Nature/Nuture Flashcards
What is meant by the nature-nurture debate?
Concerned with the extent to which behaviour is a product of innate or environmental influences.
What is the nature stance on behaviour? And its philosophical origins
Aspects of human behaviours are innate and hereditary.
Renee Descartes’ nativism
What is nativism?
the characteristics of the human species are a product of evolution and that individual differences are the result of each person’s unique genetic code
Explain 2 research examples which support the nature side of the debate.
- Candidate genes (COMT and SERT) increase the likelihood of developing OCD. Marini and Stebnicki (2012) A person with a family member diagnosed with OCD is four times as likely
to develop it as someone without. - Bowlby’s monotropic theory of attachment- humans have an innate tendency to form attachments with a caregiver giving us an adaptive advantage. For example, babies have social releasers - Innate ‘cute’ social behaviours or characteristics which elicit attention and response from a caregiver and leads to attachment. Biologically pre-programmed. Brazleton et al. (1975)- observed interactions
between mothers and babies and found presence of interactional synchrony. They then asked primary attachment figures to ignore their babies’ social releasers. The babies showed initial distress, but when the ignoring continued they responded by curling up and lying motionless.
What is the nurture stance on behaviour?
John Locke’s empiricism.
We are born as blank slates (‘tabula rasa’) and experience dictates who we are and our behaviour.
Nurture can be both biological (nutrition, infection, injury) and psychological (attachment, trauma, peer influence)
Explain 2 research examples which support the nurture side of the debate.
- Use of Systematic desensitisation and flooding to treat phobias. Involving creating an anxiety hierarchy which they move through using calming techniques to relax. Counter conditioning. Its been reported that about 75% of patients with phobias respond to SD.
- Learning theory of attachment- Through classical conditioning, mother becomes associated with the pleasure of food.
What is the interactionist approach?
The view that the processes of nature and nurture work together rather than in opposition.
Explain 2 research examples for an interactionist approach for the nature-nurture debate.
- Epigenetics - changes in genetic activity without changing our genetic code (due to interaction with the environment).
Dias and Ressler (2014) Gave male lab mice electric shocks every time they were exposed to the smell of a chemical . The mice showed a fear reaction as soon as the scent was presented. The rats’ children and grandchildren also feared the smell- even though they hadn’t been exposed to the scent before or received any shocks - Diathesis-stress model for psychopathology. Psychopathology is caused by a biological vulnerability (diathesis) which is only expressed when coupled with a biological or environmental trigger (stressor).Tienari et al. (2004)
A nationwide study of Finish Schizophrenic parents’ offspring given up for adoption compared to adopted offspring with biological parents without schizophrenia. Found there were 7 psychotic cases. 6 we’re offspring of schizophrenics and one was a control. However no seriously disturbed offspring found in a healthy house. This suggests that both genetic vulnerability and family-related stress are important in the development of schizophrenia.
Practical application
Nature - Drug therapies developed to treat behavioural or psychological problems that have a biological origin - low levels of serotonin which cause OCD. Development of SSRI’s inhibit the re-absorption of serotonin in the pre-synaptic neuron, increasing the concentration of serotonin at the synapse.
Nurture - If behaviour is susceptible to environmental influences we can adapt our environment. A form of behaviour modification based on the principle of operant conditioning. Specifically, desirable behaviours are encouraged by selective reinforcement. Rewards (tokens) are given as secondary reinforcers whenever patients carry out agreed tasks, which can then be exchanged for tangible primary reinforcers- food or privileges.
Dickerson et al. (2005) reviewed 13 studies and 11 reported beneficial affects that were directly attributed to the use of token economies.
Reductionist and determinism
The nature- nurture debate is reductionist and deterministic.
E.g. Both perspectives ignore free will and don’t account for the possibility of multiple factors interacting to cause behaviour.
Although reductionism makes it easier to determine causality, it fails to acknowledge the complexity of human behaviour.
Although determinism is more objective and scientific, it is not consistent with our everyday experiences of free will.
Interactionist approach Strength
Research into psychopathology will take into account both heredity and the environment when treating mental disorders. This will lead to more effective treatment and so patients’ conditions will improve quicker. Support for interactional approach to treating schizophrenia:
Tarrier et al. (2004)- compared patients who were receiving combined treatment with patients receiving standard care (antipsychotics only)
Of the 315 patients, those receiving combination treatments showed lower symptom levels than those in control group.
This will benefit the economy as people will return to work quicker and so will not require as much sick pay and be less of a strain on the NHS.
Niche picking
Nature and nurture are not 2 entities that can be separated. Plomin (1994) said people create their own “nurture” by activity selecting environments appropriate for their “nature”. Aggressive children will seek out other aggressive children which will further influence their development. Thus, it doesn’t make sense to separate the 2.
Eval points for the debate
S - Practical applications
S - Interactionist approach and psychopathology
L - Reductionist and deterministic
L - Niche picking
