Nature vs Nurture

Question 1

What question does the nature nurture debate seek to answer?

Answer 1

Seeks to answer the question of whether behaviour is a result of nature (biology) or nurture (environment).

Question 2

What is nature?

Answer 2

Refers to inherited influences (heredity).

Question 3

Name the researcher who studied nature.

Answer 3

Descartes

Question 4

What is the name for a psychologist who takes a nature approach to their work.

Answer 4

Nativist

Question 5

What does the nature side of the debate say that psychological/physiological characteristics come from?

Answer 5

Genes.

Question 6

What approach does ‘nature’ support?

Answer 6

Biological

Question 7

What is nurture?

Answer 7

Refers to influence of the environment.

Question 8

Who researched nurture?

Answer 8

Locke

Question 9

What is the name for psychologists who study nurture?

Answer 9

Empiricists

Question 10

What does the nurture side of the debate say the mind is shaped by?

Answer 10

Environment

Question 11

What approach does the nurture debate support?

Answer 11

Behaviourist

Question 12

How is nature/nurture measured?

Answer 12

Correlation coefficient (+0.8 means the trait is a result of inheritance)

Question 13

What is an interactionist approach?

Answer 13

Considers how nature and nurture affect and interact with each other.

Question 14

What approach is interactionist?

Answer 14

Cognitive

Question 15

What approaches is partially interactionist?

Answer 15

Psychodynamic and humanistic

Question 16

Explain the strength of there being evidence suggesting that nurture affects nature.
Use the example of neural plasticity and Maguire’s London taxi driver study.
How is nature nurture seen in this study?

Answer 16

Research examining neural plasticity suggests that experience (nurture) shape our biology (nature). For example, Maguire investigated hippocampi volume of London taxi drivers’ brains. She found that this area of the brain had a larger volume than those who were not taxi drivers. Maguire concluded that driving a taxi (nurture) actually had an effect on the size of the hippocampi (nature), demonstrating the importance of an interactionist approach and presenting evidence the nurture can affect nature.

Question 17

Explain the strength of their being evidence suggesting that nature affects nurture.
How are children able to select their own nurture? Use the example of a naturally aggressive child.
What is the name for this behaviour?

Answer 17

People create their own ‘nurture’ by actively selecting environments that are appropriate for their ‘nature’. For example, as children grow, they seek environments that match their genes. A naturally aggressive child is likely to feel more comfortable around children who show similar behaviours and will choose their environment accordingly. This is called niche picking, where their chosen environment affects development. This therefore demonstrates how genes can affect nurture.

Question 18

Explain the strength of twin studies showing the importance of an interactionist approach.
What concordance rates did Nestadt find for OCD? What does this show about genes?
However, if rates are not 100%, what does this show about nurtures impact on nature?

Answer 18

Nestadt examined previous twin studies in relation to OCD. He found an average concordance rate of 68% in MZ twins and a 31% concordance rate in DZ twins, highlighting a significant genetic component. These results provide evidence for nature as the percentage of concordance is high for those who share 100% of genes. However, results also highlight the role of nurture as if OCD was fully genetic, then MZ concordance would be 100%, but it is not. Therefore, there must be some environmental factors that influence development of OCD, showing the importance of an interactionist approach.

Question 19

Explain the limitation that nature and nurture cannot be separated.
How many recessive genes are needed to inherit PKU?
How can development of PKU be prevented?
How does this link to nature and nurture?
What does this show about the independence of nature and nurture?

Answer 19

For example, the genetic disorder PKU is caused by inheriting 2 recessive genes. However, the development of the disease can be prevented if a child follows a low protein diet for the first 12 years of their life. This is a clear example of how nature and nurture have to work together for someone to experience the negative effects of this disorder, which also shows how both nature and nurture can almost never be independent of each other.