Issues and debates: nature and nurture (cog)

Question 1

INTRO

Nature and Nurture

Answer 1

• Nature refers to behaviours which occur due to innate factors (genes) therefore all our behaviour is pre-disposed or hard wired.
• Nurture refers to behaviour which have occurred due to the environment.
• As a result, it is the belief we are born with a blank slate and all behaviour is determined by experience.
• An interactionist view suggests our behaviour is a combination of the two.

Question 2

A03 - Nurture

Answer 2

A01:
- Other theories are more affected by individual factors such as past experiences which can account for the nurture side of the debate.
- For example, Bartlett suggests that memory is reconstructed using schemas and these are created and affected by our individual interactions with the world.

A03:
Bartlett ‘war of the ghosts’
- Schemas influence individual recall.
- For example, the War of the Ghost story was American and was recalled by British who changed information such as canoe to a boat
- Shows how memory can be changed as well as recalled

Question 3

A03 - Nature

Answer 3

A01:
- Cognitive theories state human behaviour such as memory is both nature and nurture.
- Whilst some theories are universal for everyone i.e. MSM and Tulving’s LTM,

A03:
Tulving’s LTM model
- Demonstrates how there are multiple stores in the LTM, including people with brain damage.
- For example KF who couldn’t form new memories but could recall factual info.