Nature-nurture debate

Question 1

AO1: Nature

Answer 1

Nativist psychologists believe in the importance of hereditary - the idea that human behaviour is innate and passed on from one generation to the next by genes.
For example Bowlby’s monotropic theory suggests babies come into the world biologically pre-programmed to form attachments through behaviours such as social releasers to help them survive therefore attachment is innate.

Question 2

AO1: Nurture

Answer 2

In contrast empiricists such as Skinner argue the mind is a black slate at birth and our behaviour is shaped by our environment, learning and experience. For example behaviourist psychologist explain attachment through classical condition. The food (UCS) is associated with the mother (NS) and through repeated pairings the mother becomes the CS which stimulates the CR of pleasure in the child. Therefore attachment is a learnt behaviour.