the nature and nurture debate Flashcards
what is the nature nurture debate?
- The nature-nurture in psychology pertains to the degree to which human behaviour is influenced by..
genetics and hereditary factors (nature / nativism) or
environmental factors (nurture / empiricism)
This debate is one of the oldest philosophical issues within psychology and continues to be a topic of interest amongst researchers.
what is the nature arguement?
Some philosophers such as Plato and Descartes suggested that certain things are inborn, or that they occur naturally regardless of environmental influences.
Nativists take the position that all or most behaviours and characteristics are the result of genetic inheritance.
People who take this point of view believe that all of our characteristics and behaviours are the result of evolution.
Genetic traits handed down from parents influence the individual differences that make each person unique.
what is the nurture argument?
Other well-known thinkers such as John Locke believed in what is known as tabula rasa, which suggests that the mind begins as a blank slate.
According to this idea, everything that we are and all of our knowledge is determined by our experience.
Empiricists take the position that all or most behaviours and characteristics result from learning.
Learning theories such as behaviourism and social learning theory are good examples of theories rooted in empiricism.
The behaviourists believe that all actions and behaviours are the results of learning.
Theorists such as John B Watson believed that people could be trained to do and become anything, regardless of their genetic background.
what is the interactionist approach of the nature-nurture debate?
- In a practical sense, the nature-nurture question is impossible to answer because environmental influences in a child’s life begins as soon as it is born (perhaps earlier).
- Nature and nurture are so closely intertwined that, practically and theoretically, it makes little sense to try and separate the two.
- Interactionist= the idea that nature and nurture are linked to such an extent that it does not make sense to separate the two, so researchers instead study how they interact and influence each other.
what are epigentics to do with the interactionist approach?
This refers to a change in our genetic activity without changing our genetic code.
It is a process that happens throughout our life and is caused by interaction with the environment.
Aspects of our lifestyle, and the events we encounter - from smoking and diet to pollution and war - leave epigenetic marks on our DNA.
These marks let our bodies know which genes to ignore and which to use, and in turn, may go on and influence the genetic codes of our children, as well as their children.
give an example of epigentics?
Epigenetics therefore introduces a third element into the nature-nurture debate:
the life experience of previous generations.
Dias and Ressler (2014) gave male lab mice electric shocks every time they were exposed to the smell of acetophenone, a chemical used in perfume.
As any behaviourist would predict, the mice showed a fear response as soon as the scent was presented. Surprisingly, the mices’ children also feared the smell - even though they had not been exposed to acetophenone before or received any shocks. So did their grandchildren.
what are the positive evaluations of the nature and nurture debate?
- Point - There is evidence that shows nature drives much of our behaviour.
Evidence - Nestadt (2010) review of twin studies found a concordance rate of 0.68 (68%) for MZ twins but only 0.31 (or 31%) for DZ twins in cases of OCD.
Elaboration -
Link back - This evidence implies…….
- Point - There is evidence for an interactionist approach in explaining human behaviour.
Evidence - Maguire et al (2000) studied the brains of London taxi drivers using an MRI and found significantly more grey matter in the posterior hippocampus than in the matched control group. This part of the brain is associated with the development of spatial and navigational skills in humans and other animals.
Elaboration - As part of their training London Cabbies must take a complex test called ‘the knowledge’, which assesses their recall of the city streets and possible routes. It is also noteworthy that the longer they had been doing the job the more pronounced was the structural difference (a positive correlation). This shows a clear relationship between nature and nurture, as by engaging with the environment (learning the routes) they underwent biological changes (hippocampus becoming more dense).
Link back - Therefore, this provides evidence for the interactionist approach and the relationship between nature and nurture in shaping human behaviour.
- Point - The nature-nurture debate could be said to have mass practical application for the benefit of society.
Evidence - For example, by assuming parenting is a learnt behaviour we could offer parenting classes to reduce poor communication and relationships in the household and hopefully minimise the risk of developing schizophrenia. Likewise, if we assume schizophrenia has biological roots e.g. high levels of dopamine we could… promote medication that reduces dopamine activity such as SSRI’s and antidepressants to help reduce symptoms.
Elaboration - This implies both sides of the NATURE-NURTURE debate have far reaching implications that are useful to society. As a result, the intense debate could actually benefit our understanding of illnesses like schizophrenia which would lead to applications such as drug therapy.
Link back - Therefore, as the nature-nurture debate and the practical applications that have been developed by research into this area can lead to improvements in both diagnosis and treatment of many mental health conditions, this can be said to be beneficial for society.
- Point - The debate has evolved in recent years, from one where nature or nurture were thought to affect behaviour, to one where both are assumed to affect behaviour, with the debate lying in how much each side affects behaviour.
Evidence - For example, schizophrenia is thought to be caused by biological and environmental factors. Biological causes include the role of dopamine imbalances in the positive symptoms of the disorder. Whilst environmental factors include the schizophrenogenic mother proposed by Fromm-Reichmann that causes internal conflict.
Elaboration - As the debate has developed to now consider the extent to which nature and nurture may play a role, this understanding of interaction between biology and environment has led to successful and effective interactionist treatments such as in schizophrenia the use of antidepressants to reduce dopamine activity alongside cognitive behavioural therapy to identify and challenge negative thinking patterns.
Link back - Therefore, the evolution of the debate may benefit society by combining both sides to produce effective treatments.
what are the negative evaluations of the nature and nurture debate?
- Point - However, this evidence is flawed in its support of nature.
Evidence - While twin studies are often used to provide support for the nature argument, nearly all twin studies also highlight the need for an interactionist approach.
Elaboration - These results do provide evidence of a strong genetic component, as the concordance rate of MZ (68%) twin is significantly higher than the DZ twins (31%), which suggests that behaviour is partly attributed to nature because MZ twins share 100% genetic relatedness. However, the results also highlight the role of nurture as the concordance rate is not 100%, which highlights the importance of taking an interactionist approach.
Link back - Hence, this evidence offers less than convincing support for nature arguments.
- Point - It could be argued that the nature perspective is more scientific and observable than the nurture approach.
Comparison 1 - (give evidence of how a nature approach (e.g. dopamine hypothesis in schizophrenia or faulty caudate nucleus in OCD is scientific).
Comparison 2 - (give evidence of how a nurture approach e.g. operant conditioning in phobias may be less scientific. Hint - could easily be other unseen factors in maintaining the phobia.
Link back - Therefore……
