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42 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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According to the biological approach, where does our gender derive from?
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Our gender is a direct consequence of our biological makeup. It is determined at conception by the combination of sex hormones and is therefore a product of nature.
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If the sperm has a Y chromosome, what gender will the child be?
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The child will be chromosomally male (XY).
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If the sperm has an X chromosome, what gender will the child be?
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The child will be chromosomally female (XX).
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What does the combination of chromosomes XY lead to?
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It leads to the release of androgens (male hormones) which encourage the development of a penis.
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In the absence of androgens, what gender will the embryo be?
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Female.
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When there is a presence of testes, which hormone will prevent the development of female sex organs?
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The anti-Mullerian hormone.
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What are male brains like?
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Male brains are more lateralised with specific functions being allocated to each hemisphere (e.g. spatial skills in the right and language skills in the left).
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What are female brains like?
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Female brains are less lateralised; their brains have a thicker connective band (corpus callosum) between hemispheres. This means that both sides are used for language and they may have better communication skills.
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Which study provides scientific and empirical evidence for the biological explanation of gender development?
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The Pfeiffer (1936) study which found that transplanting male gonads onto female rats caused the release of male sex hormones.
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Can the case study of David Reimer support the biological explanation of gender development?
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Yes. Even though he was reinforced for behaviour appropriate for a female, his biological sex had more of an effect on how he felt about his masculine identity.
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Does the biological explanation for gender development provide practical applications?
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Yes. It can help people with gender dysphoria (which is the belief of being born as the wrong gender). A treatment has been developed which is used for transgenders to change the balance of sex hormones.
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How can the biological explanation for gender development be refuted?
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Much of the evidence about the role of hormones comes from animal experiments in laboratories. It is difficult to generalise the findings from rats as humans can be seen as more complex in language and development.
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Is the biological explanation for gender development reductionist in some ways?
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Yes. It ignores other factors leading to gender development such as environmental factors. The Learning Approach suggests that gender occurs through the process of observing others and imitating gender behaviour through role models.
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What was the aim of the Money (1975) study?
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The aim of Money's case study was to support his theory of gender neutrality - that gender development was determined by upbringing more than biological factors.
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How old were the twins Bruce and Brian Reimer when they were taken for circumcision?
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10 months old.
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What happened during Bruce's circumcision procedure?
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It resulted in his penis being completely burnt off due to a fault in the circumcision procedure.
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What did Janet Reimer decide to do with her son Bruce after the circumcision fault?
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She contacted Dr. Money who recommended that the lack of a penis would not be an issue if Bruce was raised as a girl (called Brenda). She decided to dress him in 'girl's' clothes from the age of 2 and reinforce him to play with 'girl's' toys.
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What surgery did Brenda Reimer undergo at the age of 2?
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The testicles were removed and a basic vulva was created to give the appearance of female genitals.
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What happened to Brenda Reimer at the age of 15?
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She consistently refused surgery to make her more like a female and did not want to see Dr. Money. She enjoyed behaving and playing as a 'boy' and acting aggressive. Her parents then decided to tell her she was born as a male.
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How did Brenda Reimer take the news that she was actually a male?
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Brenda became David and when he was 16 he had plastic surgery to create a penis, with further surgery at 22 to make it more realistic.
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How did Dr. Money conclude his case study?
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He concluded that it is possible to successfully raise a boy as a girl and that the findings supported his gender neutrality theory. However, David had consistently expressed masculinity throughout his time as a female.
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What was the aim of the Raine et al (1997) study?
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The aim was to discover if murderers who have pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI) show evidence of brain abnormalities.
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How many participants were in Raine's study?
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41 murderers (39 males and 2 females) who were pleading NGRI. These were compared with 41 controls.
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What did Raine use to scan the brains of the murderers?
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A glucose tracer was injected into the participants and they were then given a PET scan to discover levels of activity in their brains.
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What were the results of the levels of activity in the murderers brains?
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The NGRI's had less activity in their prefrontal areas and more activity in their occipital areas. There was less activity in the corpus callosum and in the left side of the amygdala, with more activity in the right side of the amygdala.
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What did the levels of activity in the NGRI's tell us about their behaviour?
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The difference in activity in the amygdala between murderers and non-murderers support theories of violence that are due to unusual emotional responses, such as a lack of fear. The severed corpus callosum in the NGRI's show that they can have inappropriate emotional expression and an inability to grasp the long-term implications of a situation.
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What is the Central Nervous System (CNS)?
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The CNS consists of the brain and the spinal chord and controls much of our behaviour by passing electrical impulses around the body through nerve fibres made up of tracts of neurones.
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What are neurones?
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These are tiny nerve cells that communicate messages in the brain and around the rest of the body through impulses passed around the nervous system, via synapses.
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What is a synapse?
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This is a junction between two neurones where messages are passed from one neurone to another. These messages are passed through neurotransmitters which move from the terminal button of one neurone, to the receptors on the dendrite of another neurone.
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What are neurotransmitters?
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These are chemicals that are released by neurones into the synaptic gap.
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What are receptors?
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These are protein molecules situated on the membrane of the neurone. Those on adjacent neurones allow the neurotransmitter to attach to them if it is the right shape to fit the particular receptor. This then changes the chemical make-up of a neurone and causes an electric charge to pass down the axon of the neurone.
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What is a hormone?
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A hormone is a chemical which is released from a gland, travels in the blood and affects target organs such as muscles, sex organs or other glands.
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What is brain lateralisation?
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This refers to the uneven distribution of tasks carried out by the hemispheres of the brain. Lateral means side. Any function, e.g. language, which is found one side of the brain is called a lateralised function.
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What are genes?
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Genes are units of information that are inherited from our parents. They control, or influence, characteristics such as risk of mental health disorders, personality and sexual development. Genes are sections of strands of a chemical called DNA found in our cells.
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What is an adoption study?
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An adoption study tracks the behaviour of children adopted away from their biological parents at a young age. It looks for similarities between the child and their biological parents and their adoptive parents.
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What is a twin study?
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Twin studies are a research design which involve comparing identical (MZ) and non-identical (DZ) twins in order to determine the importance of genes and the environment on individual traits and behaviours.
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What does MZ mean?
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Mono-zygotic (identical twins).
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What does DZ mean?
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Di-zygotic (non-identical twins).
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What is a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan?
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This is a form of structural scan that shows a picture of the brain inside the skull so that specialists can identify any areas of damage or tumours, without having to cut into the head of the patient. They are based on the concentration of hydrogen molecules.
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What is a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan?
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This is a functional scan that shows images that can illustrate how the brain is working during different tasks. By identifying areas that are not working properly, doctors can see areas that are damaged or areas affected by tumours.
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What are the five ethical guidelines when using animals in psychological research?
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1) Use a minimal number of animals.
2) Use anaesthesia and analgesia when a procedure is likely to cause pain. 3) Use non-animal alternatives where possible. 4) Avoid discomfort and stress. 5) Take care over caging and social environment. |
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Name a key issue within the biological approach.
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Are transgender operations ethical?
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