Biological Psychology - Basics
AO1: Gottesman and Shields (1966) - Aim
If SZ has genetic basis
AO1: Gottesman and Shields (1966) - Sample
62 SZ patients (31m, 31f) All hospitalised before 1964. 24 MZ twins, 33 DZ twins identified using eg blood grouping.
AO1: Gottesman and Shields (1966) - Procedure
- Hospital notes
- Semi structured interviews with twins and parents
- 30 min tape recording of speech
- Personality tests
- Psychometric tests
AO1: Gottesman and Shields (1966) - Results
- 42% MZ twins, 9% DZ twins diagnosed with SZ
- Average rate of SZ in general population was 1% therefore, person that is a MZ twin is 42 times more likely to have SZ
AO1: Gottesman and Shields (1966) - Conclusion
Closer genetic link, more likely twins have SZ. But MZ concordance rate was below 100% so genes may lead to liability towards SZ but needs to have environmental trigger.
AO3: Gottesman and Shields (1966) - Generalisability
Low - only used SZ twins that were hospitalised before 1964 so not representative of non-twin population so results of SZ basis won't apply completely
AO3: Gottesman and Shields (1966) - Reliability
High - Quant data collected in terms of % of twins with SZ to make comparisons so can help understand SZ basis
AO3: Gottesman and Shields (1966) - Population validity
High - wanted to study relation between genetics and SZ using MZ and DZ twins (controlled variables)
AO3: Gottesman and Shields (1966) - Interpretator bias
Low - can allow bias to occur when listening to SZ patients tape recordings therefore SZ basis could be misinterpreted
AO3: Gottesman and Shields (1966) -Useful
Can carry out further research to understand how genes are involved in SZ
AO3: Gottesman and Shields (1966) -Less Useful
Difficult to separate nature vs nuture as SZ basis so can only find relationship
AO1: Kety et al (1968) - Aim
Finding genetic basis in SZ by comparing adoptive and biological family of SZ patients
AO1: Kety et al (1968) - Sample
- 34 SZ patients (mostly DZ twins) taken from Danish Adoption Register, aged between 20-43.
- Split into 3 groups: Chronic sufferer, Short-term sufferer, borderline diagnosis
- Matched to 33 non-SZ adoptees based on age of adoption and gender and social class of adoptive family
AO1: Kety et al (1968) - Procedure
- Used Danish family records, tracked down 463 records. Used mental health register to assess mental status.
- Relatives diagnosed by psychiatrists who were unaware of the relation to patient (blind test)
- Diagnosed into 3 categories: B (alike adoptive child), C (inadequate personality), D (diagnosis unclear)
AO1: Kety et al (1968) - Results
- More signs of SZ in both adoptive child and their biological family than adoptive family.
- More SZ found in adoptive biological family that control biological families
- Out of 150 biological relatives, 8.7% had SZ or inadequate personality compared to 1.9% in biological families of control sample.
AO1: Kety et al (1968) - Conclusion
- SZ has genetic component.
- Adoptive sample had more SZ in biological families than control sample
AO3: Kety et al (1968) - Generalisability
Low - only used SZ twins from Danish adoption agency so results of SZ basis not representative of other countries like UK
AO3: Kety et al (1968) - Reliability
High - collect quant data in terms of % of adoptive children with SZ to be compared to biological parents, objective, can gain better understanding of SZ basis.
AO3: Kety et al (1968) - Blind test
High - Less open to bias from psychiatrists about link between genes and SZ using adoptive twins, ppt and psychiatrist variables controlled, high validity
AO3: Kety et al (1968) - Quant data
Low - collecting quant data won't produce result of why there is a genetic link or specific types of SZ therefore limited explanation of SZ basis as only shown in twins
AO3: Kety et al (1968) - Useful
Extra help can be offered to adoptive families who adopt child with family history of SZ
AO3: Kety et al (1968) - Not useful
Could lead to discrimination of children up for adoption as they would be less likely to be adopted
Function of frontal lobe
Involved in higher cognitive functioning like problem solving, decision making, reasoning including motor skills and expressive language
Function of parietal lobe
Information processor like processing language
Function of occipitial lobe
Visuospatial processing, colour differentiation and motion perception
Function of temporal lobe
Hearing some aspects of language and memory making
Function of cerebellum
Motor control co-ordination of movements, motor learning
Function of spinal cord
Transmission of nerve signals from body to brain
Function of left hemisphere
- Sensory stimulus from right side of body
- Motor control of right side of body
- Speech, language, comprehension
- Analysis, calculations
- Time and sequencing
- Recognition of words, letters, numbers
Function of right hemisphere
- Sensory stimulus from left side of body
- Motor control of left side of body
- Creativity, spatialability
- Context, perception
- Recognition of faces, places, objects
Function of corpus callosum
Connects two hemispheres and enables communication between the two ("information highway")
Function of thalamus
Brain relay station, passes on information from senses
Function of hypothalamus
Regulates eating, drinking, release of sex hormones (testosterone, oestrogen)
Function of amygdala
Processes emotional responses, memory, decision making
Function of hippocampus
Memory consolidation, navigation, spatial awareness
Function of basal ganglia
Processes movement information and planning responses, linked to habit learning and reward
AO1: Brain scanning - CAT scan
- Multiple X-ray images of the brain from different angles.
- Researchers examine structure of brain "slice by slice" making cross sections.
- 3D images created from large series of 2D images
AO1: Brain scanning - PET scan point 1
- Radioactive tracer containing glucose (metabolised by body) injected into bloodstream.
- Positrons in tracer send signals to scanner, records level of brain activity.
AO1: Brain scanning - PET scan point 2
- 3D images made
- 2 scans carried out (active and inactive) to make comparisons of activity during task
- Scans colour coded to indicate areas of high/low glucose metabolism
AO1: Brain scanning - FMRI scan
- Measures brain function by looking at blood flow detecting changes in level of oxygen delivered to brain.
- Scan monitors changes in blood texture and colour delivered to brain.
- Most active areas where blood is oxygen rich
AO3: Scans - Reliability
High - Standardised, measuring biological functions within the brain eg measuring metabolism of glucose, can replicate to check for consistency
AO3: Scans - Quant data
High V - objective, which means there won't be any interpretation bias therefore more accurate measure
AO3: Scans - Ecological validity
Low - Carried out in controlled settings rather than the natrual environment meaning that less accurate as brains will function differently when in a natural setting
AO3: Scans - Subjectivity
Low - The images taken from the scans may need to be interpreted by researchers meaning subject to intepretation bias, less accurate
AO3: Scans - Useful
Allows us to detect problems in the brain like TBI so then we can develop treatment programmes
AO3: Scans - Less useful
Reductionist, like assumption that criminal behaviour is due to the brain and doesn't consider environmental factors