Nature-Nurture

Question 1

what’re the elements of the nature nurture debate

Answer 1

• nature
• epigenetics
• interactionist approach
• diathesis-stress
• nurture

Question 2

what is the nature element of the debate

Answer 2

• some characteristics were innate and resulted from inheriting specific genes
• genetic, physiological, hormonal and neurochemical traits determine a persons behaviour/characteristics
• the heritability coefficient is used to assess heredity. 0-1.0 is used to measure the extent to which a characteristic has a genetic basis (1 means entirely genetic)
• IQ has a figure of 0.5, height 0.9 and depression 0.4

Question 3

what is the epigenetic element of the approach

Answer 3

• epigenetics refers to a change in our genetic activity without changing actual genes themselves
• occurs through life via environmental interaction, eg smoking, diet and pollutants leave epigenetic ‘marks’ on our DNA
• the marks tell our bodies which genes to ignore or activate, influencing the genetic codes of offspring
• male lab rats received electric shocks each time they smelt a certain perfume and rats showed a fear to the smell (conditioning). The rats offspring also feared the smell (even without shocks), as did their offspring

Question 4

what is the interactionist approach

Answer 4

• both nature and nurture are essential for almost all behaviour, eg even eye colour is only said to be 80% genetic
• PKU is caused by the inheritance of 2 recessive genes, one of each from each parent. people with PKU are unable to break down the amino acid which builds up in the blood flow and causes mental retardation. however if the child is diagnosed early and in a low protein diet until 12+, the disorder is more averted. Therefore PKU (nature) isn’t expressed due to the altered environment (low protein diet, nurture)

Question 5

what is the diathesis stress approach

Answer 5

• diathesis-stress model is mostly used to explain mental illnesses
• suggests that psychopathology is expressed when coupled with an environmental ‘trigger’ (the stressor)
• Tienari found that, in a group of Finnish adoptees, despite genetically vulnerable to it, they only developed Sz when brought up in a family labelled ‘disturbed’/‘dysfunctional’. therefore the family acted as the stressor, triggering the genetic predisposition

Question 6

what is the nurture element of the debate

Answer 6

• nurture is broad and ‘non-genetic’
• Lerner explains there to be many levels of the environment, eg pre-natal (mothers physical/physiological state during pregnancy), and post-natal experiences eg the social conditions a child grows up in and also cultural/historical influences
• the behaviourist approach is the closest thing to ‘nurture’, arguing that all human behaviour is learnt via interactions/experiences with our environment. hence the ‘tabula rasa’ idea

Question 7

what’re 2 pros of the nature-nurture debate

Answer 7

adoption studies
nazi food blockades

Question 8

how are adoption studies a strength of the nature-nurture debate

Answer 8

• adoption studies held separate the 2 influences
• eg if children are more similar to adoptive parents then it strengthens environmental influences (nurture), and vice versa
• studies found that genetic influences account for 41% of the variance in aggression
• shows how adoption studies can tell us the relative effects on nature and nurture

Question 9

how are nazi food blockades a strength for nature-nurture

Answer 9

• in. ww2 nazis blocked food distribution to Dutch people and many died of starvation
• reports showed that women who became pregnant during the famine had low birth weight babies
• they were 2x likely to later develop Sz, compared to ‘typical’ populations
• supports epigenetics

Question 10

what’re 2 limitations of the nature-nurture debate

Answer 10

• impossible to separate the 2 influences
• strong implications of a stance on either end of the debate

Question 11

how is the separation of the 2 influences a weakness of the nature-nurture debate

Answer 11

• the belief is that people create their own ‘nurture’ by selectively choosing environments appropriate for their ‘nature’
• eg an aggressive child will likely feel more comfortable around other aggressive children
• Plomin refers to it as ‘niche-picking’ and shows that it’s impossible to separate the nature/nurture influences on a child’s behaviour
• this suggests that it doesn’t make sense to look at evidence of either nature or nurture

Question 12

how are the implications a limitation of the nature-nurture debate

Answer 12

• the strong belief in the nature side of the debate (biological determinism), has led to many implications throughout history
• such as: linking ethnicity, genetics and intelligence (eugenics policies in Nazi Germany or ethnic stereotyping of minority groups as less intelligent)