5.3 The Nature-Nurture Debate

Question 1

What is the nature-nurture debate?

Answer 1

The extent to which aspects of behaviour are a product of inherited or acquired characteristics

Question 2

What is the interactionist approach?

Answer 2

The view that both nature and nurture work together to shape human behaviour

Question 3

Why may attachment type be considered interactionist?

Answer 3

• Bowlby: claimed attachment type determined by warmth and continuity of parents love
• Kagan: claimed that babies innate personality/temperament also affects attachment type
• Nature (babies temperament) creates nurture (parents response) so environment and hereditary interact

Question 4

What is the diathesis-stress model?

Answer 4

Suggests that behaviour is caused by a biological or environmental vulnerability which is only expressed when coupled with a biological or environmental trigger

Question 5

Apply the diathesis-stress model to OCD

Answer 5

• A person who inherits a genetic vulnerability for OCD may not develop the disorder
• However, when combined with a psychological trigger e.g a traumatic experience, the disorder may appear

Question 6

What is epigenetics?

Answer 6

A change in our genetic activity without changing the genes themselves

Question 7

How do epigenetics have a life-long affect?

Answer 7

• Aspects of our lifestyle or events we encounter e.g smoking, war leave marks on our DNA
• This changes the way your genes will be expressed
• Therefore certain factors e.g smoking can have a life-long influence even after you stop

Question 8

How do epigenetics have a generational affect?

Answer 8

• Changes in the expression of DNA may influence the genetic codes of our children as well as their children

Question 9

What is meant by heredity?

Answer 9

The genetic transmission of both mental and physical characteristics from one generation to another

Question 10

What did Descartes suggest about nature?

Answer 10

• Argued that all human characteristics are innate
• Psychological characteristics e.g intelligence/personality are determined by biological factors similarly to physical characteristics

Question 11

What did John Locke suggest about the mind?

Answer 11

• The mind is a blank slate (tabula rasa) which is shaped by the environment

Question 12

What did Lerner identify about the environment?

Answer 12

• Identified different levels of the environment
• Including prenatal factors such as how physical or psychological influences affect a foetus
• Development influenced postnatally in terms of the social conditions a child grows up in

Question 13

What does a figure of .01 (1%) suggest about heritability compared to 1.0 (100%)?

Answer 13

• .01 (1%) : means genes contribute almost nothing to individual differences
• 1.0 (100%) : means genes are the only reason for individual differences

Question 14

What figure did Plomin find for the heritability of IQ and what does this suggest?

Answer 14

• .5 (5%)
• This means that about half of a persons intelligence is determined by genetic factors and the other half is environmental

Question 15

Strength for nature-nurture debate (adoption studies)

Answer 15

• Separate the competing influences of nature and nurture
• If adopted children are more similar to adopted parents, this suggests the environment is a bigger influence
• If adopted children similar to biological parents, this suggests genetic factors dominant
• Rhee + Waldman: metanalysis of adoption studies, genetic influences accounted for 41% variance in aggression

Question 16

Strength for nature-nurture debate (epigenetics)

Answer 16

• WW2 supports the generational effect of the environment
• 1944, Nazi’s blocked the distribution of food to Dutch people and 22,000 died of starvation (‘Dutch Hunger WInter’)
• Susser + LIn: pregnant women during the famine went and had low birth weight babies
• The babies were twice as likely to develop schizophrenia compared to typical rates
• Life of previous generations can leave epigenetic markers

Question 17

Strength for nature-nurture debate (real-world application)

Answer 17

• Nestadt et al: suggested heritability rate of OCD .76
• This leads to an awareness that high inheritability does not mean development of the disorder
• This understanding can inform genetic counselling
• People with high genetic risk of OCD can receive advice about the likelihood and prevention (e.g managing stress)
• Practical importance of understanding the interaction

Question 18

Describe Plomin’s findings about the interaction of nature and nurture

Answer 18

Niche-picking:
- People create their own ‘nurture’ by actively seeking out environments appropriate for their ‘nature’
- e.g a naturally aggressive child is likely to feel more comfortable with children who show similar behaviour
- Their chosen companions further influence their development