These are my notes for the biological approach in the As Psychology, I based them on the book "psychology coursebook" and on the powerpoints my teacher gave us. I hope you ace your exams and that these notes are helpful!!
You should be able to show understanding of:
the psychology that is being investigated
the background to that particular study
the aim(s) of the study
the procedure of the study,
ethical issues regarding the study
the results of the study
the conclusion(s) the psychologist(s) drew from the study
the strengths and weaknesses of all elements of the study.
You should be able to:
describe and evaluate the research methods used
consider how the study relates to psychological issues and
debates
apply the findings of the study to the real world.
What is the Biological approach?
The biological/physiological approach is the scientific study of biological and physiological
processes in the body and how this affects the behaviour
Emotions, behaviours and cognition…
Are controlled by biological systems and processes such as evolution, genes (DNA),
nervous system and hormones.
Can be investigated by manipulating and measuring biological responses, such as eye
movement, brain activity and pulse rate.
, CANLI et al. 2000
Event-related activation in the human amygdala associates with
later memory for individual emotional experience
Aim:
- Showing that emotive images will be remembered better than those that have little
emotional impact on an individual.
- Whether the amygdala is sensitive to varying degrees of emotional intensity on external
stimuli and whether the level in intensity enhances memory for the stimuli
Research methods:
- Lab experiment
- FMRI (functional magnetic resonance imagery) scanner used
- IV level of perceived emotional arousal of 96 different scene rating from 0 (not
emotionally intense) to 3 (very emotionally intense)
- DV FMRI measure of amygdala activation and memory of scene
- Repeated measures design
Sample:
10 right handed healthy women. Women chosen as they are more likely to report intense
emotional experiences.
Voluntary sampling
Procedure:
- P’s where asked for informed consent therefore no deception
- 96 images where presented through a mirror allowing the participant to see whilst lying,
not biasing the FMRI with movement)
- Valence ratings of these images ranged from 1.17(highly negative) to 5.44 (neutral)
- Order of the pictures was random for each p’s to avoid order effects (comparation of
emotive images)
- Each picture was presented for 2.88 seconds. With and interval of 12.96 seconds
- Once the picture presented, the p’s indicated the emotional arousal experience with their
right hand (0-3)
- The scale rating was contrasted with the FMRI amygdala activation
3 weeks later
2
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