Issues
M and Debates
Nature Vs Nurture
-> concerned with the extent to which aspects of behaviour are a product of
inherited or acquired characteristics
key definitions:
heredity - the generic transmission of both mental and physical characteristics
-
from one generation to another
environment - any influence on human behaviour that is non-genetic, and this
can range from pre-natal influences in the womb to cultural and historical
influences on a societal level
interactionist approach - a way to explain the development of behaviour in
terms of a range of factors, including biological and psychological factors
- such factors often don’t simply add together but interact
heritability - the proportion of differences between individuals in a population
-
with regards to a particular trait (that is due to genetic variation)
• the debate seeks to answer the question of whether our behaviour is more
influenced by nature or nurture
• Bowlby proposed that a baby’s attachment type is determined by the warmth
and continuity of parental love (environmental) whereas Kagan proposed
that a baby’s innate personality affects the attachment relationship
• the child’s temperament in a sense creates the parents’ response
(environment and heredity interact)
• subsequently, the debate addresses more how nature and nurture interact as
opposed to which is the cause of behaviour
• the diathesis-stress model suggests behaviour is caused by a biological
vulnerability which is then expressed when triggered by an environmental
trigger
• as seen in OCD, a genetic vulnerability and a psychological trigger (eg a
traumatic experience) is needed for the disorder to be developed
• epigenetics refers to a change in genetic activity without a change to the
genome itself - interaction with the environment leaves epigenetic markers
on our DNA, switching genes on and off
• this is why factors such as smoking have a lifelong influence even after you
stop as they change the way your genes will be expressed
Nature
• refers to inherited influences or heredity
• Descartes argued that all human characteristics and some aspects of
knowledge are innate
- psychological characteristics like intelligence and personality are
determined by biological factors, similar to physical characteristics
Nurture
• refers to the influence of experience and the environment
• Locke argued that the mind is a blank slate at birth, which is then shaped by
the environment - later part of the behaviourist approach
Evaluations:
, Nature Vs Nurture
P One strength of research into the nature-nurture debate is the use of adoption
studies
E A meta-analysis of adoption studies by Rhee and Waldman (2002) found that
genetic influences accounted for 41% of the variance in aggression.
E This is a strength because the research separates the competing influences of
nature and nurture - if adoptive children are found to be more similar to their
adoptive parents, this suggests that environment is the bigger influence, whereas
if they are found to be more similar to their biological parents, this suggests that
genetic factors are dominant.
L This shows that research can separate the influences of nature and nurture.
CP However, research suggests that this approach could be misguided - Plomin
suggested that people create their own ‘nurture’ by selecting environments which
are appropriate for their ‘nature’ as we feel more comfortable with people who
are similar to us and thus choose our environments accordingly (termed ‘niche
picking’ by the constructivism theory). This suggests that nature and nurture are
not separate and thus we cannot look at evidence of them individually.
P However, a limitation of the nature side of the debate can be socially sensitive.
E By accepting that anatomy and genetics are destiny, and we are unable to
change this, there is room for the suggestion of links between race and IQ,
potentially suggesting inferiority and bringing forth eugenic ideas.
E 1952 studies suggested that IQ differences between black and white Americans is
due to genetics, and accepting this would be agreeing that one group of
Americans is inferior to another, despite the IQ differences being likely due to
unequal resource allocation and opportunities.
L This could thus cause inequality and racial discrimination from baseless
information and affect racial groups.
P A strength of the nurture side of the debate is that it supports epigenetics
E Research support for this one’s from events such as the Dutch Famine in 1944,
when the Nazis blocked food distribution to the Dutch people and 22,000 people
died of starvation. Susser and Lin (1992) found that women who were pregnant
during the famine had low birth weight babies, which were twice as likely to
develop schizophrenia compared to typical populations.
E This is a strength of the as it shows support for the idea that environmental
experiences have influence on our genetics and can leave epigenetic markers.
P Another strength of the nature-nurture debate is that it has real world
application
E Research suggests that OCD is highly heritable - Nesdadt et al (2010) suggested the
heritability rate to be 0.76.
E This understanding of the high heritability of such disorders can help to inform
genetic counselling, and people with a high genetic risk of OCD can receive advice
about their likelihood of developing the disorder and how they can prevent this.
L This shows that the debate is not just theoretical but has importance on a
practical level.
M and Debates
Nature Vs Nurture
-> concerned with the extent to which aspects of behaviour are a product of
inherited or acquired characteristics
key definitions:
heredity - the generic transmission of both mental and physical characteristics
-
from one generation to another
environment - any influence on human behaviour that is non-genetic, and this
can range from pre-natal influences in the womb to cultural and historical
influences on a societal level
interactionist approach - a way to explain the development of behaviour in
terms of a range of factors, including biological and psychological factors
- such factors often don’t simply add together but interact
heritability - the proportion of differences between individuals in a population
-
with regards to a particular trait (that is due to genetic variation)
• the debate seeks to answer the question of whether our behaviour is more
influenced by nature or nurture
• Bowlby proposed that a baby’s attachment type is determined by the warmth
and continuity of parental love (environmental) whereas Kagan proposed
that a baby’s innate personality affects the attachment relationship
• the child’s temperament in a sense creates the parents’ response
(environment and heredity interact)
• subsequently, the debate addresses more how nature and nurture interact as
opposed to which is the cause of behaviour
• the diathesis-stress model suggests behaviour is caused by a biological
vulnerability which is then expressed when triggered by an environmental
trigger
• as seen in OCD, a genetic vulnerability and a psychological trigger (eg a
traumatic experience) is needed for the disorder to be developed
• epigenetics refers to a change in genetic activity without a change to the
genome itself - interaction with the environment leaves epigenetic markers
on our DNA, switching genes on and off
• this is why factors such as smoking have a lifelong influence even after you
stop as they change the way your genes will be expressed
Nature
• refers to inherited influences or heredity
• Descartes argued that all human characteristics and some aspects of
knowledge are innate
- psychological characteristics like intelligence and personality are
determined by biological factors, similar to physical characteristics
Nurture
• refers to the influence of experience and the environment
• Locke argued that the mind is a blank slate at birth, which is then shaped by
the environment - later part of the behaviourist approach
Evaluations:
, Nature Vs Nurture
P One strength of research into the nature-nurture debate is the use of adoption
studies
E A meta-analysis of adoption studies by Rhee and Waldman (2002) found that
genetic influences accounted for 41% of the variance in aggression.
E This is a strength because the research separates the competing influences of
nature and nurture - if adoptive children are found to be more similar to their
adoptive parents, this suggests that environment is the bigger influence, whereas
if they are found to be more similar to their biological parents, this suggests that
genetic factors are dominant.
L This shows that research can separate the influences of nature and nurture.
CP However, research suggests that this approach could be misguided - Plomin
suggested that people create their own ‘nurture’ by selecting environments which
are appropriate for their ‘nature’ as we feel more comfortable with people who
are similar to us and thus choose our environments accordingly (termed ‘niche
picking’ by the constructivism theory). This suggests that nature and nurture are
not separate and thus we cannot look at evidence of them individually.
P However, a limitation of the nature side of the debate can be socially sensitive.
E By accepting that anatomy and genetics are destiny, and we are unable to
change this, there is room for the suggestion of links between race and IQ,
potentially suggesting inferiority and bringing forth eugenic ideas.
E 1952 studies suggested that IQ differences between black and white Americans is
due to genetics, and accepting this would be agreeing that one group of
Americans is inferior to another, despite the IQ differences being likely due to
unequal resource allocation and opportunities.
L This could thus cause inequality and racial discrimination from baseless
information and affect racial groups.
P A strength of the nurture side of the debate is that it supports epigenetics
E Research support for this one’s from events such as the Dutch Famine in 1944,
when the Nazis blocked food distribution to the Dutch people and 22,000 people
died of starvation. Susser and Lin (1992) found that women who were pregnant
during the famine had low birth weight babies, which were twice as likely to
develop schizophrenia compared to typical populations.
E This is a strength of the as it shows support for the idea that environmental
experiences have influence on our genetics and can leave epigenetic markers.
P Another strength of the nature-nurture debate is that it has real world
application
E Research suggests that OCD is highly heritable - Nesdadt et al (2010) suggested the
heritability rate to be 0.76.
E This understanding of the high heritability of such disorders can help to inform
genetic counselling, and people with a high genetic risk of OCD can receive advice
about their likelihood of developing the disorder and how they can prevent this.
L This shows that the debate is not just theoretical but has importance on a
practical level.
