Nature / Nurture Flashcards
What is a nativist?
Someone who argues the nature side of the debate.
Give an example of an early nativist.
Rene Descartes (1596-1650).
What is an empiricist?
Someone who argues the nurture side of the debate.
Give an example of an empiricist.
John Locke (1632-1704).
What is meant by nature?
Human characteristics are innate and the result of heredity.
What is meant by nurture?
The concept that our minds are born a ‘blank slate’ and learning/experiences write on this slate.
What is meant by the term heredity?
The genetic transmission of mental and physical characteristics from generation to generation.
What is the heritability co-efficient?
A numerical figure ranging from 0 to 1 which indicates the extent to which a characteristic has a genetic basis.
If a trait has a heritability co-efficient of 1, then it is said to be what?
Completely genetically determined.
If a trait has a heritability co-efficient of 0, then it is said to be what?
Completely environmentally learnt.
What trait is widely known to have a heritability co-efficient of 0.5?
IQ, it is half genetic and half learnt.
