Download Biological Level of Analysis

Biological Level of Analysis
Examples of how candidates may show evidence of critical thinking on questions using the assessment objective 2 command
terms could include:
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analysis of the methodology and/or ethical considerations
application of empirical support in relation to a given problem or issue
using evidence from studies that support or disconfirm a theory, model or concept
synthesis of concepts from different levels of analysis
analysis of the interaction between biological, cognitive and cultural factors
addressing the issue of universality versus cultural differences (etic and emic methodology)
questioning the direction of cause and effect
address potential gender similarities and differences
Learning Objective
1. Outline principles that define the biological
level of analysis. (SAQ)
- Animal research is valid.
- Emotion and behavior is caused by biological
processes.
- Patterns of behavior can be inherited.
Research
- Animal research is valid.
> Rosenzweig (1972)
- Emotion and behavior is caused by biological
processes.
>Neurotransmission
>Hormones
- Newcomer et al. - cortisol
>Localization of brain function
- Patterns of behavior can be inherited.
>IQ
- Bouchard et al.
>Homosexuality
>Homicide
2. Explain one study related to localization of
- Hippocampus – transfers STM to LTM
brain function. (SAQ)
> Milner (1957)
- Hippocampus – transfers STM to LTM
> Corkin et al. (1997) – MRI – case study
- Amygdala – strong emotional responses
- Amygdala – strong emotional responses
- Corpus callosum
> Rauch et al. (1998) – PTSD
- Corpus callosum
> Gazzaniga – split-brain patients – case study
3. Interaction between cognition and physiology - Cortisol – memory
(FRQ)
> Newcomer et al. – experiment on humans,
- Cortisol – memory
cortisol injections
- Amygdala, hippocampus, and cortisol – PTSD - Amygdala, hippocampus, and cortisol – PTSD
Critical Analysis
n/a
n/a
- Harvard Medical School – contradicts Yale
University research, direction of cause and
effect (which came first, the smaller
hippocampus and amygdala or did the stressful
(memory, hypersensitivity, etcetera)
- Mirror neurons – social components of
perception
- Oxytocin – trust
- Hippocampus – HM’s anterograde amnesia
- Hippocampus – memory
(memory, hypersensitivity, etcetera)
> Yale University – prolonged stress damages
the amygdala
> Rauch et al. (1998) – male veterans and
female survivors of sexual abuse
> Bremner (2003) – prolonged stress damages
the amygdala
- Mirror neurons – social components of
perception
> Iacobone (2004) – correlational, MRI
- Oxytocin – trust
> Morhenn et al. (2008) – experiment – high
levels of oxytocin create high levels of trust
> New moms – correlational – higher
oxytocin levels
> New dads – lower testosterone levels
- Hippocampus – HM’s anterograde amnesia
- Hippocampus – memory
> Maguire (2010) – taxi drivers with great
spatial memory, hippocampus larger than
normal – MRI, correlational
event cause the shrinking?)
> Twin research
- Strength: same genetics, focus only on
environmental impact
- Culture/gender – Rauch et al. (1998) looked at
both men and women, women tend to be
victims of sexual violence more often than men
- Methodology
> Newcomer et al. – experiment
- Strength – clear cause and effect, placebo
group
- Limitation – ecological validity (being
injected with cortisol is not the same as
experiencing cortisol naturally)
4. Evaluate the use of brain imaging technology
(FRQ)
- CT (computed tomography) – soft tissue in the
brain, good for studying structures and damage
- MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) – specific
brain tissue scans
- fMRI (functional MRI) – brain activity in
specific brain areas
- PET (positron emission topography) –
abnormalities in brain activity
- CT (computed tomography) – soft tissue in the
brain, good for studying structures and damage
> Ogden (2005) - hemineglect
- MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) – specific
brain tissue scans
> Corkin et al. (1997) – temporal lobe
- fMRI (functional MRI) – brain activity in
specific brain areas
> Brefcynski-Lewis et al. (2007) - meditation
- PET (positron emission topography) –
abnormalities in brain activity
> Tierney et al. (2001) – case study on MA,
compensation/language
*Look on the yellow study packet for more
research (2.7)
- CT (computed tomography) – soft tissue in the
brain, good for studying structures and damage
> Strengths
- good for studying structures and damage
> Limitations
- doesn’t measure brain activity
- harder to manipulate
- doesn’t show clear blood flow
- MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) – specific
brain tissue scans
> Strengths
- safer than CT scans
- pictures can be manipulated
- shows shrinking of brain parts
> Limitations
- can be invasive
- fMRI (functional MRI) – brain activity in
specific brain areas
> Strengths
- safer than CT scans
- pictures can be manipulated
- can measure brain activity
- more precise than PET or MRI
- no radioactive injections
> Limitations
- can be invasive
- doesn’t show cause and effect relationship
- PET (positron emission topography) –
abnormalities in brain activity
> Strengths
- shows brain activity
- not just a picture of the brain
> Limitations
- can be invasive
5. Environment impacting physiological
- Brain plasticity, dendritic branching
- Rosenzweig (1971)
processes
> Rosenzweig (1972) – enriching environment
> Strengths – lab rats (high control), randomly
- Brain plasticity, dendritic branching
impact brain density
selected, clear cause and effect, implies that
- SAD (seasonal affective disorder) – melatonin
> Sneddon et al. (2002) – pigs in enriched and
humans will also be impacted by their
– lack of sunlight during specific seasons relates
impoverished environments – pigs in enriched
environment, brain size is not important (brain
- to circadian rhythm
environments learned faster
weight is)
- PTSD
> Brefcynski-Lewis et al. (2007) – meditation,
> Limitations – never showed how it impacted
visual cortex, areas of the brain related to
behavior (follow-up research did)
attention
> Ethical considerations – euthanized rats
> Draganski et al. (2004) – juggling
- Brefcynski-Lewis et al. (2007)
> Maguire et al. (2000) – taxi drivers, spatial
> Limitations
memory, hippocampi
- Participants – based on a personal
> Tierney et al. (2001) – case study on MA,
recording system, Asians and Caucasians
compensation/language
(not a balanced cultural component)
- SAD (seasonal affective disorder) – melatonin - Maguire et al. (2007)
– lack of sunlight during specific seasons relates
> Limitations – studied only male London taxi
to circadian rhythm
drivers, only scanned their brains
> Avery et al. (2001) – dawn simulation,
bright light therapy, and placebo red light –
only dawn simulation and bright light therapy
effectively adjusted the sleep cycle
- PTSD – amygdala, hippocampus, and cortisol
> Yale University – prolonged stress damages
the amygdala
> Rauch et al. (1998) – male veterans and
female survivors of sexual abuse
> Bremner (2003) – prolonged stress damages
the amygdala
6. Neurotransmission
- Dopamine – voluntary movement, pleasureseeking, goal-directed behavior, motivation,
addiction, Parkinson’s disease (too little
dopamine, need L-dopa), schizophrenia (too
much dopamine, need chlorpromazine)
- Serotonin – mood regulation
- Acetylcholine (ACh) – synaptic plasticity,
learning, STM
7. Hormones
- Adrenaline – adrenal medulla, emotion
- Cortisol – adrenal gland, memory
- Oxytocin – hypothalamus tells pituitary gland
in the brain to secrete hormone, trust, autism
- Melatonin – pineal gland in the brain, sleep
cycle
- Dopamine – voluntary movement, pleasureseeking, goal-directed behavior, motivation,
addiction, Parkinson’s disease (too little
dopamine, need L-dopa), schizophrenia (too
much dopamine, need chlorpromazine)
> Berridge and Kringelback (2009) –
correlational study using brain scans between
pleasure, dopamine, and specific brain
locations
> Fisher (2004) – addiction to love
- Serotonin – mood regulation
> Bonson et al. (1996) – LSD usage impacted
by Prozac – survey – Prozac decreases
symptoms of depression and made LSD less
effective
- Acetylcholine (ACh) – synaptic plasticity,
learning, STM
> Martinez and Kessner (1991) – experiment
on rats – the role of ACh on memory
formation – rats given injections (ACh
blocked, make rats more responsive to ACh
by cleaning out ACh, control) learn a maze –
group with ACh cleaned out most successful
- Adrenaline – adrenal medulla, emotion
> Schachter and Singer – link between
cognition and emotion, different emotions can
have the same physiological changes,
emotional response is based on contextual
clues, physiological changes – experiment
- Injection of adrenaline, different side
effect information given to participants
- Bonson et al. (1996) - survey
> Strengths: survey can be mass-distributed,
participants under treatment for depression
> Limitations: people can lie on survey
- Berridge and Kringelback (2009) correlational research
> Limitation: no clear cause and effect
- Neurotransmission not different across
genders and cultures
- Schachter and Singer
> Strengths: experiment (clear cause and
effect), deception (participants did not know
what they were getting injected with)
> Limitations: accuracy of emotions, some
people may minimize expression of strong
emotions in survey responses
- Oxytocin
8. Genetics (FRQ)
- Twin research
- Depression
- Schizophrenia
- Two different contexts
> Euphoria – encouraged to join in games
using office equipment
> Anger – confederate angry about
personal nature of questionnaire
- Observation, survey
- Results: those who were not given the
correct information were happiest
- Cortisol – adrenal gland, memory
> Newcomer et al. – experiment on humans,
cortisol injections
> PTSD
- Oxytocin – hypothalamus tells pituitary gland
in the brain to secrete hormone, trust, autism
> Baumgartner et al. (2008) – money games –
fMRI
> Morhenn et al. (2008) – experiment – high
levels of oxytocin create high levels of trust
> Yale (2012) – low levels of oxytocin present
in patients with ASD (autism spectrum
disorder), low trust levels
> Holt-Lunstad et al. (2008) – trust and
bonding between husband and wife
> New moms – correlational – higher
oxytocin levels
> New dads – lower testosterone levels
- Melatonin – pineal gland in the brain, sleep
cycle
> Avery et al. (2001) – dawn simulation,
bright light therapy, and placebo red light –
only dawn simulation and bright light therapy
effectively adjusted the sleep cycle
> Lewy et al. (2006) – experiment – supported
Avery et al. (2001)
- Twin research
> Bailey and Pillard (1991) - homosexuality
> Bouchard
- Depression
> Caspi et al. (2003) – longitudinal,
> Gender
- New moms – correlational – higher
oxytocin levels
- New dads – lower testosterone levels
- Methodology
> Experiments
> Surveys
> Correlational
- Santilla et al. – criticized Bailey and Pillard
(1991) – homosexuality and IQ
- Caspi et al. (2003)
> 5-HTT gene present in most people, many
people susceptible to depression, but no cause
9. Evolution (FRQ)
- Homosexuality
- Homicide
- Disgust
correlational – relationship between the 5HTT gene and depression after a stressful
event
- Schizophrenia
> Heston (1966) – adoption research, mom
had schizophrenia, see if adopted child
showed same symptoms
> Read et al. (2004) – relationship between
physical and sexual abuse in childhood and
the development of schizophrenia
- Homosexuality
> Zietsch et al. (2008)
> Bailey and Pillard (1991)
> Bouchard
- Homicide
> Homicide Adaptation Theory (HAT) –
being able to kill gives an individual a
psychological advantage
- Durrant (2009) – a weakness in HAT –
homicide is the byproduct of evolution and
has no advantage
- Disgust
> Curtis et al. (2004)
> Fessler et al. (2005) – supports Curtis et al.
(2004) – web-based survey, many people can
participate – investigated disgust sensitivity in
first trimester of pregnancy
- Disgust an adaptation for mothers, makes
mothers more sensitive for protection
and effect
> Limitations: survey, directional cause and
effect issues (did the stressful event cause
depression or the gene)
- Ethical considerations - right to participant,
right to withdrawal, confidentiality, cause and
effect relationship, loss of self-control with too
much emphasis on genes