the nature-nurture debate

Question 1

nature

Answer 1

refers to inherited influences or heredity

all human characteristics are innate

psychological characteristics like intelligence and personality are determined by biological factors such as genes

Question 2

nurture

Answer 2

influence of experience and the environment

empiricist

argued that the mind is a blank slate at birth which is then shaped by the environment

this view later becomes an important feature in the behaviourist approach

prenatal factors such as how physical influences such as smoking or psychological influences such as music affect the foetus

more generally development is inflicted postnatlly in terms of the social conditions a child grows up in

Question 3

measuring nature and nurture

Answer 3

the edegree in which two people are similar on a particular trait can be represented by a correlation coefficient is called concordance

such concordance provides an estimate about the extent to which a trait is inherited - heritability

heritability is the proportion of differences between individuals in a population with regards to particular trait that’s is due to genetic variation

a figure of 0.1 or 1% means genes contribute almost nothing to individual diffences

1.0 or 100% means ghent’s are th only reason for individual differences

general figure for heribatiloty in IQ is about .5 across multiple studies carrying populations

means about half of a person intelligence is determined by genetic factors and the other half must be environmental

Question 4

the nature of- nurture debate - interactions it approach

Answer 4

not really a debate about one or the other because any behaviour/character is it arises from a combination of both

example - Bowlby claimed that a baby’s attachment type is determined by the warmth and continuity of parental love (environmental influence)

Kagan proposed that a baby’s innate personality (temperament) also affects the attachment relationship

thus nature (the child’s temperament) in a real sense creates nurture (the parents reasoned) so environment and hereditary interact

for this reason psuchoogicts are now more likely to ask what the relative contribution of each influence is

the nature-nurture debate is really about discussion how nature and nurture interact - interactions it approach

Question 5

diathesis - stress model

Answer 5

suggest behaviour is caused by a biological or environmental vulnerability (diathesis) which is only expressed when coupled with a biological or environmental trigger (stressor)

exmaple - biological exaplantions of OCS

a perosn who inherits a genetic vulnerability for OCD may not develop the disorder

but combined with a psychological trigger (traumatic experience) this amy result in the dirosder appearing

Question 6

epigentics

Answer 6

refers to a change in our genetic activity without changing the genes themselves

it is a process that happens throughout life and is caused by interaction with he environment

aspects of out lifestyle or events we encounter (from smoking and diet to trauma) leave marks on out DNA / genes

which switch genes on or off

this explains why factors such as smiling have a lifelong influence even after you actually stop - they have changed the way your genes will be expressed

epigenetic chnges may go on and influence of the genetic codes of our children as well as their children

epigentics therefore introduces a third element to the nature-nurture debate the life experience of previous generations

Question 7

strength

Answer 7

adoption studies

strength of research into the nature-nirtree debate is the used of adoption studies

adoption studies are useful because they separate the competing influences of nature and nurture

if adopted children are found to be more similar to their adoptive parents this suggests the environment is the bigger influence

whereas if adopted are more similar to whir biological parents then genetic factors are presumed to dominate

A meta-analysis of adoptions studies by Rhee and Walkman found that genetic influences accounted for 41% of the variance in aggression

shows how research can separate the influences of nature and nurture

Question 8

strenght

Answer 8

epigentics

of the debate is support for epigentics

example of how the environmental effects can span generatopns presumably through epigentics effects comes from events of the second world war

in 1944 the nazis blocked the distribution og food to the dutch people and 22000 died of starvation

Susser and Lin reported that women who became pro gang during the famine went on to have low birth weigh babies

these babies were twice as likely to develop schizophrenia when they grew up compared to more typical population rates

suuports the view that the life experiences of previous gernations can leave epigentics markers that influence the health of their offspring

Question 9

strength

Answer 9

real world application

research suggest that OCD is highly heritable mental disorder

such understanding can inform genetic counselling because it is importnat to understand that height heritability doe snot mean it is inevitable that the indivusal will go on to develop the disorder

means that elle who have a hugh genetic risk of OCD because of their family background can receive advice about the likelihood of developing the disorder and how they might prevent this

shows that debate is not just a theorietical one but that it is importnat as ta practical level to understand the interaction between nature and nurture