nature vs nurture Flashcards
what is the nature vs nurture debate?
it concerns the importance of an individual’s innate qualities (nature) vs personal experiences (nurture) in determining behaviour
what is heredity?
the process in which traits are passed down from one generation to the next
what is environment?
the impact of the physical environment on people, and the impact of people on the environment
what is the interactionist approach?
the view that both nature and nurture work together to shape human behaviour
what are the basic assumptions of the nature approach?
- psychological characteristics are mostly/wholly determined by genetics
- individual differences are due to each person’s genetic code
- characteristics and observable traits are not obvious at birth
what approach supports the nature side?
the biological approach
what are the basic assumptions of the nurture approach?
- nurture is the influence of external factors after conception
- at birth, the human mind is blank, this is gradually filled by experience
what approaches support the nurture side?
social learning theory
- bandura’s bobo doll
behaviourist approach
- classical and operant conditioning
what position do most psychologists hold in this debate?
the interactionist approach
how does the diathesis-stress model support interactionism?
it states that both a genetic pre-disposition to a mental disorder and environmental stressors are necessary for a condition to affect an individual
how does maguire support interactionism?
she concluded that driving a taxi (nurture) had an effect on the size of the hippocampi (nature)
how do genetic explanations support interactionism?
concordance rates for mental disorders (such as sz) are 40% in MZ twins, and 7% in DZ twins
- shows that nature plays a role
however, concordance rates aren’t 100% suggesting that nurture and environment play a role
who researched niche picking?
plomin
how does niche picking support interactionism?
genetics account for 50% of all psychological traits, leaving the other 50% up to our environment
who researched gene-environment interactions?
scarr and mccartney
how do gene-environment interactions support interactionism?
the model states that genotypes can determine an individual’s response to a certain environment, and these genotype-environment pairs can affect human development
what approach do held and hein support?
the nurture approach
how does held and hein’s kitten study support the nurture approach?
their findings showed that movement in kittens is learnt as environment changes visual responses
what approach do goldin-meadow and mylander support?
the nature approach
how does goldin-meadow and mylander’s study support nature?
their findings suggest that language acquisition is innate
- differences in culture and child-rearing practices didn’t affect patterns of gestures used to communicate
give 3 evaluation points for the nature vs nurture debate
- nature debate lacks a holistic approach
- research to support diathesis-stress model (interactionist)
- nurture affects nature (maguire)
nature evaluation: lacks holism
ID: the nature debate can be seen as lacking a holistic approach
Q: this is because it tries to explain complex behaviour with one influence. it doesn’t consider how other factors interact together in influencing behaviour.
EV: for example, it ignores the influence of nurture and the environment on behaviour, which is a key factor that cannot be separated from nature.
AN: therefore, environmental factors will always influence behaviour, and as a consequence, the nature debate lacks validity as it is biologically reductionist.
ELAB: however, the nurture debate can also be seen as lacking a holistic approach as it ignores biological factors.
interactionist evaluation: DSM
ID: there is research to support the interactionist approach through the diathesis-stress model
Q: evidence to support the DSM comes from a finnish adoption study
EV: researchers compared 155 adopted children whose biological mothers had schizophrenia, with a matched group of children with no family history of schizophrenia. they found that the group with sz mothers had a 10% rate of sz, along with all reported cases of sz occurring in families rated ‘disturbed’.
AN: this research provides strong evidence that sz is explained through interaction between genetic inheritance and environmental triggers. supporting the interactionist approach.
nurture evaluation: maguire
ID: there is research to support that nurture has an impact on nature
Q: this evidence comes from maguire’s taxi driver study
EV: maguire researched into neural plasticity and found that life experiences (nurture) shaped our biology (nature), she concluded that driving a taxi had an affect on the size of the hippocampi.
AN: this presents evidence that nurture can have an effect on nature, and also the importance of an interactionist approach in explaining behaviour.
