Key Concepts
SAQ Structure
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Key researchAuthors: Newcomer et al. (1999)
Title: Decreased memory performance in healthy humans induced by stress-level cortisol treatment. Authors: Rosenzweig et al. (1972) Title: Brain changes in response to experience. Authors: Bouchard et al. (1990) Title: Sources of Human Psychological Differences: The Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart. |
Model Short Answer question:Outline principles that define the biological level of analysisA model short answer question (SAQ) response to the examination question: Outline principles that define the biological level of analysis.
Important! This examination question commonly takes the form: ‘Outline two principles that define the biological level of analysis.’ If you mention there are three principles and state each, the examiner is required to award marks on the first two you have listed. Thus, if you list principles 1, 2 and 3 in order in your introduction. But go on to expand on principles 2 and 3. The examiner has to mark you on principles 1 (which you have mentioned but not outlined) and 2. And award no marks for principle 3. Yes, very, very pedantic! Biological psychology is a branch or type of psychology that brings together biology and psychology to understand behaviour and thought. Biological psychology looks at the link between biology and psychological events such as how information travels throughout our bodies (neural impulses, axons, dendrites, etc.), how different neurotransmitters effect behaviours. There are three principles that define the biological level of analysis which will each be covered, in turn.
Principle 1: There are biological correlates of behaviour. This means that there are physiological origins of behaviour such as neurotransmitters, hormones, specialised brain areas, and genes. The biological level of analysis is based on reductionism, which is the attempt to explain complex behaviour in terms of simple causes. Principle 1 demonstrated in: Newcomer et al. (1999) performed an experiment on the role of the stress hormone cortisol on verbal declarative memory. Group 1 (high dose ... |