PSYC 140 Final Paper Nature vs Nurture in Eating Disorders Actual Exam 2026/2027 –
Complete 35 Questions with Detailed Rationales | 100% Verified | Pass Guaranteed –
A+ Graded
Section A: Foundations of Nature vs. Nurture in Psychology (Questions
1–6)
Q1: Which statement best reflects the contemporary scientific consensus on the nature
vs. nurture debate as it applies to psychopathology?
A. Nature exclusively determines psychological disorders through inherited
programming.
B. Nurture exclusively determines psychological disorders through socialization.
C. Psychological disorders, including eating disorders, emerge from the dynamic
interaction of genetic predispositions and environmental influences. [CORRECT]
D. The debate ended when researchers proved heredity outweighs environment in every
disorder.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Contemporary accounts are interactionist—genetic predispositions and
environments jointly shape psychopathology. Options A, B, and D each resurrect
one-sided or hierarchical framings the field has moved beyond.
Q2: A student drafts the following thesis for the final paper: "Anorexia nervosa is caused
entirely by Western media's promotion of the thin ideal." What is the strongest critique of
this thesis?
A. It presents a deterministic, one-sided claim that ignores substantial evidence for
genetic vulnerability and gene-environment interaction. [CORRECT]
B. It is too short to function as a thesis statement.
C. It focuses on anorexia nervosa, which is not covered in PSYC 140.
D. It needs a celebrity quote to be persuasive.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The thesis is deterministic and one-sided, ignoring robust evidence for
genetic liability and gene-environment interaction. Length (B), topic scope (C), and
celebrity quotes (D) do not address the logical flaw.
Q3: The term "nature versus nurture" was popularized by which historical figure?
A. Sigmund Freud
, B. Francis Galton [CORRECT]
C. John B. Watson
D. Carl Rogers
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Francis Galton, influenced by his half-cousin Charles Darwin, coined and
popularized the phrase; attributing it to Freud, Watson, or Rogers misplaces the origin.
Q4: In a diathesis-stress account of eating disorders, Maya carries inherited
serotonergic vulnerability and later enrolls in a weight-focused ballet academy with
strict dieting norms. In this model, Maya's genetic vulnerability is best labeled the:
A. Stressor
B. Phenotype
C. Epigenetic marker
D. Diathesis [CORRECT]
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The diathesis is the underlying predisposition (here, serotonergic
vulnerability) that the stressor (the weight-focused environment) activates. The
phenotype (B) is the observable disorder, not its cause.
Q5: In behavioral genetics research on eating disorders, the term "phenotype" refers to:
A. The complete sequence of an individual's DNA.
B. The family environment in which a person is raised.
C. The observable characteristics or symptoms under study, such as an eating disorder
diagnosis and associated behaviors. [CORRECT]
D. The statistical estimate of shared environmental influence.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Phenotype denotes observable traits—diagnoses, symptoms, behaviors—as
opposed to the genotype (A), the rearing context (B), or a variance estimate (D).
Q6: A classmate argues: "Anorexia nervosa runs in families, so it must be an inherited
disorder." What is the central flaw in this reasoning?
A. Family aggregation confounds genetic relatedness with shared environment;
familiality alone cannot establish heritability. [CORRECT]
B. The claim is flawless because families transmit only genes.
C. Anorexia nervosa never aggregates in families.
D. The reasoning fails because genes cannot influence behavior.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Family members share both genes and environments, so familial clustering
alone cannot separate the two; twin and adoption designs are required. Options B and D
make absolutist errors, and C denies a well-documented phenomenon.
Complete 35 Questions with Detailed Rationales | 100% Verified | Pass Guaranteed –
A+ Graded
Section A: Foundations of Nature vs. Nurture in Psychology (Questions
1–6)
Q1: Which statement best reflects the contemporary scientific consensus on the nature
vs. nurture debate as it applies to psychopathology?
A. Nature exclusively determines psychological disorders through inherited
programming.
B. Nurture exclusively determines psychological disorders through socialization.
C. Psychological disorders, including eating disorders, emerge from the dynamic
interaction of genetic predispositions and environmental influences. [CORRECT]
D. The debate ended when researchers proved heredity outweighs environment in every
disorder.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Contemporary accounts are interactionist—genetic predispositions and
environments jointly shape psychopathology. Options A, B, and D each resurrect
one-sided or hierarchical framings the field has moved beyond.
Q2: A student drafts the following thesis for the final paper: "Anorexia nervosa is caused
entirely by Western media's promotion of the thin ideal." What is the strongest critique of
this thesis?
A. It presents a deterministic, one-sided claim that ignores substantial evidence for
genetic vulnerability and gene-environment interaction. [CORRECT]
B. It is too short to function as a thesis statement.
C. It focuses on anorexia nervosa, which is not covered in PSYC 140.
D. It needs a celebrity quote to be persuasive.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The thesis is deterministic and one-sided, ignoring robust evidence for
genetic liability and gene-environment interaction. Length (B), topic scope (C), and
celebrity quotes (D) do not address the logical flaw.
Q3: The term "nature versus nurture" was popularized by which historical figure?
A. Sigmund Freud
, B. Francis Galton [CORRECT]
C. John B. Watson
D. Carl Rogers
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Francis Galton, influenced by his half-cousin Charles Darwin, coined and
popularized the phrase; attributing it to Freud, Watson, or Rogers misplaces the origin.
Q4: In a diathesis-stress account of eating disorders, Maya carries inherited
serotonergic vulnerability and later enrolls in a weight-focused ballet academy with
strict dieting norms. In this model, Maya's genetic vulnerability is best labeled the:
A. Stressor
B. Phenotype
C. Epigenetic marker
D. Diathesis [CORRECT]
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The diathesis is the underlying predisposition (here, serotonergic
vulnerability) that the stressor (the weight-focused environment) activates. The
phenotype (B) is the observable disorder, not its cause.
Q5: In behavioral genetics research on eating disorders, the term "phenotype" refers to:
A. The complete sequence of an individual's DNA.
B. The family environment in which a person is raised.
C. The observable characteristics or symptoms under study, such as an eating disorder
diagnosis and associated behaviors. [CORRECT]
D. The statistical estimate of shared environmental influence.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Phenotype denotes observable traits—diagnoses, symptoms, behaviors—as
opposed to the genotype (A), the rearing context (B), or a variance estimate (D).
Q6: A classmate argues: "Anorexia nervosa runs in families, so it must be an inherited
disorder." What is the central flaw in this reasoning?
A. Family aggregation confounds genetic relatedness with shared environment;
familiality alone cannot establish heritability. [CORRECT]
B. The claim is flawless because families transmit only genes.
C. Anorexia nervosa never aggregates in families.
D. The reasoning fails because genes cannot influence behavior.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Family members share both genes and environments, so familial clustering
alone cannot separate the two; twin and adoption designs are required. Options B and D
make absolutist errors, and C denies a well-documented phenomenon.
