nature vs nurture Flashcards
what is the nature nurture debate?
it is concerned with the extent to which aspects of behaviour are a product of inherited or acquired characteristics
what is a model which emerged from the interactionist approach?
the diathesis stress model
what is the diathesis stress model?
a model which suggests that behaviour is caused by a biological or environmental vulnerability (diathesis) which is only expressed when coupled with a biological or environmental ‘trigger’ (stressor)
what is heredity?
the genetic transmission of both mental and physical characteristics from one generation to another
how do environment and heredity interact?
bowlby emphasis the environmental impact on attachment type, like warmth and parental love. Kagan demonstrates the interaction between nature and nurture, the babies temperament creates nurture (the parents response)
what are epigenetics?
epigenetics refers to a change in our genetic activity without changing the genes themselves. it happens throught life and is caused by the interaction with our environment. aspects of our lifestyle or events we encounter leave ‘marks’ on our DNA, which genes switch on or off
what is nature?
refers to inherited factors or heredity. biological factors.
what does nurture refer to?
nurture refers to the influence of experience and the environment, Locke argued that the mind is a blank slate at birth, which is then shaped by the environment. This became an important feature of the behaviourist approach.
how can nature/ neither be measured?
using correlation coefficients
what is a correlation coefficient?
it is the degree to which two people on a particular trait can be represented, also called concordance
what is heritability?
the proportion of differences between individuals in a population, with regards to a particular trait, that is due to genetic variation
why are adoption studies useful?
they separate the competing influences of nature and nurture
strength: adoption studies
•can separate nature and nurture
•a meta analysis of adoption studies by Rhee and Waldman found that generic influences accounted for 41% of the variance in aggression
strength: support for epigenetics
•Susser and Lin report tbhh women who became pregnant during the Dutch Winter Hunger Famine went on to have low- weight babies
•these babies were twice as likely to develop schizophrenia- demonstrating how life experiences can leave epigenetic markers
strength: real- world application
•an understanding of OCD heritability can inform genetic counselling because it is important to understand that high heritability does not mean it is inevitable that the individual will go on to develop the disorder
•this means that people can receive advice on the likelihood of developing the disorder and how they might prevent this
