nature vs nurture

Question 1

what is the nature and nurture debate

Answer 1

focuses on the relative contributions of genetic inheritance (nature) and environmental factors (nurture) to human development

Question 2

nature

Answer 2

-view that behaviour is a product of innate (biological and genetic) factors

Question 3

example of nature

Answer 3

Bowlby
-proposed that children come into the world biologically programmed to form attachments because this will enable them to survive
-suggests attachment behaviours are naturally selected and passed on as a result of genetic in heritance
-supported by animal research conducted by Lorenz and Harlow

Question 4

nurture

Answer 4

-the view that behaviour is the product of environmental influences. Includes both psychical and social world and may be more widely referred to as experience

Question 5

example of nurture

Answer 5

-behaviourists explain attachments in terms of classical conditioning
-food (UCS) associated with mother (NS)
-mother becomes a CS who prompts a CR in the child

Question 6

strength-the nature nurture debate is that interactionalism can be used to explain neural plasticity

Answer 6

research examining neural plasticity in the topic biopsychology suggests that life experiences (nurture) shape our biology (nature). for example magire et al investigated the hippocampi (brain area heavily involved in spatial skills) volume of London taxi drivers brains. She found that this region of the brain was larger in taxi drivers in comparison to non taxi drivers. consequently, maguire concluded that driving a taxi (nurture) actually has an effect on the size of the hippocampi (nature) demonstrating the importance in the interactionist approach and presenting evidence the nurture can effect nature

Question 7

strength-the nature and nurture debate is support for epigenetics

Answer 7

one example of how environmental effects can span generations presumably through epigenetic effects comes from events of the second world war. in 1944, the Nazis blocked the distribution of food to the dutch and 22,000 people died of starvation. susser et and Lin report that women who become pregnant during the famine went on to have low birth weight babies. whilst this may be unsurprising, what is more interesting is that these babies were twice as likely to develop schizophrenia when they grew up compared to more typical population rates. this is a strength as it supports the view that life experiences of previous generations can leave epigenetic markers that influence the health of their offspring

Question 8

strength-nature nurture debate is the use of adoption studies

Answer 8

adoption studies are useful because they separate their competing influences of nature and nurture. if adopted children are found to be more similar to their adoptive parents, this suggests the environment is a bigger influence. whereas, if adopted children are more similar to their biological parents (no influence on their environment) then genetic factors are presumed to dominate. this is a strength because it suggests that it does not make sense to look at evidence of either nature or nurture.

Question 9

strength-understanding nature nurture relates to other debates

Answer 9

a strong commitment to either nature or nurture position corresponds to belief in hard detmerinism. the nativist perspective would suggest that anatomy is destiny whereas enpiricants would argue that interaction with the environment is all. these equate to biological determinism and environmental determinism showing how nature- ur true links to others debates in psychology i.e free will and determinism