The Nature-Nurture Debate

Question 1

What is the nature-nurture debate?

Answer 1

The debate centres on the relative contributions of genetic inheritance and environmental influences to human behaviour

Question 2

What is the nature view?

Answer 2

• Behaviour is a product of genetic or innate biological factors
• Also known as the nativist position
• Not always present at birth, as we have a ‘biological clock’
• Assumes characteristics are inherited and individual differences are the result of unique genetic code

Question 3

What are genetic explanations?

Answer 3

• Traits are inherited
• Family, twin and adoption studies support genetic influence of behaviour
• Joseph (2004) found the concordance rate of schizophrenia is 40% for MZ twins and 7% for DZ twins, shows the relevance of genes in explaining schizophrenia

Question 4

What are evolutionary explanations?

Answer 4

• Behaviour is naturally selected based on the principle that it promotes survival and reproduction
• Bowlby (1969) proposed infant attachment is an evolutionary instinct, as it promotes protection and reproduction of future generations

Question 5

What is the nurture view?

Answer 5

The view that behaviour is a product of environmental influences

Question 6

What is empiricism?

Answer 6

The belief that humans are born ‘tabula rasa’, a blank state. Proposed by John Locke in the 17th Century

Question 7

What is the behaviourist explanation of attachment?

Answer 7

Attachments are formed through classical conditioning: food is associated with the caregiver, reusulting in an attachment forming

Question 8

What is the nurture explanation of schizophrenia?

Answer 8

Bateson et al (1956) proposed the Double Bind Theory suggesting schizophrenia is the result of disordered communication within the family environment.

Question 9

Give an evaluation point to the debate

Answer 9

• Diathesis-stress model
• Interactionist approach
• Epigenetics

Question 10

Explain the diathesis-stress model

Answer 10

• A diathesis is a biological vulnerability
• However research has found that even if someone has a vulnerability, it doesn’t necessarily mean they will develop the behaviour or disease
• A ‘stressor’ triggers the gene to express itself
• Nature is only expressed under certain conditions of nurture

Question 11

Explain an interactionst approach to behaviour

Answer 11

• Too simplistic to consider natural and nurture in isolation of one another
• Suggests human behaviour is explained through the interaction between nature and nurture
• Maguire et al. (2000) found the hippocampi of London taxi drivers was larger than a control group. Experience of driving and learning the maps (nurture) influenced the brain structure (nature)

Question 12

What is epigenetics?

Answer 12

• The material in each cell of your body acts as a set of ‘switches’ to turn genes on or off
• Life experiences control these switches and are passed on to subsequent generations
• This explains why cloning doesn’t produce identical copies
• Suggests genetics and environmental are much less separate than previously thought