The Biological Approach

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Describe And Evaluate The Biological Approach The biological approach is split up into three main principals; Physiology which is an investigation into the brain, nervous system, hormones and how they work. The investigation of heritability, understanding the role that genes may have on our behaviour. And also the comparative method which is the when animals are studied and then compared with humans. The majority of cells in the human body contain a nucleus, the nucleus contains 46 chromosomes, these are made up of a chemical called deoxyribonucleic acid (also known as DNA). The DNA in each chromosome carries information called genes. For our entire life these genes influence our body and all its functions. Research on the influence of genes has often been carried out on animals such as rats. Psychologists can then manipulate certain genes so they can measure the effects on human behaviour. Selective breeding, genetic engineering and genetic mapping programmes help us understand the genetic basis of behaviour. Bock and Goode found that when mice were raised by themselves they were more aggressive and tended to attack other males when exposed to other animals for the first time. The mice were never brought up or taught to be aggressive; this was simply just their behaviour. This study shows that there was a genetic tendency for aggression. This study can be explained by the evolution of behaviour. The evolution of behaviour was originally founded by Darwin in 1859, this is the theory that all things have evolved over time from their ancestors through the natural selection process. Natural selection tells us that the strongest genes survive and are then passed onto the next generation whilst weaker genes eventually die out. Scientific evidence was provided to show that either species had adapted to their environment and therefore survive or become maladaptive and
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