Nature vs Nurture

Question 1

introductory paragraph

Answer 1

this debate assess the extent to which behaviour is the result of genetics of environment

Question 2

nature side

Answer 2

nativists argued that human characteristics and even some aspects of knowledge are innate, the result of hereditary.

Question 3

nurture side

Answer 3

empiricists argued the mind is a blank slate at birth upon learning and experience writes. result of environment

Question 4

what is the heritability coefficient?

Answer 4

numerical figure between 0 and 1.0 which indicates the extent to which a characteristic has a genetic basis

Question 5

example of heritability coefficient

Answer 5

intelligence is 0.5 suggesting it is a result of both nature and nurture

Question 6

how is heritability established?

Answer 6

through twins- often difficult to establish whether concordance rate are result of shared genetics/environment.

Question 7

what is the interactionist approach?

Answer 7

believes nature and nurture are linked to such an extent that it does not make sense to separate the two, so look at how influence each other

Question 8

strengths of the debate

Answer 8

• use of adoption studies= separate competing influences
• real world applications eg OCD

Question 9

limitations of the debate

Answer 9

• extremely deterministic which has huge implications for behav change