Nature & Nurture Flashcards
Nature
The degree to which human behaviour is determined by genetics/ biology
Nurture
The degree to which human behaviour is a result of learned environmental influences
Interactionalist
Belief that both nature and nurture are essential and influence each other eg diathesis stress model
Nativists
Support nature views, they believe human characteristics are innate meaning they are a result of genetics and biology
Empricists
Support a nurture view - environmental factors make up our characteristics and knowledge
Examples of pre-natal influences on a person
Mums consumption of alcohol, drugs, diet, coffee intake
Examples of post natal influences on a person
Social conditions, economic stats, way in which parented
Examples of inherited influences on criminal behaviour
Brain abnormalities
Examples of environmental influences on criminal behaviour
Upbringing, peers and relationships with others
Support for nature view
Seligman when suggesting we acquire phobias through genetic preparedness
Nature view
Mowrer when suggesting 2 process model of phobia acquisition and maintainance
Nature influence on attachment
Child’s innate temperament influences parents response to child
Nurture influence on attachment
Parents response influenced by child’s behaviour and expression of their temperament
How do twin studies giving insight
Help determine relative contribution to nature and nurture of a bahevaiour. Psychologists look st monozygotic and dyzigotic twins to help establish concordance rates of certain behaviours
- higher concordance rates for monozygotic therefore we can assume behaviour has a genetic basis
Heritability coefficient
Is a tool used to classify the extent to which a bahveiour is caused by genetics ranging from 0-, the closer to 1, the higher the genetic component
Example heritability coefficient
The coefficient for IQ is 0.5 suggesting environment and genetics are both important factors in intelligence
Current nature nurture debate
You can separate nature nurture so may as well look at them separately and how they interact. Current research looks at how much behaviour is determined by genes or environment and how they produce a given behaviour
Example of nature nurture combining benefits
Biological vulnerability + environmental trigger = schizophrenia
Scarr and McCartney 3 types of interaction
Passive interaction, evocative interaction, active interaction
Passive interaction
The association between the genotype and child inherits from their parents and the environment in which the child is raised
Evocative environment
The association between an individuals genetically influenced behaviour and the others reactions to the behaviour
Active interaction
The association between individual genetic prosperities and the environmental niches they select
Strength of research methodology
Good insight into role of nature/ nurture, teds study has string methodology because large sample size and longitudinal, helps predicts diseases and develop techniques
Weakness of research methods
Practical drawbacks into using twin studies, ongoing funding needed, financial costs leads to lack of large samples - hard to follow ps over long period of time. Don’t have deep understanding and shouldn’t use this research to get accurate picture
Historical debate weakness
Too simplistic, more meaningful to look at how they interact as a two way process, researchers found support for diathesis stress model for schizophrenia where people have genetic predisposition but get environmental trigger, modern interactionalist debate gives greater insight
Strength of current/ interactionlaist debate
Benefits for society, recognition of environmental and inherited influences better understanding of acceptance of crime. Led to effective treatments for mental disorders by accepting more than one influence on behaviour
