AQA Psychology Key approaches Spec B

Strengths

• The Biological approach uses scientific methods when conducting research and experiments.
• It gives strong strong arguments for the nature side of the nature-nurture debate
• The biological approach has heped society in many ways , for example drugs that help with disorders such as bipolar and depression.
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Weakness'

• The biological approach is reductionist. it only explains all thoughts nd behaviour by terms of nerves or chemicals
• The approach is too simplistic, it fails to consider other factors such as environmental factors and how they can also have an influence on behaviour.
• The approach raises ethical issues. For example genetic mapping. There could be negative consequences from artificially manupilating our genetic make-up.
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Key Points

• The biological approaches stresses the importance of nature in the nature -nurture  debate
• The principles of biology are applied to psychology so we understand behaviours such as imprinting.
• biology enables psychologists to manipulate a species genetic make-up in order to investigate the genetic basis of behaviour.
• Darwins theory of evolution shows how our strongest genes stay with us through generations to help us survive, whilst the maladaptive genes die out.
• This approach allows us to observe many examples of evolutionary behaviour in different species, for example sexual selection, and in humans - the rooting reflex.