Unit 2 - Biological Approach - Key Assumptions

A way messages are passed within the brain - by neurotransmitters. These are chemicals that pass from neuron to neuron. Between neurons there are gaps called synapses. If the receptors of the neuron are set to receive the neurotransmitters of another, then the message continues.

A way messages are passed around the body. They send messages more slowly than neurotransmitters and are used for different purposes. Hormones have a large part to play in our development as wither male or female, e.g., androgens are male hormones and oestrogens are female hormones.

This is how genes are passed on from parents to children and how they govern behaviour as well as physical characteristics. Children receive half of their genes from their father and the other half from their mother. It is often the combination of the position of genes that leads to certain characteristics, rather than one particular gene.

• The limbic system - linked to aggression
• The hippocampus - thought to be where short term memory occurs
• The brain is in two halves, joined by the corpus callosum. It is thought that females use both halves of their brain more than males.
• Brain lateralisation is the term used when considering the two halves of the brain separately.