NATURE AND NURTURE

Question 1

nature v nurture

Answer 1

• The nature-nurture debate focuses on whether behaviours, characteristics and abnormalities are determined by innate or external factors.

Question 2

Nativists

Answer 2

• argue that all human experience is shaped by internal factors, such as genes, hormones, neurotransmitters, and brain structures.
• Nativists use twin studies to look at the biological basis of behaviour.
• The use of the Heritability coefficient helps us identify how biological a particular trait is, closer to 1 means the trait is biological. Patients with OCD are found to have low levels of serotonin and high levels of dopamine in their brain which is the result of mutations in their SERT/COMT genes which are inherited.
• Lewis found that of his patients with OCD 37% had parents with OCD. This clearly illustrates the effect of nature on the development of psychological disorders.

Question 3

Empiricists

Answer 3

• argue that all human experience is shaped by external factors. Classically conditioning (CC) is when associations occur when presented with two stimuli, whereas operant conditioning (OC) is learning through response and consequence.
• Phobias are an example of environmental factors.- fear of
  dogs created by negative association from negative experience.
• Behaviourists argue that children form attachments with their primary caregivers as they learn to associate their caregiver with food/happiness (CC).
• This attachment is maintained by parent sensitivity to the child signals such as feeding them to
  reduce the child’s hunger drive (OC).
• The quality of the child’s attachment is seen to be dependent on environmental experiences and interactions, demonstrating the role of nurture in shaping behaviour.

Question 4

One limitation of the nature side of the debate is that it is very deterministic.

Answer 4

• For example, it assumes that behaviour is governed by biological factors, therefore trivialising the role of the environment.
• This is a socially sensitive assumption that has led to an attempt to link race, genetics, and intelligence.
• This is a disadvantage as this has led to negative implications for those who have these undesirable traits ranging from discrimination to more extreme consequences such as eugenics policies in attempt to cleansing these traits.
• However, an advantage of taking the nature side of the debate is that they use scientific methods, For example, brain scanning techniques which provides empirical evidence that increases scientific credibility.
• Therefore increasing psychology’s credibility as a science

Question 5

One limitation of nurture side is that it’s extremely deterministic and controversial.

Answer 5

• For example, it assumes the environment will determine behaviour, therefore trivialising the role of biology.
• It also implies that behaviour can be changed by altering the environment which can lead to behaviour shaping.
• This can potentially lead to people in power becoming destructive authority figures, and manipulating society for their own personal gain.
• However, an advantage of taking the nurture side of the debate is that behaviour shaping can in fact be positive, using research into normative social influence.
• For example, we are able to become more environmentally friendly and so a reduction in waste.
• It also allows people to change their environment, therefore allowing people to change their behaviour.
• This means we are able to modify people’s behaviour in prisons, which helps reform the population

Question 6

A huge problem with both the nature and nurture side of the debate is that it takes away from individual responsibility.

Answer 6

• For instance, a person committing a crime may divert accountability onto someone something else, such as the Nazis blaming hitler for killing Jews.
• This means that people aren’t being held responsible for their actions which contradicts the criminal justice system as it is based on accountability and free will yet people end up blaming all their behaviour on environmental/biological factors.
• However, the debate is of little use as the understanding of both nature and nurture holistically enables psychologists to understand human behaviour depth- AKA the interactionist approach.