Nature Nurture debate

Question 1

Nature nurture debate

Answer 1

The extent to which aspects of behaviour are a product of inherited or acquired characteristics

Question 2

The interactionist approach

Answer 2

• How nature and nurture interact
• e.g Bowlby suggested that a baby’s attachment type is determined by the continuity of parental love
• However another psychologist believed that a baby’s innate personality also affects attachment relationship - so nature creates nurture so environment and heredity interact

Question 3

Diathesis stress model

Answer 3

• Suggests behaviour is caused by a biological or environmental vulnerability which is only expressed when there is a biological or environmental trigger
• e.g a person who inherits a genetic vulnerability for OCD may not develop the disorder unless a psychological trigger is presented alongside it

Question 4

Nature

Answer 4

Focuses on heredity, hormones and chemicals, though interaction with the environment is acknowledged
- Psychologists argue that all human characteristics are innate
- Certain psychological and physical characteristics are determined by genes

Question 5

Nurture

Answer 5

The mind is a blank slate at birth. Behaviour is determined by learning experiences
- This later became an important view of the behaviourist approach

Question 6

Measuring nature and nurture

Answer 6

The degree to which 2 people are similar on a particular trait can represented by concordance
- This provides an estimate about the extent to which a trait is inherited (heritability)

Question 7

Nature-nurture - evaluation - strength

Answer 7

• Adoption studies
• If adopted children are more similar to their adoptive parents this suggests environment is the bigger influence
• Whereas if adoptive children are more similar to their biological parents then genetic factors are presumed to dominate
• Shows how research can separate the influences of nature and nurture

Question 8

Nature-nurture - evaluation - strength 2

Answer 8

• Real world application
• Research has found that OCD is a very heritable mental disorder - means that people who have high genetic risk of OCD can receive advice about the likelihood of developing the disorder and how they may prevent this
• Shows debate is not just theoretical but practical