Lecture 12 - "Do Parents Matter?" Video/worksheet

Question 1

What is the Nurture Assumption?

Answer 1

Idea that, aside from the effects of genes, children’s personalities are shaped by their parents

Question 2

What does Judith Rich Harris argue may be the strongest environmental influence on children’s personality?

Answer 2

Peer influences

Question 3

According to Bouchard (behavioral genetic studies), the results of most twin studies suggest ____% of the variation in human personalities reflects genetic influences.

Answer 3

50%

Question 4

According to Harris, the results of twin studies suggest that the shared home environment has _____ long term effects to create similarity in personality and intelligence in children raised in the same home.

Answer 4

__NO__

Question 5

According to Harris, what are the implications of Rovee-Collier’s studies on the influence of training context on infant learning for whether children will apply what they learn about how to behave in the home context to their behavior outside the home?

Answer 5

What is learned at home may not transfer to behavior outside the home

Question 6

According to Harris, the results of primate studies (Frans de Waal) suggest that the best way to try to understand humans is…

Answer 6

…as members of groups.

Question 7

According to Harris, the results of Corsaro’s sociological studies suggest that children may start to “make their own cultures” by what age?

Answer 7

By the time they are in preschool

Question 8

What do the results of Solomon Asch’s Conformity studies suggest about how our peers affect our behavior?

Answer 8

One of the ways peer pressure can work is from the inside (a desire to be liked by our peers)

Question 9

(If there is more than one group - Zimbardo’s Prison Experiment)
According to Harris, the results of these studies suggest that you can’t assess the psychological status of a person without assessing…

Answer 9

…their group memberships

Question 10

Harris argues that peers exert a permanent influence on personality in 2 main ways:

Answer 10

1. by causing people within a particular group to become more alike
2. By differentiating between children in groups because of the different roles that may take on (e.g. leader, follower,etc)