviour - predicts consequences of actions - plays a role in the choice between good & bad actions - plays a role in intelligence & personality
  23. 23NEUROANATOMY: Parietal LobeA correctly functioning parietal lobe:
    - assists with interpretation of touch - plays a role in the knowledge of numbers & their relationships - helps with the understanding of objects, shapes & space
  24. 24NEUROANATOMY: Occipital LobeA correctly functioning occipital lobe:
    - processes & makes sense of visual information
  25. 25NEUROANATOMY: Temporal LobeA correctly functioning temporal lobe:
    - assists with the perception & interpretation of sound - plays a role in the recognition of objects & visual memory
  26. 26NEUROANATOMY: Cerebellum and Brainstem- CEREBELLUM: plays a major role in balance & voluntary motor skills - BRAINSTEM: allows the transfer of information between the brain & body; plays a role in automatic functions (e.g. heartbeat & breathing)
  27. 27NEUROANATOMY: The Limbic System- Includes brain structures such as Hippocampus, Amygdala & the Hypothalamus - Involved in behavior & emotional responses, especially when it comes to survival
  28. 28NEUROANATOMY: Language Area - Broca's Area and Wernicke's Area- BROCA'S AREA: Located in left hemisphere - Associated with speech production & articulation
    - WERNICKE'S AREA: Located in temporal lobe - Connected to Broca's area by a neural pathway - Primarily involved in the comprehension of language
  29. 29BROCA'S AREA RESEARCH - TAN (1861- Tan had no motor issues to prevent him from producing speech correctly & could understand speech, but was unable to produce it - After Tan died, Broca did an autopsy on his brain & 8 other patients - Found a lesion on Tan's & the patients' left frontal lobes - This is now known as Broca's area
  30. 30NEUROANATOMY: Motor Area- Each hemisphere has a motor area - Controls the voluntary movement of the opposite side of the body - Damage can cause loss of control over fine movements
  31. 31SEX DIFFERENCES IN BRAIN STRUCTURE- Total brain volume is greater in males - Thalamus (controls signals from the sense organs [eyes, ears, etc.] to other brain areas) is usually bigger in females - Females have stronger nerve connections between hemispheres - Ritchie et al. (2018) showed the cortex is usually thicker in females - And that cortical thickness varies more in males than in women
  32. 32HARLOW (1868) AND PHINEAS GAGE-
  33. 33STRENGTHS OF HARLOW (1868)-
  34. 34WEAKNESSES OF HARLOW (1868)-
  35. 35STRENGTHS OF LOCALISATION-
  36. 36WEAKNESSES OF LOCALISATION-
  37. 37LATERALISATION-
  38. 38LATERISATION: Left Hemisphere-
  39. 39LATERISATION: Right Hemisphere-
  40. 40STRENGTHS OF LATERALISATION-
  41. 41WEAKNESSES OF LATERALISATION-

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Description
Flashcard deck for the Biological Approaches section of Unit 1: Psychological Approaches and Applications in BTECH Applied Psychology. Covers key topics such as neuroanatomy, localisation of function and lateralisation, key studies (Harlow and Phineas Gage) and evaluation.
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