The nature- nurture debate

Question 1

AO1: what is the nature-nurture debate?

what do nativists and empiricists think?

what is the heritability coefficient?

Answer 1

it is the extent to which aspects of behaviour are a product of inherited (nature) or acquired (nurture) characteristics.

Nativists argue that human characteristics are innate and empiricists argue that the mind is a blank slate and is shaped by the environment.

The heritability coefficient is used to assess heredity. It ranges from 0-1 and indicates the extent to which a characteristic has a genetic basis.

Question 2

AO1: What is the interactionist approach?

what is the diathesis stress model?

what are epigenetics?

Answer 2

The interactionist approach is the idea that nature and nurture interact, they combine in a way that can’t be predicted by each one separately. For example, Bowlby claimed a baby’s attachment type is determined by continuity of parental love, whereas Kegan proposed a baby’s innate personality also affects the attachment. Thus nature (child’s personality) creates nurture (parents response).

The diathesis stress model suggests psychopathology is caused by biological vulnerability (the diathesis) which is only expressed when coupled with an environmental trigger (the stressor).

Epigenetics is a change in our genetic activity without changing our genetic code.

Question 3

AO3: Research support for nature and nurture

However,

Answer 3

P: research support for both
E: adoption studies can separate the competing influences of nature and nurture
E: for example if adopted children are found to be similar to their adoptive parents this suggests the environment is the bigger influence. Wheras if adopted children are more similar to their biological parents, then genetic factors are presumed to dominate.
L: this means that adoption studies can provide useful evidence either for or against each side of the debate.

However taking one hard determinist stance is dangerous, can be used in eugenics from a nature side or aversion therapy from a nurture side.

Question 4

AO3: Limitation: nature nurture debate is now a meaningless distinction

however,

Answer 4

P: As psychological knowledge has deepened, the nature- nurture debate has grown increasingly complex, to the point where some psychologists believe that it is now a meaningless distinction, and a pointless distraction from more important matters
E: e.g. Plomin argues nature and nurture are two entities that cannot be pulled apart.
E: people can create their own nurture by actively seeking out environments appropriate for their nature. For example naturally aggressive children may seek out more aggressive environments.
L: Furthermore, these ideas also demonstrate the possible interaction between nature and nurture and demonstrate that nature can actually affect nurture.

However, taking this interactionist approach many mean the debate is forgotten and valuable psychological research into one side of the debate may not be carried out.

Question 5

AO3: strength- other psychologists have suggested that the influence can operate in the other direction

Answer 5

P: the influence can operate in the other direction.
E: research examining plasticity suggests that life experiences (nurture) shape our biology (nature).
E: e.g. Maguire investigation the hippocampi volume of London taxi drivers. She found that this region of the brain was larger in taxi drivers in comparison to non-taxi drivers. Consequently, Maguire concluded that driving a taxi (nurture) actually had an effect on the size of the hippocampi (nature).
L: This supports interactionism as it shows that driving a taxi (nurture) actually had an effect on the size of the hippocampi (nature) and supports the interactionist approach to the debate.

Question 6

AO3: research support for epigenetics

Answer 6

P: research support
E: A pregnant woman’s environment and behaviour can change the baby’s epigenetics. These changes can remain for decades.
E: For example people whose mothers were pregnant with them during the famine were more likely to develop certain diseases such as heart diseases and schizophrenia. 60 years later they were looked at and had increased levels of schizophrenia compared to their siblings.
L: This supports epigenetics as it shows a real life example.