nature vs nurture debate Flashcards
what do nativists believe?
human characteristics are innate, obtained through hereditary but the environment can interact with our biology to change our behaviour (evolutionary psychology)
what do empiricists believe?
human characteristics are learned through interactions with our environment and reinforcement
what are twin studies?
comparing the concordance rate of MZ and DZ twins
why can there never be 100% concordance rates?
nothing is entirely biological
why is it hard to separate nature and nurture in twin studies?
twins can never have exactly the same experiences
how do we know if biology plays a role in twin studies?
MZ twins will have a higher concordance rate then DZ twins
what is the interactionist approach?
our genes can affect our environment, but our environment can also affect our genes
what research supports the diathesis-stress model?
Tienari et al’s research into schizophrenia in finnish adoptees
what is epigenetics?
how genes are turned on and off in both ourselves and offspring
how is epigenetic investigated?
animal studies- a fear of a smell was conditioned into a pregnant rat and it was found the offspring also had a fear of the sae smell when born
what supporting evidence is there for epigenetics?
it was found children of mothers who lived through the dutch famine had increased rate of schizophrenia and were at higher risk of depression (due to change in metabolism)
what are the implications of the NVN debate
self-fulfilling prophecy, stigmas, blame
what is constructivism?
how are innate tendencies influence the kinds of environment we seek out
what is a genotype passive interaction?
parents genes will influence how they treat their children
what is a genotype evocative interaction?
children’s genes influence how their parents treat them
