Nature-nurture Debate*

Question 1

Define the nature-nurture debate

Answer 1

Concern with the extent to which aspects of behaviour are a product of inherited or acquired characteristics.

Question 2

Define heredity

Answer 2

The genetic transmission of mental and physical characteristics from one generation to another.

Question 3

Define environment

Answer 3

Any influence on human behaviour that is not genetic.

Can range from pre-natal influences in the womb to cultural and historical influences at a social level

Question 4

Give an example of an early nativist and an empiricist that had a contrasting view

Answer 4

Descartes (159-1650)
Argued human characteristics are innate and the result of heredity
Locke (1632-1704)
Mind is a blank slate at birth which learning and experience write on

Question 5

What is the heritability coefficient?

Answer 5

A numerical figure ranging from 0 to 1.0 indicating the extent to which a characteristic has a genetic basis.
1= entirely genetically determined
Heritability coefficient for IQ is 0.5 across multiple studies with varying populations; suggests both genetics and the environment are important characters

Question 6

What is the nuture side of the debate?

Answer 6

The environment
Lerner (1986) identified levels of the environment; defined in either pre-natal terms (mother’s physical and psychological state during pregnancy) or in post natal terms (social conditions child develops in and cultural and historical context)

Question 7

Why is it impossible to answer the nature nurture debate?

Answer 7

They’re so closely intertwined
Nurture begins as soon as a child is born (perhaps even earlier; pre-natal)
Focus of the debate has shifted recently, more likely to ask now how to each influence a behaviour rather then focusing on one

Question 8

Give an example of the interactionist approach

Answer 8

Attachment between an infant and parent
Child’s temperament influences how the parent responds to them and then the parent’s response affect’s the child’s behaviour.

Question 9

What is the diathesis-stress model?

Answer 9

A model that focuses on the interaction of nature and nurture
Eg; Suggests psychopathology is caused by biological vulnerability (diathesis) which is only expressed when an environmental trigger (stressor) is present

Question 10

What is epigenetics?

Answer 10

Changes in genetic activity without changing the genetic code
Occurs throughout life and is caused by interaction with the environment
Lifestyle and events (diet, pollution, war) leave epigenetics ‘marks’ on our DNA that say which genes to use and which to ignore
Can influence the genetic codes of offspring

Question 11

What third element does epigenetics introduce to the nature-nurture debate?

Answer 11

The life experience of previous generations

Question 12

What did Dias and Ressler (2014) do to study epigenetics?

Answer 12

Gave male mice electric shocks everytime they were exposed to the smell of acetophenone; mice showed a fear reaction when the scent was presented
The rat’s children and grandchildren also feared the scent without receiving shocks or smelling acetophenone before

Question 13

Eval

What implications have nativism and empiricism had?

Answer 13

Nativism
Suggest inherited genetic makeup determines characteristics and behaviour with little input from the environment
>Determinist and has led to controversy; attempts to link race, genetics and intelligence and eugenics policies
Empiricism
Suggest behaviour can be changed by altering environmental conditions; behaviour shaping has had practical applications in therapy
>could lead to a model of society that controls its citizens by selectively reinforcing desired behaviours and punishing or ignoring undersirable behaviours

Question 14

Eval
Why is determining the influence of the environment complicated by the fact that siblings raised in the same family may not have experienced the same upbringing?

Answer 14

Idea of shared and unshared environments (Dunn and Plomin 1990)
Individual differences (age, temperament) mean siblings can experience life events differently, a divorce would have different affect’s on siblings.
Even MZ twins raised together don’t show perfect concordance rates
Heredity and environment can’t be cleanly speparated

Question 15

Eval
How does constructivism provide further support that it’s impossible to separate nature and nurture influences on children’s behaviour?

Answer 15

Constructivism suggests people create their own nurture by selecting environments appropriate for their nature
Eg a naturally aggressive child will feel more comfortable with people with similar behaviours; this environment then affect’s their development

Question 16

Eval

How does the genotype and environment interact?

Answer 16

The gene-environment interaction theory includes three types
>passive interaction; parents genes affect how they interact with their children
>evocative interaction; child’s genes influence and shape the environment they grow up in
>active interaction; child creates its own environment through the people and experiences it selects
Shows the complex relationship between nature and nurture