Issues and debates: nature and nurture (soc)

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

A01 & A03 - nurture

Answer 2

A01:
- Social psychology looks at prejudice which derives from competition for resources, suggesting this behaviour is nurture.
- Obedience has been explained as a product of a strict upbringing and therefore an individual developing an authoritarian personality, which also highlights the role of nurture over nature.

A03
Elms and Milgram:
- authoritarian and personality 20 obedient, and 20 disobedient participants. The obedient participants had significantly higher scores on the F scale and higher levels of authoritarianism.

Question 3

A01 & A03 - nature

Answer 3

A01:
Similar obedience rates observed globally are suggestive there is a nature component to this human behaviour.

A03
Milgram’s variations:
- Findings demonstrated that German soldiers one any different to any other culture as anyone can cause destructive obedience.
- All participants went to 300 volts and 65% carried to the full 400 volts.