The nature-nurture debate Flashcards
What is the nature-nurture debate about?
-It is concerned with the extent to which aspects of behaviour are a product of inherited or acquired characteristics from the environment
What is a) the example of the nativist and b) what did they argue?
a)Rene Descartes
b) Nature: All human characteristics are innate and that psychological factors such as intelligence or personality are determined by biological factors
What is a) the example of the empiricist and b) what did they argue?
a) John Locke
B) They argued that the mind is a blank slate at birth
a)Who identified the different levels of the environment and b) what were some of the factors?
a) Richard Lerner identified the different levels of the environment
b) Prenatal factors such as Smoking (physical influence) or music (Psychological influence) and postnatal factors such as childhood conditions
What is concordance?
-The correlation coefficient
-It is the degree that two people are similar on a particular trait
-it provides an estimate about the extent to which a trait is inherited-hereditary
a)What is the general heritability figure of IQ and b) what does this mean ?
a)0.5 (50%)
b) 50% of a persons IQ is determined by genetic factors
What is the interactionist approach?
-It is the relative contribution of nature and nurture on how they interact to cause behaviour
a)What is the hereditability figure and concordance of eye colour and b) what is the significance of this
a)0.8
b) Even simple physical traits such as eye colour are still influenced by the environment
What is the diathesis stress model and give an example?
-Suggests behaviour is caused by a biological or environmental vulnerability (diathesis) which is only expressed when coupled with a biological and environmental trigger
-a person may have a genetic vulnerability for OCD but it is only triggered when a person experiences a traumatic experience
What is epigenetics and an example?
-The change in our genetic activity without actually changing the genes themselves
- For example, smoking changes our DNA which explains why problems do not stop after you stop smoking
-Changes in genes are passed onto offspring
Strengths of the nature-nurture debate
-Adoption studies: Adoption studies allow researchers to disentangle the influences of genetics (nature) and environment (nurture) by comparing adopted children with their adoptive and biological parents.
meta-analysis found that genetic factors accounted for 41% of the variance in aggression.Therefore, this suggests that adoption studies offer a methodological advantage in understanding the complex interaction between genetic and environmental factors in human behaviour.
-However, further research suggests that this approach may be misguided.Plomin (1994) argues that individuals actively shape their environments based on their genetic predispositions, a concept known as niche-picking. This means that individuals select environments that align with their inherent traits, which in turn further influence their behaviour.Therefore, this challenges the traditional dichotomy between nature and nurture, emphasising the need for a more comprehensive understanding of their interplay.
Epigenetics: The complexity of the interactionist approach through epigenetics is supported by research evidence.
Demonstrated that prenatal exposure to famine during The Dutch Hunger Winter was associated with increased risk of schizophrenia in offspring.This shows the role of environmental factors in gene expression across generations. Therefore, this supports the view of long-term impact of environmental exposures on gene expression and health outcomes of future offspring.
Real World Application:
Nestadt’s (2010) research on OCD highlighted the high heritability of the disorder, which informs genetic counselling which tries to inform how it is not inevitable that the person will develop the disorder.Understanding the interaction between genetic predisposition and environmental factors can help individuals manage their risk and prevent the onset of OCD, such as learning how to manage stress.
Therefore, this reveals the importance of integrating genetic and environmental factors in addressing complex mental health conditions in a practical therapeutic setting.
